Management Practices

Debeaking Poultry To prevent chickens from hurting each other. Pecking order Before After 

Tail Docking Sheep, swine Removing the tail keeps the animal cleaner and healthier. Elastrator band

Dehorning Removal of horns from cattle, sheep, goats. Animals are less likely to hurt humans or each other. Disbudding- removal of horn-producing cells in calves less than 2 months of age. Dehorning- cutting out horns and horn-producing tissue after they have attached.

Best Methods-- Disbudding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1KcieP5H-E Best Methods-- Disbudding Bloodless and less painful. Should be done to young calves before they reach 8 weeks old. Caustic paste disbudding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1KcieP5H-E

Other Methods These methods are not as practical because they can cause more pain and blood-loss for the animal. Tube/cup/spoon Barnes dehorner Keystone “guillotine” dehorner Obstetrical/Embryotomy wire dehorning Hand saw

Castration Performed at early age: To prevent problems associated with male animals fighting for dominance To improve quality of meat Prevent unwanted breeding

Castration Banding- band is placed around the scrotum to prevent flow of blood; eventually falls off.

Castration Emasculator- crushes and cuts the spermatic cord, while preventing it from hemorrhaging and causing the animal to bleed too much.

Castration Swine Horses Several different techniques Procedure done by making incision on underside of pig and removing the testicles. Horses Open the scrotum with a scalpel and then remove the testicles with an emasculator.

Branding Hot iron branding A method of permanent identification that uses an iron that is heated electrically or by fire to burn a brand into the hair follicles, resulting in a permanent hair loss in that area.

Branding Freeze branding Form of identification that uses a chilled frozen instrument to mark a horse’s hair of skin. Frozen nitrogen is the common substance used to chill irons before use. Hair that grows back where the brand was applied has no pigment, resulting in a white brand.

Hot Iron vs. Freeze Branding

Ear Notching Used mostly for pigs.

Terms Debeaking Castration Pecking order Banding Docking Emasculator Dehorning Disbudding Polled Horned Castration Banding Emasculator Elastrator band Ear notching branding

Quiz Write down everything you remember about the following terms from today’s lesson: Debeaking Tail docking Dehorning Castration Branding

Assignment for tomorrow! Create a study guide based on previous lectures. Use Ms. Meadors and Mr. Mathis’s lesson notes. Study for upcoming test.