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This article was published in 1951
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INSTITUTE OF INSPECTORS OF STOCK OF N.S.W. YEAR BOOK.
Dehorning of Dairy Cattle
E.A. FARLEIGH, B.V.Sc., Inspector of Stock, Glen Innes-Inverell.
The advantages of Polled and Horned cattle have been a common argument between stud breeders of beef cattle for many years and each type is declared to have its advantages and disadvantages.
It is regretted that among dairy farmers the dehorning operation has not been very popular and many are biassed and conservative in their condemnations of the process. Beef men may have their fads and fancies and certain types are aimed at, but the essential in dairy cattle is production; and a pretty animal which only gives a gallon of milk a day should not be in any dairy herd.
The three main arguments against dehorning are: firstly, that it is cruel; secondly, it spoils the look of the cow; and thirdly, it hasn't any benefit.
Taking these in order an attempt will be made to disprove all three.
The cruelty angle is probably the most common claim by those who decry the operation. It is not denied that there is pain associated with the actual practice, but there are a lot of normal operations performed on properties that also cause pain; such as branding and marking calves and also adult cattle, and the same is carried out on sheep. These are taken as normal procedure by landholders, but they must cause as much pain to the animal concerned.
The best judge as to the amount of pain, inflicted is the cow herself and the reaction of the cow indicates this. There appears to be more pain in older animals than young. Heifers after they are dehorned have been observed to start eating again in about half an hour in many cases, while adult cattle take several hours. The amount of bleeding varies a lot; some bleed very little, while others may show strong arterial bleeding for an hour or two, but only very occasionally is it necessary to carry out any after treatment to arrest bleeding.
The next important factor which indicates how much the animal has been upset is the milk yield and the following table taken from the records of a Government herd where an accurate weight of the milk yield of each cow is kept indicates conclusively that the yield was back to normal 24 hours after the dehorning operation. These figures should reassure any dairy farmer that there it no appreciable change in the milk yield following dehorning.
| JUNE | JULY | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Cow | 27th | 28th | 29th | 30th | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | ||||||||
| am | pm | am | pm | am | pm | am | pm | am | pm | am | pm | am | pm | ||
| Collection | 6 | 3½ | 6 | 3½ | 5½ | — | 6½ | 4 | 5½ | 3 | 6 | 3½ | 6 | 3 | |
| Moth | 7½ | 4 | 8 | 4 | 7 | — | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6½ | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
| Joyce | 12 | 8 | 11½ | 8 | 12 | 6 | 9½ | 7 | 13 | 7 | 12½ | 6½ | 12 | 7 | |
| Kitty | 13½ | 8 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 5 | 12½ | 7 | 15 | 7 | 15 | 6½ | 14 | 7 | |
| Sweet Ness | 10 | 5 | 10 | 5½ | 9½ | 5½ | 8 | 6 | 9½ | 6 | 10 | 5½ | 9 | 4½ | |
| Moonlight | 14½ | 7½ | 16 | 7 | 13½ | 8½ | 12 | 10 | 14½ | 9 | 15 | 8½ | 15 | 7½ | |
| Red Rose | 15 | 8 | 15 | 9½ | 16 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 14½ | 6 | 14 | 6½ | 15 | 8 | |
| Jewel | 9 | 4 | 9 | 13½ | 9 | 4 | 9 | 4½ | 8½ | 4 | 8 | 5 | 8½ | 4½ | |
| Yanco Caprice | 9½ | 5 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 7½ | 5 | 9 | 5 | 9½ | 5½ | 9 | 6 | |
| Noella | 11 | 6 | 10½ | 6½ | 12 | 6 | 10 | 6½ | 11 | 6 | 11½ | 5 | 11 | 5½ | |
| Yanco Gladys | 16½ | 10 | 16½ | 10 | 17½ | 7½ | 15½ | 7 | 16 | 7 | 16½ | 8 | 16 | 10 |
Dehorning carried out on 29th June following morning milking. Records of milk yield are in pounds and are for two days before and four days after the operation.
The second point in regard to the spoiling of the appearance of the animal is very hard to comment on one way or another. A Polled Hereford breeder would be very hostile if one told him his cattle were disfigured because they didn't have horns. The only comment that one has heard from owners who have had their cattle dehorned was that at first they appeared strange, but they soon got used to it and were not conscious after a while whether they had horns or not.
The third point is in respect of benefits to be derived from dehorning. This is the most important factor to be considered as the practice of dehorning would cease immediately if there were nothing to be gained by it.
From the disease angle one of our greatest losses in the dairying industry is caused by Mastitis and anything which can reduce the incidence of this disease is of supreme importance. Injury to the udder by horns causing open cuts, or simply by bruising with subsequent inflammation, produces a medium suitable to the Mastitis organisms. It is not intended to go into the history of Mastitis but simply to state that a definite cause is damage to the udder tissues which is most commonly inflicted by the horns of the animals in the herd.
All herds have timid animals and bullies in their number and dehorning has a big effect in reducing all animals to the one level. The cows stand quieter in the yards and walk into the bails without being horned and pushed by others. The contentment of the cows is also important in regard to ease of milking and the milk yield.
Besides injuries to the udder; it is not possible to inspect any dairy herd without seeing evidence of horn wounds on all parts of the body of quite a number of the animals. Damage to hides is an important factor in our economy as the losses in the leather through faulty hides cost this country many thousands of pounds each year.
The Department of Agriculture recently has imported a polled Jersey bull to be used in Government herds so that in time polled herds can be built up. This is a step in the right direction and certainly will do away with the alleged cruelty angle of dehorning.
Dehorning is not a laborious operation and with a suitable crush and bail an average man, with a little experience, can dehorn cattle at the rate of one a minute; so that most average herds could be dehorned in about an hour.
The dairy industry would be taking a big step in the right direction if every encouragement were given to anyone who could convince all farmers of the necessity and advantages of removing the horns from their herds. Some butter factories are to be complimented for having purchased dehorners and hired them out to farmers; and also for arranging demonstrations of the operation.