Chemical procedure
Caustic Dehorning Paste
Chemical horn-bud killer
What it is
A strong alkaline paste smeared onto the horn bud of a young calf. It burns down through the skin and destroys the cells that would have grown the horn.
Where it sits in the system
Horned cattle are harder to handle in confined herds and injure other animals. Destroying the bud early in life removes that cost before the horn exists.
Welfare concern
The chemical burn is acutely painful. Paste that spreads burns the calf elsewhere, and burns the dam or another animal that comes into contact with it.
Worth being precise about
Whether pain relief is given, and whether the calf is kept from contact with others while the paste is active, varies. Breeding polled cattle avoids the procedure altogether.
