THE HOPE OF THE HERD— THE KIDS 149 



This method requires more equipment and consid- 

 erably more " nerve " than the caustic operation. Its 

 advantages are: no danger from the possible caustic 

 scars, a clean cut wound, which heals more quickly than 

 a burn, and less pain to the kid, wlio appears to suffer 

 not at all after the first quick, clean cut, while the pain 

 of the caustic persists for some time. Also this method 

 takes far less time than the caustic. 



All the instruments and dressings used in this opera- 

 tion must be scrupulously aseptic. An ointment very 

 useful for the dressing is " Unguentine." The instru- 

 ments must be sterilized after using. The dressing can 

 be safely removed from the kid's head a day or two after 

 the dehorning, and tlie scars rapidly lieal and are covei-ed 

 over with new growth of hair, leaving a smootli, 

 unblemished head. 



This method of deliorning is l)est employed when the 

 kid is about five days old. and can l)e used safely and 

 successfully at tlie age of two weeks. At that age, how- 

 ever, the skin is thicker and tougher, making it some- 

 what harder to cut clean and quickly; also it is more 

 firmly attached to the skull, and considerable force must 

 be used to peel it off the bone. 



At maturity a perfectly dehorned animal can be dis- 

 tinguished from one natm-ally liornless only by the full, 

 prominent knobs of the liornless animal and the level 



