DEHORNING CATTLE 



"In the Argentine very large numbers of the cattle bred for 

 slaughter are dehorned in their youth, with a view, of course, 

 of saving injury when transporting takes place from ranch to 

 freezer. In Australia this has not been done, consequently 

 considerable losses have been attributed to injury by the horns 

 of animals which are driven or transported to the freezer. 



" It is well known that polled or dehorned cattle can be 

 managed and fattened with gieater facility than horned 

 animals, and that, where a consignment consists solely of horn- 

 less cattle, the animals can be conveyed by sea or land with 

 less danger of sustaining injury whilst in transit. The opinion 

 of salesman and feeders of experience in the cattle trade is to 

 the effect that steers for export, when horned, require more 

 space in railway wagons, on board ships and in the market- 

 place, that they receive more injury in transit, and that they 

 are worth from 10/- to 15/- per head less than hornless cattle. 



" The practice of dehorning cattle by sawing off or other- 

 wise entirely removing the horns after they are partly or fully 

 grown appears to inflict great pain upon the animals, and may 

 even be the cause of death. A method of preventing the growth 

 of the horns is by the application of caustic potash to the horn 

 buds of young calves. If performed in the manner set out 

 below, and with proper regard to the precautions which follow, 

 the operation is comparatively painless, and can be done 

 quickly and with ease : — 



" Clip the hair from the top of the horn when the calf is 

 from two to five days old. Slightly moisten the end of a slick 

 cf caustic potash with water (or moisten the top of the horn 

 bud), and rub the tip of each horn firmly with the potash for 

 about a quarter of a minute, or until a h light impression has 

 been made on the centre of the horn. The horn should be 



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