[Jacob-list] Tipping horns on lambs

[gordon johnston]

 Bob wrote : <<Some breeders
tell me that taking the tips off the
horns--particularly on 4-horn lambs will avoid the
potential for broken horns as the lambs mature.>>

We have not heard of this practice.  However, when the horns are
accidentally broken at the tips they never do look quite right afterwards.
How much tip have you been told to remove?  Is it the whole of the hollow
part above the 'live' horn?  This does sometimes break off , usually after
the lamb gets its head through the fence, but I see little point in taking
them all off to prevent the occasional accidental removal of one.
For us, the wonderful hornset of a 4-horned Jacob is one of their glories,
so we would not remove the tips. The only advantage might be the reduction
in incidents involving nearly getting your eye poked out by a horn, but
those who really worry about that keep Suffolks <g>
Juliet in Scotland.