Raising a hornless calf crop increases profits
Cattle without horns, whether they have been dehorned or were born polled, will often earn producers a higher value at weaning because hornless cattle are more efficient in the feedlot.
If an operation seeks to produce a hornless calf-crop, there are a few ways to accomplish this, ranging from simply selecting a polled sire to more complex options like veterinary-performed surgical dehorning.
“Polled genetics would be method number one, because you don’t have to do anything other than turn a polled bull out,” Jeremy Powell, University of Arkansas professor and veterinarian, said.
Turning a homozygous-polled bull out would result in mostly polled calves with the occasional calf exhibiting small scurs. Powell said this is the preferred method, as there is no additional stress on the animal or the producer.
If selecting a polled bull is not an option, farmers may dehorn calves. A caustic paste, a hot iron, a saw wire, or a scoop-type dehorner may be used.
Powell said the younger the calf, the more successful any of these methods will be as the calf would most likely have “a whole lot fewer negative impacts in terms of growth performance and blood loss.”
Producers who dehorn their calves will earn a larger profit for themselves while benefiting the feed lot producers as well. Horned cattle in a feed lot pose a threat to other animals in the enclosure and require more space.
“There could be an increased risk of injury to each animal if some animals in the group are horned,” Powell said. “When the animals get [to the processing plant] and they strip the hide off – there is a carcass hanging and it has bruising.”
The bruised spots are cut off the carcass, unable to be used for high-quality cuts, reducing the profit of the injured animal.
Powell said feedlots also disfavor horned animals because they limit available feed bunk space in a lot. A feedlot designed to hold and feed a given number of hornless cattle becomes less efficient when horned cattle are added.
Dehorning can be done without the assistance of a licensed veterinarian, but for animals like show calves, cattle owners may opt to take the animal to a veterinarian for surgical dehorning. This minimizes the animal’s stress and allows for faster healing.
