Life Sciences Commons^™

Comparison Of The Effects Of Three Different Dehorning Techniques On Behavior And Performance In Feeder Cattle In A Western Kansas Feedlot (2012), C.D. Neely, C.A. Kerr, David E. Anderson, Daniel U. Thomson, Christopher D. Reinhardt

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Removing the horns of cattle when they arrive at feeding facilities is a common practice to reduce injury to other cattle. Bruising on carcasses of cattle that have been housed in pens containing horned cattle increases noticeably. Horned feeder cattle marketed in Arkansas regional livestock auction barns received average discounts of $3.23/cwt in 2005, giving producers the incentive to dehorn their cattle before marketing. Three common techniques (tipping, dehorning, and banding) are utilized in the field to remove or reduce horn length in beef cattle. Tipping is the practice of removing the tip of the horn such that the diameter …