CARE OF CATTLE

Shannon News, 25 November 1927, Page 4

CARE OF CATTLE

Practice of Dehorning A NECESSARY SAFEGUARD There is a great deal to be said in periodically and strenuously urged in favour of dehorning cattle; so much, in fact; that it is a wonder ; the practice has not ’enjoyed a much more extensive vogue. Certainly the advisability of its general adoption has been this country by interested bodies, 1 the New Zealand Ayrshire Breeders’ Association in particular having energetically pursued the subject in the past, and it is safe to say that the advantages and compensations it offers to the animals themselves in the first instance and to the owners in the second, are, 1 widely r recognised.

The practice is more popular jin the North than it is further south, but, even so, there is room for a wide extension of the policy in all parts. The reasons for its comparatively restricted adoption are certainly vague. The.matter of finance can be disregarded almost completely, for this is one case in which the farmer is not put to prohibitive expense. Time and attention —and not such a great deal of either —are- his only considerations, and it is not feasible to suggest that these are insurmountable obstacles Consideration for the comfort of the stock, arid a disinclination to subject it to a painful and distasteful ordeal, plight account in a, large measure ;for the reluctance which is apparently felt by many stockmen, but iri the final analysis this attitude is one which perpetuates a great deal more suffering than the temporary discomfiture of dehorning. Justification for Expedient. Full justification for the expedient is contained in the truism that it is often necessary to be cruel to be kind, indeed, there is every cause to regard the operation in the light of an incalculable kindness. But in any case were the process of dehorning placed on that basis of systematic effort which is so -eminently desirable, s the necessity for removal would soon be eliminated by general treatment of the calves in their early days. It is in this latter neglect that a wide field for intensified operations is offering A very large proportion of hornless stock in the country to-day has been , rendered so by the belated use off the dehorning shears, and while this is -doubtless quite a commendable method of gaining a much desired end in respect of adult cattle, it ,is an expedient which could well be eliminated if more attention were paid to' the question in its relation to the young stock. s

It is very generally agreed that dehorning is devoid of harmful constitution effects, with the exception, possibly, of temporary setbacks in the case of dairy stock, but the practice is a most distasteful one both toonan and beast, and it is strange that the much more; attractive policy of treating halves to prevent horn growth has not made a wider appeal. There is no fixed time for painless dehorning calves,, but if it is to be carried out the operation should be performed when the button horns can be felt, but are not showing through the! skin —during the second or third week. Repeated applications of moistened caustic potash fo r four days should remove them. It is a good plan to clip the hair over the spot and clean with a little methylated spirits, allowing it to dry before applying the caustic.

Prevention of .Cruelty. The subject of dehorning interests the meat trade, the stock owner and the. consumer both from the standpoint of prevention of cruelty and finance. In a recent issue pf the. New South Wales Journal of Agriculture a comprehensive article on the subject gave instances of the damaging effects of travelling horned cattle, instances which can be appreciated by patrons .of most stock sales in the Dominion, and also those familiar with experiences at most of the rmeat warks. The article stated, in < one mob of 105 received by rail at one meatworks, examination after slaughter showed 31 bruised buttocks, 38 bruised sides, 22 bruised shoulders, 2 bruised legs, one bruised back, and 15 hormpokes. In this case 42 jhindquarters and 26 forequarters were re-‘ jected for export. In one report it was.state'd:-^-"On two dates there were slaughtered 111 head of Polled Angus ex rail. Thirty were found bruised, mostly upon the hip, so it looks as if bruising was done in the yards or elsewhere.” Proceeding the writer dealt with the effect of dehorning of dairy stock. The operation had been observed by him. in some ,ten thousand cases. None of the animals died as a result, {three slipped their calves and a few delayed healing up. The milk . supply f drop- ■ ped, on an average 31b the second day and back to-normal on, the third* day. Briefly the claims of.dehorning are: 1. That a herd of cows settles {down , better after idehoraing, thereby increasing: the quantity and quality of the milk yield to an appreciable :.esi;

tent. 2. .That a large amount of bruising, especially in fat cattle for* warded for slaughter, can be avoided by the practice. 3.. That horned cattle inflict unnecessary cruelty upon one another. 4. And that many fatalities to human beings would be prevented by dehorning.