[Jacob-list] HOrns

[Neal and Louise Grose]

I have one more comment on animal welfare in general:

It is good to keep in mind that animals are more profitable if they are
cared for properly. De-horning a ram before he is sent to market (even if it
could be done without serious pain and blood loss) would likely reduce the
market value of the sheep. Animals that go through sales with an obvious
injuries often are sold as "slow" and bring drastically reduced prices. For
Example, instead of selling for $50 to $70, the ram might bring $5 to $10.
This is due to the risk that the buyer takes that the carcass may not be
useable, and because there are fewer bidders.

I think that it is worth our trouble to stress this sort of thing in
discussions with members of the public, who are often misinformed about the
practical aspects of how our animals are handled and cared for. We need to
always be aware of public perceptions of how we care for animals. We farmers
are animal lovers...few of us farm because we think it is great fun to go
out and wallop small beasts.

Neal Grose
North Carolina


----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Bjarkman" <patchworkfibers at alltel.net>
To: <heather at littleshadyacres.com>; "jacob-list" <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 4:56 PM
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] HOrns


I once asked my vet about dehorning an adult Nubian goat.  His advice was
that even
though it was possible and he could do it, he would not recommend it EVEN if
done by
a veterinarian.  First off, it's quite painful for the animal and second,
the
recovery care is quite time consuming.  Even if you're going to put him on a
truck
for butchering and wouldn't have to deal with it, it seems that it would be
unnecessarily cruel.  We do butcher ours (sometimes at home) and we sure do
eat alot
of those cute bouncy lambs, but try to do it with as little stress as
possible.

Linda

On Wed,  6 Aug 2003 08:01:17 -0700, Heather Fogel wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>Has anyone ever cut the horns off of a live Jacob ram.  I have one I need
to
>cull, but I want to put him on "the truck".  However, I would like his
horns.
> I was thinking of using OB wire (given to me by a vet) and using pine tar,
or
> blood stop just before sending him off?
>
>Any ideas, comments etc???
>
>Heather Fogel Stewart, MN heather at littleshadyacres.com
>www.littleshadyacres.com Home to Jacob sheep, Soay sheep and many chickens.
>
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________ Jacob-list mailing list,
>sponsored by Swallow Lane Farm & Fiberworks Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
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