Calf Disbudding
Disbudding is a critical practice in dairy farming that involves the removal of horn buds from young calves. By doing so, we prevent the growth of horns which can be troublesome in adult cattle. The procedure is essential for maintaining herd safety and ensuring optimal animal welfare.
Procedure
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All our disbudding is performed under sedation. This helps minimises stress on the calves and allows are team to be more efficient.
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Local anaesthetic is used to numb the horn bud area
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Clippers are used to remove excess hair from over the horn bud.
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A hand-held burner (Disubudding iron) is used to remove the horn bud.
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Antibiotic or iodine spray is placed onto the wound.
Timing
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Early Disbudding: It is recommended to remove horn buds before the calf reaches six weeks of age. At this stage, the horns are still small and have not yet attached to the skull. Calves should be at least a week old before disbudding.
If disbudding is performed over 8 weeks of age, then the horn is often connected to skull. We often need to ‘dehorn’ this animals which leads to increased risk of horn re-growth.