De-Horning Book

[springfield art]

I have a book from 1888 detailing how to de-horn cattle. Many powder horn fans don't give any thought to how or where the horns come from! Farmers back then had to do much detail work themselves, even more than today's hard-working farmers. (No phones to call a vet in the middle of the night, etc.!) Would venture to guess that most of us muzzleloaders are also appreciative of farmers, blacksmiths, lumber workers, etc.

 

[Red Owl]

I thought de horning was done to calves at an early age.

 

[FishDFly]

It is.

"Many powder horn fans don't give any thought to how or where the horns come from!" Powder hrns come from

Dead bovines provide powder horns.

 

[sleepingbulldog]

I’ve done it many times growing up on the farm. These days all of our family’s cattle are polled so we haven’t had to do it in years. It’s typically done while they’re young, before the horns get too big.

Not sure if anyone really does it anymore, pretty much everyone I know raises polled breeds. I believe most of the horns we use come from South America since virtually all cattle in the U.S. have bad horns bred out of them.

 

[FishDFly]

Still lots of horned cattle in the U.S., they bring less money going thru the auction though.

 

[SciAggie]

The book sounds interesting. My family has been in the ranching business for years and I've dehorn a ton of calves. We did it while branding, vacinating, and castrating. Dehorning adult cattle is quite a different thing and hard on livestock. I cannot speak to what happened in 1888.

 

[sleepingbulldog]

Still lots of horned cattle in the U.S., they bring less money going thru the auction though.

“Virtually all” was an overstatement. I should have said “the majority “.

Around here if you see horned cattle they’re probably longhorns kept by rodeo guys for roping.

 

[SciAggie]

“Virtually all” was an overstatement. I should have said “the majority “.

Around here if you see horned cattle they’re probably longhorns kept by rodeo guys for roping.

Yes. same here. Lots of corrientes for roping. A lot of folks have a few Longhorns that are essentially pets. Most beef producing herds are polled or dehorned cattle.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Still lots of horned cattle in the U.S., they bring less money going thru the auction though.

True. But there are still many horned cattle. For whatever reason the farmers did not bother to dehorn them. I always dehorned young. But, I have helped dehorn grown cattle. Very stressful for the animals. I have an antique dehorner that is so heavy it would require two men to use.

 

[springfield art]

The book sounds interesting. My family has been in the ranching business for years and I've dehorn a ton of calves. We did it while branding, vacinating, and castrating. Dehorning adult cattle is quite a different thing and hard on livestock. I cannot speak to what happened in 1888.

I'll post the specific title of the book tomorrow, author, pub. etc. It is illustrated, of course. Thanks, I'm glad people are interested in the subject. All I know as a tenderfoot is going to the gunmaker's fair and looking at a big pile of horns on a tarp! (Roland Cadle's set-up, I think)

 

[smoothshooter]

The book sounds interesting. My family has been in the ranching business for years and I've dehorn a ton of calves. We did it while branding, vacinating, and castrating. Dehorning adult cattle is quite a different thing and hard on livestock. I cannot speak to what happened in 1888.

I never did like de-horning adult cattle, and agree it looks to be pretty hard on them.
Never actually did it myself, but helped relatives do their own by corralling the cattle and spraying medicine on the open wounds when done. Sometimes a sort of gouging/cutting tool with 24” handles was used. It often leaves a large hollow cavity in the top of the skull two or three inches across if the guy doing the de-horning goes too deep where I think you can see the sac around the brain. On real cold days the body heat pouring out of the holes in the skulls makes steamy clouds like it does when the cow exhales.
I always hated it when the cattle were dehorned as adults instead of when they were calves, and always considered it negligent and cruel of the owner to subject cattle to so much unnecessary pain and shock.
Same with castration.
I used to have a few head of cattle myself, and always took care of those things while they were still calves.

 

[Red Owl]

Just got home from Texas/Oklahoma. Wild longhorns in the Wichita Mountains, although they seemed pretty well mannered. I got to wondering if Longhorn tastes different from Angus.
Big loop if you have longhorns.
In Florida we have some sort of maverick blend from the Spanish days. Most have horns. The King ranch has come in big time and I think they are going to try there cattle here. During breeding season the Florida mavericks with horns get sort of feisty. It may just be me but it seems that the bulls are well aware that with horns- they can do some damage. Enough to make you climb a tree.
Cattle industry today is all mixed up. Florida is tops for calves, etc. that get shipped to Oklahoma to finish.

 

[springfield art]

Here's detail of the book; Haaff's Practical Dehorner, a 6x9" hardback. Every Man His Own Dehorner, Illustrated, by H.H. Haaff, Author of "Haaff on Dehorning". Chicago, Clark & Longley Co., Printers and Publishers. 1888. "As far as possible the work should be done with young calves; but if grown to maturity, it may still be safely undertaken by the skilled and practiced hand; and Haaff's Practical Dehorner will make every man his own dehorner." -Quote from the book.

 

[BuffaloSoldier]

I remember being a kid on my aunt and uncle's place in OK. The hands would have to dig the cattle out of the blackjack oaks. Some of them would be young stock and others older mavericks. Shots, dehorning and branding! Good time had by all, except maybe the critters!!

 

[JohnBHM]

True. But there are still many horned cattle. For whatever reason the farmers did not bother to dehorn them. I always dehorned young. But, I have helped dehorn grown cattle. Very stressful for the animals. I have an antique dehorner that is so heavy it would require two men to use.

These have been sitting in a nearby shop for a while. The owner called it a cow horn guillotine.

 

[BuffaloSoldier]

These have been sitting in a nearby shop for a while. The owner called it a cow horn guillotine. View attachment 176419

Yup, those things would leave a big empty socket where the horn was removed. Can still remember it vividly!!

 

[SciAggie]

These have been sitting in a nearby shop for a while. The owner called it a cow horn guillotine. View attachment 176419

I had a set of those. They are a 2 man operation for sure.

 

[smoothshooter]

These have been sitting in a nearby shop for a while. The owner called it a cow horn guillotine. View attachment 176419

I never saw that kind before.

 

[deerstalkert]

we used a tool that looked sort of like a post hole digger. I can still hear the crunch and the bellow of the victim.
and the smell of the burning hair and skin.
also the sizzle and taste of the oysters cooking in the branding fire! if i ever mentioned that to my wife she would never kiss me again!

 

[Red Owl]

I really feel sorry for the calves. Poor lil' doggies. castrated, de-horned, ears notched, branded.