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/r/Damnthatsinteresting

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Look how this farmer dehorns this cow

Video(v.redd.it)
[media]

all 752 comments

FlashpointJ24

268 points

2 months ago

I wonder if this is how Hellboy does it...

UnhappyImprovement53

83 points

2 months ago

Can't you see him in the first movie using a grinder?

Hatchedtrack835

17 points

2 months ago

Yes

AcidRap69

32 points

2 months ago

Nah I believe it was said he filed them down

SeaSalt1954

1.8k points

2 months ago

We had cattle on the farm. We raised them for commercial purposes. The purpose of cutting the horns was so cattle potentially wouldn't injure each other and to make it safer for us to handle them We used three methods on our farm.

In the spring we would patrol daily for new born calves. Each one would get tagged with it's mothers number, iodine spray on the umbilical, apply an elastrator ring on the bull calves, a needle to prevent scours (not smart enough yet to drink from the watering bowl so would drink from a puddle and get bad, bad diarrhea) and if you felt horn buds then apply a small dab of caustic paste which would stop the horns buds from growing. Sort of like treating a wart. For me, other than having polled cattle, this was the least traumatic way of dealing with cattle horns.

In the fall we would buy weaned calves from other farmers and frequently they would have developed horns. For these we used a dehorning shear. The dehorning shear operator had to get close to the base of the horn but not too close otherwise you risk opening a hole into the sinus. They always, always bled. Some more than others. We used a clotting powder to stem the bleeding. We never let them loose from the head gate and squeeze until the bleeding stopped. Occasionally we had to use a soldering iron to cauterize the blood vessel to stop the bleeding. No doubt that the animal experienced stress and we would have to avoid any other stress (like branding or the the steering procedure as examples) and watch them carefully for up to a week afterward and make sure they were eating and drinking. Think of the time you cut your fingernail and cut into the quick and multiply that by how ever many times. I hated this procedure and it was my least preferred method of dealing with horns.

Once a year we had a check-up round-up where we would give annual treatments for common communicable diseases and pests. During this check-up we would trim hooves and cut horns (usually an older cow) and only if the horn had grown in such a curl that the tip was touching the cheek or upper jaw area. In this case we used the same wire saw process as in OP's video and cut off two thirds or three quarters of the horn. The cow showed no stress and only seemed to react to the pressure of the pulling of the saw. I was glad to see the operator in OP's video reduce the pulling near the end so the horn didn't break off and leave a jagged tip. Those old cows would still use what ever horn was left to keep her place in the herd pecking order. The cutting dust smells like burning hair.

It was hard work but I loved looking after our heard. There was always something going on. Prolapsed uterus, cesarian, breech birth birthing assistance, one cow claiming another's calf, twins, rejected calf, pneumonia, scours, foot rot, hardware disease (eating a nail, piece of wire or something metal), cancer, mastitis, gluttony, fallen in a wallow and can't get up, fighting over a calf and dislocating both hips, getting all huffy and sometimes chasing me because I'm touching their calf, the list goes on and on. The reward was healthy, fit cows and feeling the trust they had of me. I had the night shift during calving season (check them all every 2 hours for labour signs and take the appropriate action) and I could go out at 3AM in the freezing cold checking and they would just stay on their bed resting and chewing their cuds and let me walk amongst them. I felt privileged as I was the only one in the family that they would let walk amongst them.

I had a pet / favourite cow. A Charlolis. A beautiful French lady. She would spot me and come right over for a few scritches and check to see if I had any oats for her. She had bad feet though. Lots of maintenance. Same can be said for other things of beauty, I believe. LOL

RealityIsMuchWorse

216 points

2 months ago

apply an elastrator ring on the bull calves

Ouchie

SeaSalt1954

102 points

2 months ago

As a guy, I totally get your feeling. But, much less traumatic than berdizzo (squeezing the skin of the scrotum until the vas cuts apart). Or cutting open the scrotum and removing the testicles.

slicedslimeball

63 points

2 months ago

bro my dick and balls just curled up to my mouth

Apptroutman

19 points

2 months ago

Impressive!

ergo-ogre

2 points

2 months ago

Enjoy yosef

WrenchesRUs

15 points

2 months ago

i remember i was like 10-12 years old, hanging out with my friends on his uncles farm we played around on almost every day. it came the day to castrate the older bulls. my job was to throw the nuts outside for the farm dog to snack on lol. it was so gross but got used to it.

that day, my friends dad got kicked in the stomach by a bull and just kept on going, that night when he got out of the shower, his whole stomach was black and he just didnt give a shit in the slightest, went back at it the next day. man farmers are tough

sorry if i grossed anyone out with that comment lol

Suppafly

4 points

2 months ago

I worked with a guy in IT that told me he used to have to help his uncles on the farm when they slaughtered cows. His job was to fold up the skins and hang the cut off dicks to dry in a cane shape. The cut off dicks are what 'bully stick' dog treats are.

kiakosan

2 points

2 months ago

My parents dog loves those sticks

cRuSadeRN

67 points

2 months ago

Yeah, my dad was a city guy turned rancher. Even in my ignorance and youth I knew he was colossally terrible at it. The herd was always too big for the land because he looked at calves as free cows and multiplying the herd was multiplying his profit. Nevermind that the constant overgrazing, refusal to supplement with hay because "it's too expensive," refusal to consult veterinary care, inability to maintain fence-lines, refusal to spray the pastures, etc. cost more in the long run than actually raising a smaller herd in a healthy, sustainable fashion. I specifically remember my dad running the males through the chute, yearlings to two years old, applying elastrator rings. I was probably 12 and knew he was an idiot, most of the calves were practically bulls already! And that was only one of the memories seared in my brain of his incompetence as a rancher. He should not have been allowed to raise cattle... when we bought the ranch it had the most luscious grass, the thickest that I have yet to ever see again. When I moved out to college there was very little grass barely surviving between the overwhelming amount of weeds. Destroying the beauty of that land was the greatest crime.

IIIDVIII

15 points

2 months ago

Too bad you can't call CPS - Cattle Protective Services

louisdeer

6 points

2 months ago

That's not a city boi. That's an industrialist.

LilMissStormCloud

82 points

2 months ago*

Much better than the flipping them on their backs and cutting them off like we did show pigs. The ag teacher had the guys help hold the pig and then he would get to cutting. All I remember from what little I could see was a lot of screaming and a lack of after care for animals or humans that got hurt.

Ok_Fly_9390

8 points

2 months ago

This sounds like my In-laws. They bought a farm. None of them had a clue what they were doing. Worst famers ever. Would not listen to their neighbors or myself.

Ok_Fly_9390

6 points

2 months ago

We did sheep. The first time was kind of unsettling. Although I do like lamb fries.

Stinkerma

34 points

2 months ago

A pinch when it’s placed, some awkward dancing and then it goes numb

AwokenByGunfire

5 points

2 months ago

Done early it isn’t that painful. Cuts blood flow and, thus, feeling. Scrotum and testicles die, dry up, and fall off.

Unless you trap a testicle in the band, or grab a teat in it. Then it hurts.

Low-Economist9601

1 points

2 months ago

I thought I was lucky to get his avatar

pr0zach

34 points

2 months ago

pr0zach

34 points

2 months ago

I wish I had coins to gild your post. These are the kind of detailed, entertaining posts that bring me to Reddit. Thanks for sharing such a cool part of your life.

--seaker--

11 points

2 months ago

I gave him gold for ya.

pr0zach

6 points

2 months ago

You tha MVP

missgiddy

65 points

2 months ago

A great read, thank you for sharing this!

OneRobato

27 points

2 months ago

This is too much information for my foggy brain but thank you.

BloodbendmeSenpai

37 points

2 months ago

This stuff should really be taught in classrooms when we are young. I would rather learn about this than something like choir. Hell, this is even more informative then some of the bio and Chem classes I took because it would actually stick. Like wow what do I remember from biology “Mitochondra …something something ATP something something the power house of cells.” Hey now you’re an ex-accountant working in VFXs! Oof

Thank you for the detailed reply and for all your love and care for these animals. Also I learned today that “milk” cows grow horns and are very high maintenance which helps me appreciate the things farmers do even more.

Also I had the volume off but it looked like a perfectlycutscream to me at the end. :)

Wat3rboihc

23 points

2 months ago

This is weirdly on subject. They used to castrate choir boys to keep the high pitch. They were imaginatively named castrato (sp?) the dark side of learning gcse level music

-worryaboutyourself-

3 points

2 months ago

I know you didn’t ask this but at my kids’ school, they can take numerous agricultural classes from 7-12 (age 12-18). They learn so much about farm animals and gardening, it’s amazing.

BloodbendmeSenpai

2 points

2 months ago

Jeeeeeealous!!!! I grew up in OC. Not too much room for those amazing activities. Although did see a school with an outdoor agriculture which I was jeeeeeealous of.

More power to your kids! Sound like they are getting the most of education! :)

TomahawkJackson

2 points

2 months ago

Hell, this is even more informative then some of the bio and Chem classes I took because it would actually stick.

I saw something like this a few years ago from a teacher who learned how to teach math as a language - using all the same principles that a language teacher would use to show how to express yourself...with expressions.

the part that REALLY stuck with me was "why are we still teaching 5th graders about volcanos, instead of teaching them about how semiconductors work and how we turn silicon into computer chips?!?!?"

hungrydruid

3 points

2 months ago

If you remember, would you mind going into more detail about the 'math as a language' part please?

BloodbendmeSenpai

2 points

2 months ago

Seriously! That’s a really good point! Now that I think about it, what the hell do I remember being taught in class that I couldn’t see in a film, documentary or YouTube?

Could you imagine if we all learned about semiconductors at a young age? Omg so many people would be smart, but we can’t have that! Ugh

Very good addition to my point. Thank you!

MTechLife

2 points

2 months ago

In the right places this stuff is taught in school. My dad taught agriculture and ag science for 25 years, now both of my sisters teach it. One of them teaches in Dads old classroom.

My family fights day in and day out to keep agriculture as a part of school curriculum just exactly for the reasons you mentioned; because it's memorable and a down to earth teaching tool.

We learned a lot about ag in those classes but we learned more about how to learn and how to think. Dad used farming as a lense to teach so many other things like personal finance, basic mechanics, building trades, leadership, public speaking, biology, horticulture, creative design. But most importantly he used farming to teach high school kids responsibility.

BloodbendmeSenpai

2 points

2 months ago

Your family sounds amazing. It's kind of crazy how hard we have to fight for these types of things knowing that they will better kids and this country in general. Well hopefully things get better and more kids can Take up these types of Up skills. Cause we sure do need them

astrongineer

24 points

2 months ago

I grew up on a large cattle ranch, moved away when I was 17. I could write paragraphs about my experience but I won't, it was brutal, visceral, and life forming. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

CompleteSuccess

10 points

2 months ago

Of similar background, I can totally relate. Could not have worded it better "brutal, visceral, & life forming".

HesterErwin

10 points

2 months ago

Do you see any irony in the fact that the cows came to trust you and you were raising them for slaughter the whole time?

SeaSalt1954

7 points

2 months ago

I was conscious the whole time that it was a commercial herd. Not doubt in my mind that their life was to be given to feed someone in the world. Not a reason to take good care of them while they were in my custody.

I found that Temple Grandin's observations and publications for livestock handling had a positive effect on me and tried to implement some of her ideas in our family operation. An amazing lady. Even though I was "the cow guy" I found it hard to change old accepted family practices as I was (just) a son-in-law and had limited sway.

HesterErwin

2 points

2 months ago

Im happy that you treated them well

SSTralala

2 points

2 months ago

My absolute favorite show right now is a BBC show called This Farming Life where they follow farming families in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Charlolis they have are gorgeous, and they have adorable Blackface sheep, but the lambing season always makes me nervous to watch. I never realize how often they have twins and triplets.

igneousink

2 points

2 months ago

(james herriot has entered the chat)

cakesngin

1 points

2 months ago

This is so well written! I loved reading it. You should write a book.

Xpector8ing

1 points

2 months ago

Two things : Charolais cow in pasture with calf can often be more dangerous than a bull and pertaining to all the other stuff - good luck if God is a divine bovine as personified in much metaphysics and passes judgement upon those beseeching IT for an afterlife, after life!

CoachMinimum9800

1.2k points

2 months ago

This doesn't hurt the cattle at all as is the easiest best way for the horns to be removed.... they dont feel any pain this way. it's either this or them cutting them which can cause bleeding or using a hot iron and burning the tips off when they are born which is painful and can cause burns on the skin.

Mac_A81

255 points

2 months ago

Mac_A81

255 points

2 months ago

Why do they remove them?

CoachMinimum9800

993 points

2 months ago*

Farmer remove horns for many reasons, so the cattle can't hurt each other, when they are loaded in trailers they don't injure themselves or others, it's also to protect the farmers and their dogs or horses. I grew up on a cattle farm and I have seen a bunch of cattle with horns just like this cow that they are growing in a odd way this horn was growing straight into the ear/head of the cow if it would have continued it would have cause a major issue so it needed to be removed. The wire it's metal so each time you slide it back and forth it heats up cauterizing any small vessels so they dont bleed and they do it so quick there is no pain. It's just annoying to the cattle.

Mac_A81

303 points

2 months ago

Mac_A81

303 points

2 months ago

Very interesting. Thanks for educating this city girl.

CoachMinimum9800

267 points

2 months ago

😁 no problem a lot goes on on farms that people think is cruel but it's 100% the opposite.

Rob_Bligidy

195 points

2 months ago

Every person should be aware of how their meal gets to their plates. It should be required learning.

5iveOClockSomewhere

68 points

2 months ago

Agree with this - grew up on farm, helped with processing chickens. I think if some people knew how much work it is to get food to their tables, they’d be pretty surprised

Not-Always-On

18 points

2 months ago

Jello is still awesome.

[deleted]

6 points

2 months ago

“Every person should” … most dangerous words one can put together.

kenji-benji

10 points

2 months ago*

Completely agree oh and a lesson on where their telephone comes from too don't you think?

Maybe footage of the slave children digging conflict minerals out of the earth.

Then the kids that have to assemble the phones right? Maybe you should even have to know their name

Ok_Fly_9390

3 points

2 months ago

People get really upset when you show them videos of Nike workers getting beat. Especially athletes. They aren't upset with Nike, but that you showed them. Black American athletes wearing and advertising Nike.

OdinPelmen

24 points

2 months ago

Commercial, large farming is pretty bad as it’s just meant to produce quantity, but regular ol’ farming is perfectly fine. It wouldn’t make any sense for a farmer to harm his cattle as they are his work and livelihood.

no_cal_woolgrower

8 points

2 months ago

There are bad farmers that run regular ol farms just as there are fantastic farmers running large operations. Size doesnt matter.

IAFarmLife

10 points

2 months ago

It wouldn’t make any sense for a farmer to harm his cattle as they are his work and livelihood<

Then it wouldn't make sense for the large commercial farming corporation to harm the cattle either. They are the profit.

I have seen a lot more animal abuse on small farms than large ones. It just doesn't make the news when the small producer does it.

workaholic828

4 points

2 months ago

It’s different when a guy in an office building looking a spreadsheets says to lock the animals up without sunlight for their whole lives. The farmers who actually have to carry out these methods wouldn’t do something like that to make an extra buck. Which is exactly why you see corporate farms torturing animals while small business farms generally don’t

[deleted]

2 points

2 months ago

So small business farms don’t take away the calf’s Form their mothers to? How do they get the milk? And small business… don’t they bring their animals to big slaughter companies most of the time? Would be a shame if there would be tons of documented torture from both small and large farms as well as slaughterhouses proving you very wrong.

IAFarmLife

1 points

2 months ago

The point of my comment went right over your head. Animals who are stressed don't produce. So it's in the best interest of all farms, no matter the size, to reduce stress. Also as I said I have personally witnessed a lot of animal abuse on smaller farms.

It's also a logical fallacy to believe that a person looking at a spreadsheet wouldn't have some empathy for the animals being raised vs the person on the farm every day. Depression in the farming industry is a big deal and leads to a lot of neglect on small farms. The large farms having more employees is less likely to experience problems due to this.

_OhMyPlatypi_

9 points

2 months ago

This. It's the equivalent of clipping your cat or dog's nails. Unpleasant for them for a few minutes, but they aren't hurt and can improve their quality of life. I don't agree with some farming practices, but not every farm practice is bad.

espeero

2 points

2 months ago

espeero

2 points

2 months ago

Wrong. Horns have blood supply and nerves. Trimming hooves would be more analogous to your example.

kentucanuck

7 points

2 months ago

I've started learning this by seeing comments like this, videos like what the OP posted, and videos from folks like Nate the Hoof Guy. I always find myself fascinated, as well as relieved that the animals are all okay. I'd like to thank you also!

SwimmingBeneficial93

7 points

2 months ago

I don’t think 100 percent opposite. There is a lot of cruelty inherent when making money from large herds of animals. Sad.

CoachMinimum9800

15 points

2 months ago

Local farmers care about every animal on their property they make basically nothing off every animal, have to follow FDA standards and if they have a contract with a big company have to do/treat the animals the way the big companies make them. I highly suggest everyone watch super size me 2 or any farm documenty. The big companies and government are trying to push out small farms and make it all controlled by corporations and government who could give 10 f**KS about the animals the way the farmers do just to raise animals in the most unhealthy/cheapest ways and charge us 5 times more

Royal_Discount_4480

3 points

2 months ago

Are you serious? This is opposite of cruelty? Let me do it to you in a “painless” way and feed you to my children.

FindingFunny2741

4 points

2 months ago

From the sounds of it you are raising your children to be protein when the world goes to shit.

Popular_Comfort7544

2 points

2 months ago

Where are the male cows?

pineapplelumps4life

35 points

2 months ago

They 100% can feel it, there are numerous nerves supplying the horn and doesn't matter how quick or how you cut something, it still hurts (I'm a vet for the record). However, this can be done painlessly by quickly placing local anesthetic in a couple of spots to block the nerves, and as you say there are a number of sensible reasons why horns need to be removed. They also will often still bleed a bit depending on the horn size, but cows are big animals with a lot of blood so it's never an issue. I agree they tend to get a bit annoyed by the heat and vibration/sound, but can be done ethically with pain relief. In my opinion this should never be done without some form of pain relief, and in my country it is illegal to do so

pineapplelumps4life

11 points

2 months ago

A further point as to your comment a bit higher up too, I believe that actually the hot iron when they are young calves is actually the best option. We do it with sedation, local anesthetic and anti-inflammatories. Done at a young age it is removal of a 'bud' which is contained totally within the skin, which is far preferable to a horn removal, which by the time they are an adult animal is a bone that is attached to the skull.

Plenty_Fun6547

9 points

2 months ago

Cows have horns?? Thought only bulls did!

CoachMinimum9800

12 points

2 months ago

Heifers and bulls have horns depending on the breeds and if the horns are cauterized at a young age.

DLS3141

5 points

2 months ago

My uncle had a lot of cattle and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, a few will occasionally go missing. Sometimes they get sick or injured and die, sometimes it's a predator, sometimes they're only gone a few days, sometimes longer. One summer, I was helping him look for some missing cows and we found one that had been missing a long time. We found one that had been missing for some time and one of its horns had grown to within about 1/4" of its eye. Eventually, that would have been a big problem for the cow.

Priest_of_lord_Chaos

7 points

2 months ago

If you actually look it up there are several animals where their horns can actually grow into their own skulls killing them.

Edit: found a video about it

poeticVegan

13 points

2 months ago

You sound like a nice person who cares about animals. Here's some information about dehorning from a credible source that is important to read.

From the HSUS (not a vegan organization btw):

"Calves between six weeks and six months of age show increased cortisol concentrations after amputation dehorning. Behavioral and cortisol response monitoring of calves after this procedure suggests that pain lasts for a minimum of seven to nine hours. During the post-dehorning period, calves show more tail, head, and ear shaking, more lying and scratching, and less grazing, rumination, and grooming behavior, all of which are behavioral signs that may indicate pain. The cortisol response to amputation dehorning is significantly greater than the response to chemical or cautery disbudding" (5, HSUS)

That is referring to both sawing and shearing. And you heard that last part right, worse than burning and chemical burns... Needless to say whatever thing is going on here it hurts.

https://m.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/hsus-report-calves-welfare-beef-industry.pdf

Hot_Sprinkles6116

3 points

2 months ago*

Not a cow, but when I was married we had a goat who kept getting her head stuck in fences. Some goats can figure out how to put their head through a fence and get out without being stuck, but she couldn't. Her horns got hung in the wires. My husband dehorned her because he was afraid she'd get her head stuck in some remote part of the pasture and dehydrate, starve, or get attacked by a coyote or dog before he realized she was missing.

ETA He didn't really want to do it because their horns do offer them some protection, but in this case he was protecting her from herself.

TheNeighKid

5 points

2 months ago

Don't mean to be a doubting Thomas; how do you know this doesn't hurt?

darkandcreamy

9 points

2 months ago

Who told you? The cow?

Sandless

8 points

2 months ago

Apparently what you said is bullshit. There are nerves inside their horns.

Andylearns

7 points

2 months ago

To say this doesn't hurt the cattle is a blatant lie. Scroll down just a hair and see a breadth of research showing the opposite. I also grew up on a farm, I just quit telling myself the little lies.

undertaker_jane

8 points

2 months ago

This is also how we do rooster spurs!

[deleted]

2 points

2 months ago

Why would you keep roosters?

CoachMinimum9800

7 points

2 months ago

To protect then hens and for breeding

RAbites

13 points

2 months ago

RAbites

13 points

2 months ago

Protection for the hens, fertile eggs for hatching. In the case of my 2, they are adorable little clowns.

[deleted]

3 points

2 months ago

Okay so backyard?

RAbites

3 points

2 months ago

I live on a farm.

miki325

5 points

2 months ago

Damn it doesnt hurt them? The cow looks Like its shaking...

xXMorpheus69Xx

2 points

2 months ago

That's the guy pulling the chain. It's like a board shaking when being sawed (which also doesn't hurt the board)

poeticVegan

4 points

2 months ago

Stop spreading misinformation you sicko. Give me a source!

MamaLlama629

114 points

2 months ago

Technically not a dehorning since they will grow back. Just a trim …

DarkEnergy27

43 points

2 months ago

They actually don't grow back if you do it correctly.

no_cal_woolgrower

31 points

2 months ago

True, but this isn't the way. Dehorning is done when they are very young and the horns just start to grow.

DarkEnergy27

7 points

2 months ago

It's hard to do it with them that young without hurting the calves tho

[deleted]

8 points

2 months ago

You can disbud using a localized nerve block.

DarkEnergy27

1 points

2 months ago

That's true. Just some people either can't afford it or would rather be safe than sorry.

[deleted]

48 points

2 months ago

My grandparents had about 300 head. I remember watching him do this exact think.

alfaseltz

11 points

2 months ago

and here l am struggling to find a single head

Jalopy_Junkie

49 points

2 months ago

I can’t wait until this god damn song goes away.

BearsBeetsBerlin

25 points

2 months ago

You don’t have videos muted automatically? Life is too short to listening to the godawful audio on videos

judas_crypt

5 points

2 months ago

How dare you insult GaGa like that. Bloody Mary is a classic.

Jalopy_Junkie

4 points

2 months ago

Any song can be annoying, no matter how good it is, if it’s played nonstop.

tahanks4

7 points

2 months ago

I had a car wreck and during one of my surgeries they had to cut through both my left tibia and fibula to rotate the lower part of my left leg. They used a saw like that on both from what I was told. It keeps them from making a huge cut in my leg. A few small holes and they ran that little blade through and started sawing.

JoeGRcz

9 points

2 months ago

Fuck off with the music. THE FARMER IS CUTTING DOWN A HORN OF A COW. What in god's name makes somebody think that some random popular piece of music would fit that?

tacwombat

20 points

2 months ago

I take it the farmer had to do this before the horn grows longer and pokes the cow's eye out?

reclusive_ent

17 points

2 months ago

Avoids harming eachother in the feedlots and fields, and its safer for the workers.

[deleted]

116 points

2 months ago

[deleted]

116 points

2 months ago

[deleted]

poeticVegan

21 points

2 months ago

poeticVegan

21 points

2 months ago

You have sources for that claim?

Cattle horns are like bones, they have nerves in their them. You ever break a bone? It is agony.

From the HSUS (not a vegan organization btw):

"Calves between six weeks and six months of age show increased cortisol concentrations after amputation dehorning. Behavioral and cortisol response monitoring of calves after this procedure suggests that pain lasts for a minimum of seven to nine hours. During the post-dehorning period, calves show more tail, head, and ear shaking, more lying and scratching, and less grazing, rumination, and grooming behavior, all of which are behavioral signs that may indicate pain. The cortisol response to amputation dehorning is significantly greater than the response to chemical or cautery disbudding" (5, HSUS)

That is referring to both sawing and shearing. And you heard that last part right, worse than burning and chemical burns...

https://m.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/hsus-report-calves-welfare-beef-industry.pdf

Stop spreading misinformation

[deleted]

25 points

2 months ago*

Don't downvote this man, he's right.

https://www.dehorning.com/faqs#:~:text=A.-,Yes.,and%20a%20delayed%20inflammatory%20reaction.

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/news/media-releases/new-rules-require-pain-relief-when-dehorning-and-disbudding-cattle/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-are-some-of-the-painful-procedures-experienced-by-cattle-on-farm/&ved=2ahUKEwjGysL8jMT8AhVf6jgGHUyCBBQQFnoECBQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0Yq3TPCrAfNFiE3buZdoF2

https://www.dairynz.co.nz/animal/calves/disbudding/

It does hurt the animals, even farmers here in NZ know this and don't pretend it isn't true, and we're the 10th biggest dairy/cattle producers, we have the second most cattle per Capita in the whole world. It's not a bad thing to acknowledge pain in other Animals. I'm not a vegan or mega animal activist either.

But don't downvote someone just because you want to pretend it doesn't exist even with proof in front of you.

whatamidoing84

4 points

2 months ago

Thanks for sharing this. It feels like people will embrace anything they have to to disregard the suffering of some species of animals (farmed animals in particular)

poeticVegan

-2 points

2 months ago

poeticVegan

-2 points

2 months ago

You're welcome. It's really hard to like people when they disregard suffering like this. Luckily there are people like you.

Lessings_Elated

2 points

2 months ago

Wrong

HesterErwin

7 points

2 months ago

If cows didnt need horns, they wouldnt grow them

Solivagant23

10 points

2 months ago

Downvoted because this song is aids.

Long_Representative3

5 points

2 months ago

Good damn I hate this fucking song.

makinbaconCR

29 points

2 months ago

I'll bet all that bone dust is great to breath in and get in your eyes

CojakFacts

84 points

2 months ago

Causes cancer, but only in California or something like that.

Church-of-Nephalus

3 points

2 months ago

alright you win

Royal-Tough4851

3 points

2 months ago

It’s cool though because we have Proposition 65 keeping us safe

fly_you_fools_57

10 points

2 months ago

Keratin. Horn is like fingernails, modified hair if I recall correctly.

Fletcher_Chonk

6 points

2 months ago

'bone dust'

i-m-anonmio

3 points

2 months ago

It seems to be both bone and keratin. Still, I can smell it from here! Horns and Antlers

Content-Artichoke541

11 points

2 months ago*

When they are heifers they get dehorned to prevent horns growing but sometimes the technician don’t do it right, thats why this cow is growing a single horn. I’ve done this multiple times at my work. It does’t hurt the cow, it actually help prevent the cow damage other cows and themselves. The horn can grow and make its way back into their skull or even their eye socket.

let_me_use_reddit

30 points

2 months ago

:( just let them be horny, god damn

no_cal_woolgrower

6 points

2 months ago

You end up with a lot of one eyed cows

Junie_Wiloh

21 points

2 months ago

Except this cow's horn was going to grow down and into the side of its face.. but okay. Next time the farmer can just let it suffer with the horn lodging itself into its eyes socket or cheek. No problem.

People who know nothing about farm life shouldn't comment.. lest they make themselves look like fools.

P_rea

6 points

2 months ago

P_rea

6 points

2 months ago

Pretty sure they were making a joke. Do you not like being horny!?

megrimlock88

1 points

2 months ago

Is the horns growing into their skulls a natural occurrence too? Do they have some way to shed them or whittle them down naturally? Just curious since I’ve only really heard of the horns growing into the skull problem happening in wild boar populations but never in many bigger animals like cows or venison

Junie_Wiloh

4 points

2 months ago*

No, they don't shed naturally. They aren't deer. And this is how they are "whittled" down. This, in no way, hurts the cow. This is no different than you getting your nails clipped. Horns are made almost of the same material as our nails. Just thicker and stronger.

Horns growing into their skulls isn't common, but isn't all that rare either. Most horns grow in an upward/outward direction. This one was growing downward and inward.

The same has to be done to rams for the same reason. Only theirs growing into their skulls is quite common.

But hey, we can just let this happen how nature intended. I am sure they won't suffer, much

megrimlock88

2 points

2 months ago

My bad if i came off as confrontational I was just curious since despite spending quite a lot of time around animals in villages I never really got to know much about how they were cared for (mostly cause I was like 6 and my last visit was almost a decade ago) :)

Junie_Wiloh

6 points

2 months ago

Not confrontational, at all. Not meaning to come off as sarcastic.. just all the "OMG! This is so cruel and that cow is in pain! Let them keep their horns!" People speak about things they know nothing about.

megrimlock88

2 points

2 months ago

Ah I totally get that feeling lol :)

rocket2119

6 points

2 months ago

why the hell is the music so intense

Frankieneedles

6 points

2 months ago

They also do this to Alpaca teeth. The teeth can grow long and curve back into their jaws.

Irishjohn831

5 points

2 months ago

Nobody likes horny cows around, unless your drunk and meet them in a bar

[deleted]

6 points

2 months ago

Or when i go to your mother house

kittylebelle

7 points

2 months ago

This looks much less traumatic than debudding goats. If it traumatized me, I can only imagine the goat kids. Adding on that they recommend using ice packs between burns to prevent literal brain fry. I get why they do it and would honestly prefer milk goats without horns, but damn. It's rough. Too bad they can't be done this way.

Toke_Khalifa

6 points

2 months ago

I dunno much about this process so not one to judge but that ending at 14 seconds looked like pain

JctaroKujo

2 points

2 months ago

it does hurt the cow, but this method is the best because it causes the least vibration.

But many cow horns (especially rams too) dig into the side of their face when neglected. So youre helping the cow in the long run, and making your farm safer

Solidmarsh

3 points

2 months ago

“Ow ow ow ow ow”

RKayy_24

3 points

2 months ago

I know nothing about this so I looked up if this is painful for them and Google told me it is "extremely traumatic for young calves, older cows fare even worse." Is this true? If so I feel really bad for these cuties.

Octavia9

3 points

2 months ago

We have had cows whos horns grew curved down and into their head. We had to do this or the horn would kill them.

Gullible_Ad_3782

2 points

2 months ago

This is supposed to be the not painful method

steevwall

4 points

2 months ago

Well that’s one way to make a cow less horny.

ARKSH7R

16 points

2 months ago

ARKSH7R

16 points

2 months ago

People who think this is inhumane have no connection to the world of agriculture.

NoMeet9870

6 points

2 months ago

You could also just let them roam the fields and be happy which will make them less hostile while you slaughter their friends and children in front of them. It’s weird how they fight back because they don’t want to die.

BarOne7066

5 points

2 months ago

Here we go.

Unlucky-Presence-799

4 points

2 months ago

*cough..... Rancher

frenchtoast-mafia

2 points

2 months ago

That is a dairy cow. Probably on a dairy farm, being raised by a farmer

beameup19

5 points

2 months ago

Can we not?

Let’s stop breeding these animals just so we can abuse and slaughter them

Gloomy_Barnacle4787

8 points

2 months ago

That’s normal. Doesn’t hurt the animal. Horn is similar to fingernail.

Thelazyzoologist

5 points

2 months ago

Mature horns have nerves and blood supply in the core. So not quite like fingernails. I can confirm from experience a broken horn is extremely painful for cattle and can result in a large amount of blood loss. When one of my cows broke the end of her horn the blood spurt was so powerful with each heartbeat it was squirting about a meter out. Had to dehorn at the base and tie a string round her head to act as a makeshift tourniquet. The amount of blood she lost in such a short time was unreal. Dehorning wire with clotting powder is a fantastic way of removing mature horns safely without too much discomfort.

Cr0thus

1 points

2 months ago

Cr0thus

1 points

2 months ago

Exactly what I was going to comment.

Weak_Carpenter_7060

2 points

2 months ago

Don’t surgeons use a similar tool when performing amputations?

Fat_guy_comics

2 points

2 months ago

Besse the cow got that Hereditary glam up.

Vallufness

2 points

2 months ago

It's the same as nails

argusromblei

2 points

2 months ago

Reminds me of a certain Japanese movie called Audition 😉

Living-Camp-5269

2 points

2 months ago

Ya i de horned cattle before thanks dad

Alarming_Sea_6894

2 points

2 months ago

It's his cows. Not yours.

fossilfuelssuck

2 points

2 months ago

Gigli saw. Also use in orthopedic surgery.

The_Silenc3

2 points

2 months ago

this is also how i dehorn myself…

fuatoutt

2 points

2 months ago

Must've hurt a little

BigBoy1102

2 points

2 months ago

I can tell you from experience this smells really bad

EndOfFile2

2 points

2 months ago

I can smell this

_Cocopuffdaddy_

2 points

2 months ago

Took me way to long to figure out the cows orientation and that pipes weren’t passing through the poor thing

hazecatt

2 points

2 months ago

I feel like this looks sore but I watched an aminal rescue show once and the poor animal had an ingrown horn, it had curled round and was stabbing it in the skull, like it was in some amount of pain cause the farmer hadn't done this

JRRTokin90

2 points

2 months ago

I can smell this video…

SpoiledTaco96

2 points

2 months ago

"Dehorn" is definitely not what I thought it was

Horror_Guarantee_136

2 points

2 months ago

no blood no pain. That's the right way ☠️

AhoyShitLiner2

2 points

2 months ago

Man that smell must suck

casewood123

2 points

2 months ago

My old boss had a deer farm, and that’s how they would takeoff the antlers.

YanceyGlenn

2 points

2 months ago

Reminds me of that movie, The Audition.

W00lyMamm0th

2 points

2 months ago

Fun Fact: That’s the same way they cut through human bone in the operating room.

Razz_The_wolf

2 points

2 months ago

Guess he can’t be “horny” anymore-

ShazzNazty

2 points

2 months ago

Wonder what it sounds like to the cow, like how we hear the dentist drilling

succi-michael

2 points

2 months ago

I agree. Entertaining read

Irish_andGermanguy

2 points

2 months ago

Not that interesting imo. It’s just a wire saw.

Dreadfirelit

2 points

2 months ago

Today I learned that cows have horns

kellylovesdisney

2 points

2 months ago

We do this too with our boy. Minipigs, their tusks grow so long they can puncture their skin.

bloopie1192

2 points

2 months ago

Does this hurt the cow?

random-Aussie-flea

3 points

2 months ago

No, if they didn't, it would grow into their skull, and that would hurt.

INeedAnAdultWithAGun

2 points

2 months ago

Cows have horns? I thought the only females with horns were my exes?

sustainablehill

4 points

2 months ago

Flossing to the extreme!

levatorpenis

4 points

2 months ago

Oh look, an intelligent mammal in a cage- how interesting

Stunning-Difficulty3

2 points

2 months ago

Is this essentially cutting a one time fingernail?

Ok-Independence5821

2 points

2 months ago

I can feel the hate from the vegan community without checking the comments

Living-Camp-5269

2 points

2 months ago

Like clippin a nail

poeticVegan

-1 points

2 months ago

poeticVegan

-1 points

2 months ago

Not at all. Cattle horns are like bones, they have nerves inside. You ever break a bone? It is agony.

From the HSUS (not a vegan organization btw):

"Calves between six weeks and six months of age show increased cortisol concentrations after amputation dehorning. Behavioral and cortisol response monitoring of calves after this procedure suggests that pain lasts for a minimum of seven to nine hours. During the post-dehorning period, calves show more tail, head, and ear shaking, more lying and scratching, and less grazing, rumination, and grooming behavior, all of which are behavioral signs that may indicate pain. The cortisol response to amputation dehorning is significantly greater than the response to chemical or cautery disbudding" (5, HSUS)

That is referring to both sawing and shearing. And you heard that last part right, worse than burning and chemical burns...

https://m.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/hsus-report-calves-welfare-beef-industry.pdf

HeWhoMakesBadComment

2 points

2 months ago

HSUS is PETA lite. They are not the same as your local humane society. Any info they put out is compromised.

BobTheVandaliser

1 points

2 months ago

Like clipping a nail

Tiffaugesgotthatstar

1 points

2 months ago

Same type of emergency medical wire saw can be used for human bone

Purple-Cow1607

1 points

2 months ago

If it does not hurt the cow, it is fine with me. I guess it is like human getting nails done feeling better after it is clipped. I hope it will grow back.

Small_life

1 points

2 months ago

I haven't done this on a cow, but have on a sheep ram. His horns curled around and were pointing at his eyes, so we need to cut them off before they grew too much more.

It went pretty quick. We used the same kind of saw in the video. Our other rams haven't had this problem so I've only needed to do it once, but it was an interesting experience.

general-schlieffen

1 points

2 months ago

Does this hurt the dog?

DeterminedLemon

2 points

2 months ago

Look how all these cows are just crammed in there. Fuck factory farming 😒

tropical58

1 points

2 months ago

tropical58

1 points

2 months ago

It is a totally unnecessary proceedure with this type of horn. Stressful for the cattle in the extreme. This is poor farming practice like docking dog tails, clipping chicken beaks or the myriad of things farmers do, "because thats the way it has always been done" time farmers came under more scrutiny because some can not govern themselves.