# Do all jerseys have horns?



## vickie (Aug 8, 2002)

We got a great girl from a dairy and she has no horns. I think they got rid of them when she was young. Our new baby girl is starting to grow horns they are just breaking through.. I heard there was some kind of gel or cream to put on it to stop them from growing. What is this? I know i can't burn them off. NO way Not a choice. Thanks Vickie


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

No, not all jerseys have horns. I've no idea about the cream, but the only two methods that I'm familiar with in dehorning calves is either burning or cutting them off, then cauterizing.


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## dosthouhavemilk (Oct 29, 2004)

Dr. Naylor's dehorning paste may be what you are thinking of;
http://www.drugs.com/vet/dr-naylor-dehorning-paste.html

We have not used it in our herd. We sold a bull calf to an individual who tried that and it failed. I have heard from some where it worked for them.
Keep in mind one of the ingredients is Lye so you need to be quite careful with its application and usage.

This is the method we use on our farm;
http://tinyurl.com/disbuddinghowto
That heifer has a clean head and was back to her spunky, obnoxious self in no time.
Disbudding is not as bad as it sounds like it could be....assuming it is done fairly early on, as in the first month or two.


There are also Polled genetics available in the Jersey breed. Polled is dominant, so it only takes one polled parent to produce a polled offspring. If you bred your cow to a polled Jersey bull (and there are a few available through AI), you would have about a 50% chance of ending up with a polled calf if the bull is heterozygously polled. A 100% chance if you used a homozygously polled bull.


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## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

I have a polled Jersey and 3 that are not. I use a iron and burn off the buds at about a month old. It is better to get it done when the calves are small rather than letting them get bigger ten you have quite the procedure to get it done.


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## vickie (Aug 8, 2002)

Can i just let them grow? why not? Vickie


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## RoyalValley (Apr 29, 2009)

You can let them grow. That just comes down to preference. Some like them, some don't. Lots of cows have horns, I prefer to not have to worry about them, so we have polled cows/bulls to make it easy.


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## dosthouhavemilk (Oct 29, 2004)

You can let them grow, just remember that that will likely limit who would buy her later, should you get to the point where you decide, or need to, sell her.
In the end, your management style and personal preference decide.
We do not have horns because of injuries to other cows in the herd. Our management in the winter requires the girls to eat around a hay ring. Cows with horns tend to use them to their advantage by goring and cutting the cows to get them to move.
Sliced vulvas, cut and bruised udders, and gashes on cows are not pretty.
I've also been hit by cows ith horns and it hurts. Of course, anytime a cow hits you hurts, but put some nice pointy edges on them and it hurts a bit more.
The reason the majority of dairy cattle are hornless is because it is a very intimate situation. You have to be in their personal space a good portion of the day. With beef cattle, they aren't handled as often and so the horns are not as much of anissue. They they breed polled Beef herds for a reason.

If you think burning them when theya re small is bad, then you would really hate to see a mature cow dehorned.

Definitely read up on it and talk to people from both camps before making your decision. 
I have a friend who runs horned Jersey cows. She disbuds the bulls and steers though.


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## matt_man (Feb 11, 2006)

I used the disbudding paste on a 2 wk old heifer. She is 18 months old now and has no horns.

You need to follow the directions but we:

1. shaved the area on and around the horn bud

2. Applied the paste with a popsicle stick, making sure not to get any on you, your clothing, or anywhere else on the calf.

It was recommended to me later to put a square of duct tape over the spot so that the calf doesn't rub and smear it around and get it on her in other places. Our calf did get some onto her ear and it burned her there but it is fine now. It would be bad if they were to get it into their eyes or something like that.

Rachel


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Something else to consider- cows sometimes break their horns. 

I recommend making your decision soonly though. Dont wait 'til they have to be sawed off. BTDT, give me ANY other horrific piece of cow chores. 

I think the disbudding iron is faster and cleaner personally.


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

I personally advocate disbudding with an iron over any other type of disbudding. The paste burns away, just like the disbudding iron, but it is slower and lasts longer.
The scooping method or the dehorning of an adult is bloody and painful, though it is commonly done.
We disbudd our dairy calves and it is fast, they are fine immediately afterward.
In a large herd, horns are a real problem, not so much in a small "herd".

We have always(20 years) had horned Jersey milk cows for personal use. They have plenty of pasture space, are milked one at a time, and the horns have never been a problem. The horns are beautiful, but you must give the cows more space. And yes, some cows will use their horns on the other cows.
But due to the fact that my youngest siblings are milking now, I will be disbudding all the family milkers now to, just to be on the safe side.

Talk to the vets around and see if anyone will burn the buds off for you. It is more effective and no more painful than the paste.


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