The House She Built a Source of Conflict

There was a time when everything seemed to be going right for Amara . She was a beautiful woman, not only in appearance but in the way she carried herself. She grew up in a loving home, surrounded by parents who worked hard and believed that their children should never lack opportunities. Her father was a respected man who worked tirelessly to provide for the family, while her mother was equally hardworking. They raised their daughters with discipline, kindness, and the belief that education and hard work were the keys to a good life. Amara was the elder daughter. Her younger sister, Nadia , was also intelligent and ambitious. The two sisters grew up watching their parents work together, and they learned an important lesson from them: nothing worthwhile comes without sacrifice. As the years passed, both sisters became successful in their own ways. Amara worked hard, saved her money, and eventually achieved something she had dreamed about since she was young. She bought a beauti...

Dehorning your beef cattle can help boost profits

 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

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

This New Ultralight Aircraft May Be World’s Fastest Single-Engine Business Jet

Fighting Drug addiction

Ultra-Widebody Volkswagen Bus "Volkswide" Looks Like a Porsche Racing Van