Sheep and goats and cows have horns for a good reason. Not only do the horns offer some protection from predators, but they are their cooling system. When it is hot outside, the blood flows through the horns and cools down the animals. When it is cold, there is a shunting of the blood through the horns, conserving heat. So, I do not poll, or burn off the horns of my animals. I am sure having the skull burned either with acid or heat has to hurt and there is no need for it, other than some people believe an animal will be more manageable without horns. Actually, they are most manageable with horns. I use them as handles, careful not to grab the tips, which could break off , especially in young animals, but the base near the skull. Once a firm grasp is on the horns, a small animal is easy to handle. The large ones, like Gunnar, the Icelandic ram with a fine set of horns, would be difficult, but he is a gentle natured ram, so he is easy too.
Feeding the horned animals takes a little practice. Kylie, the Highland cow, can eat from whatever most other cows can, now, but as her horns grow, she will be best fed on the ground as nature intended. The four horned Jacobs cannot stick their heads through a feeder opening, nor can they easily glean hay from the side of a feeder, so they are best fed on the ground as well. Goats are a little different, preferring to eat from the top down, so a horned goat is happy to climb vertically up a feeder to eat hay there. I have yet to discover the perfect feeder for all the animals, and then hope it will also keep the vegetative matter out of the fibre and wool .
Today one of the little rams was fighting with another little ram. Unfortunately, as boys are boys, one of the rams was less fortunate and that being the little Jacob, he lost a horn at the base. Poor guy. Horns have a huge vascular supply, so there is red freshly oxygenated blood all over his face and fleece and on some of the other rams too. Close attention must be paid to situations like that to be sure the bleeding does stop quickly or the ram can lose too much blood and be very weak.
Some people keep horned animals just for their horns, for trophies on their walls. That one, I will never understand. I do not want the skull or stuffed head of a dead animal anywhere near me, let alone as a trophy on the wall, showing that I had a gun and he did not. Grrrrrr! I even wrote a letter to a trophy hunting compound where they raise animals with horns to be hunted within the fences. Barbaric. I digress.
Anyhow, animals with horns are attractive, interesting and usually easy to move around, except if they are large and have large horns. Breeding season fast approaches this farm at the end of the month, and I will be moving some of the ewes with horns myself. Then I will thankful for the handles for sure. Til then...
Feeding the horned animals takes a little practice. Kylie, the Highland cow, can eat from whatever most other cows can, now, but as her horns grow, she will be best fed on the ground as nature intended. The four horned Jacobs cannot stick their heads through a feeder opening, nor can they easily glean hay from the side of a feeder, so they are best fed on the ground as well. Goats are a little different, preferring to eat from the top down, so a horned goat is happy to climb vertically up a feeder to eat hay there. I have yet to discover the perfect feeder for all the animals, and then hope it will also keep the vegetative matter out of the fibre and wool .
Today one of the little rams was fighting with another little ram. Unfortunately, as boys are boys, one of the rams was less fortunate and that being the little Jacob, he lost a horn at the base. Poor guy. Horns have a huge vascular supply, so there is red freshly oxygenated blood all over his face and fleece and on some of the other rams too. Close attention must be paid to situations like that to be sure the bleeding does stop quickly or the ram can lose too much blood and be very weak.
Some people keep horned animals just for their horns, for trophies on their walls. That one, I will never understand. I do not want the skull or stuffed head of a dead animal anywhere near me, let alone as a trophy on the wall, showing that I had a gun and he did not. Grrrrrr! I even wrote a letter to a trophy hunting compound where they raise animals with horns to be hunted within the fences. Barbaric. I digress.
Anyhow, animals with horns are attractive, interesting and usually easy to move around, except if they are large and have large horns. Breeding season fast approaches this farm at the end of the month, and I will be moving some of the ewes with horns myself. Then I will thankful for the handles for sure. Til then...
Jean, the four horned Jacob ewe, eats hay put on the ground for her while the other hornless ewes stick their heads through the fence.
Kylie is a heifer Highland and she will have very large horns one day. It is a good thing Kylie is such a nice girl. The little calf is talking to Kylie while his mom is eating.
Poor little Jacob. You can see on the right, one of his four horns is broken. What a forlorn mess, but fortunately it stopped bleeding quickly.
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