Silent Goodbye a sad reality. (Mom passes on & leaves small Children)

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The quiet community of Ngodini, just outside Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, South Africa, woke up to heartbreaking news that left neighbours and relatives in disbelief. Twelve-year-old Ayanda had always been the responsible one. As the eldest of three children, she helped her mother care for her younger siblings, eight-year-old Sipho and four-year-old Amahle. Their mother, Nomsa, worked hard to provide for them, often reminding her children that no matter how difficult life became, they should always love and protect one another. One cold winter morning, the children woke up as usual. Ayanda prepared breakfast while waiting for their mother to get up for work. Minutes turned into an hour, but Nomsa never came out of her bedroom. Ayanda gently knocked on the door. "Mama?" she called softly. There was no answer. She knocked again, louder this time. "Mama, it's morning. You have to wake up." Still, there was only silence. Growing worried, Ayanda tried opening the door. H...
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Dehorning your beef cattle can help boost profits

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 September 5, 2021 at 10:22 am

Removing the horns from your cattle holds a number of advantages. Most importantly, it will prevent the problem of bruised meat.

Dehorning your beef cattle can help boost profits
Many indigenous cattle breeds, like the Nguni, are horned. While horns may look attractive, the animals can easily hit each other with them, resulting in bruising. In South Africa, bruised meat may not be sold for human consumption. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Bruised meat on carcasses, usually caused by horn blows during transport or in a cattle crush, is condemned for human consumption at abattoirs, causing great financial loss. Dehorning cattle will help prevent this.

Dehorned cattle can also be fed more easily, and there is less interference from dominant animals.

In addition, dehorned animals take up less space. This means that more can fit into a truck, more can be accommodated in a kraal, and more can stand around a trough to feed or drink.

Methods
There are several ways to remove an animal’s horns. Two methods are suitable for smallholders who have only a few cattle.

The caustic stick method
Apply caustic soda (in stick or paste form) to the horn bud before the calf is 10 days old. Be sure to keep the calf out of the rain after treatment, as the caustic soda can run down and hurt its face. Moreover, when the calf suckles, the caustic soda can harm the cow’s udder.

The hot iron method
When the calf is three to six weeks old, burn the horn-forming tissue at the base of the horn bud with a debudding iron heated by gas or fire.

Heat the iron until dull red, press it onto the bud, and move it slowly in a circular motion for about 10 seconds. Hold the calf firmly to ensure the best results.

If the bud is too large, first remove the tip with a sharp pocket knife.

Other methods are not recommended, as these leave open wounds, which can lead to complications. Horn stubs may also develop.
In adult cattle, dehorning is best performed by a veterinarian, as mistakes can lead to fatalities.

Source: www.dalrrd.gov.za

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