Bethany Marcks 2015 Outagamie County DairyLivestock Summer Intern Farm Visits Visited 46 farms Performed dehorning at 22 farms Trained a total of 50 people Dehorned a total of 179 calves Caustic Paste ID: 535213
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Slide1
Summer Dehorning Project
Bethany Marcks2015 Outagamie CountyDairy/Livestock Summer InternSlide2
Farm Visits
Visited 46 farmsPerformed dehorning at 22 farmsTrained a total of 50 peopleDehorned a total of 179 calvesSlide3Slide4
Caustic Paste
Dr. Naylor’s or Dr. Larson’s Dehorning PasteSteps:Clip hairApply pasteCover, if desiredSlide5
Hot Iron Dehorning
Butane Dehorner or Electric DehornerPain Management:LidocaineMeloxicam Steps:Give pain medsClip hair
Hot iron dehornSlide6
Polled Genetics
Polled BullsHomozygous: calves 100% polledHeterozygous: calves 50% polledList of Polled Placings was given to 39 farmers.Some farmers were already using polled genetics prior to visitSlide7
Survey
Surveys were sent to 46 farmsFeedback on dehorning visitUnderstanding of concepts before and after the visitUse of pain management before and after the visitMethods of dehorning before and after the visitUse of polled genetics before and after the visit
Received 14 surveys back
12 had dehorning performed on the farmSlide8
Results of Survey
Before Visit
After Visit
Very
High (4)
High (3)
Low
(2)
Very Low (1)
My understanding of the:
Very High
(4)
High (3)
Low
(2)
Very Low (1)
1.88
Benefits
of pain medication on minimizing stress responses when dehorning or disbudding calves
3.5
2.11
Importance of disbudding calves
before 3 days of age
3.86
2.25
Availability of polled dairy genetics
3.13Slide9
Changes made
Of the 14 farms 3 farms went from burning to paste3 farms increased paste use3 farms continued burning but burned at an earlier age
5 farms did not change methods
2 farms already using paste
Two farms increased use in lidocaine and meloxicam
One farm increased use in polled geneticsSlide10
Comments from Farmers
Calves don’t fight as much when given lidocaineThe paste is a lot easier than I thoughtBurn the horns when they are smallerPolled bulls don’t have high enough type numbersSlide11
Recommendations
Dehorn calves at an earlier ageWork with your veterinarian on a dehorning protocolUse pain management on older calvesIntroduce polled genetics to the herdSlide12
Questions?Slide13
Calf Skulls
1-3 days old2-4 months old