11 



If the animals are dehorned in warm weather, it is well to apply 

 some pine tar with a view to keeping flies from the wounds. Some 

 operators do this in nearly all cases, thinking that it facilitates healing. 

 The dehorning operation should always, when possible, be performed 

 in cool weather, and upon animals which have at least attained the age 

 of two years. 



IS DEHORNING CRUEL? 



Inquiries are frequently received as to whether the operation of 

 dehorning is very painful, and whether it may not be classed as cruelty 

 to animals. Those who have had an extensive experience in dehorn- 

 ing appear to agree that the pain induced by the operation has been 

 greatly overestimated, as careful observation has shown that shrink- 

 age in the yield of milk as well as of butterfat following the dehorn- 

 ing of cows is very temporary' and insignificant. On the other hand, 

 the worry, pain, and cruelty often inflicted by cattle upon their mates 

 before being deprived of their horns is much more to be considered, 

 and not infrequently results in the death of a valuable animal. A 

 neighbor on an adjoining farm to that owned by the writer a few 

 years ago lost two good milch cows in one winter through their being 

 disemboweled by the horns of barnyard mates while out for exercise. 

 He dehorned his entire herd almost immediately afterwards. The 

 increased safety of the animals much more than compensates for any 

 loss of beauty resulting from the removal of horns. 



DEHORNING ON THE RANGE. 



While the cattle ranchman of the West seems to be equal to every 

 requirement and emergency of his vocation, and is probably informed 

 with regard to the dehorning of his stock, this article would be incom- 

 plete without a description of the dehorning operation as practiced in 

 that part of the country. 



In the range country of the W^est dehorning has been extensively 

 practiced for a number of years, and various methods have been used 

 in restraining the animals, as well as in removing their horns. In 

 some instances the methods used are extremely crude, consisting in 

 simply roping and throwing the animal and cutting off the horns with 

 an ax. Most frequently, however, no matter what may be the means 

 of control, either the saw or the dehorning shears are used. As a 

 general thing the corral and chute which form a part of the equipment 

 of every well-appointed cattle ranch are used for this purpose. De- 

 horning with an ax should never be attempted, as, no matter how keen 

 the edge of the ax or how true the aim of the axman, he is working 

 on a living animal, and only a slight movement of the head would 

 result in a deviation of the stroke, and would thus be liable to cause, 



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