Buyers guide: Calf disbudders on test

Disbudding calves is a procedure that takes place on many beef and dairy farms across the country to promote safety of humans and stock.

The use of hot iron disbudding is the most common and effective method of preventing horn growth and maximising welfare of calves.

When disbudding, the aim is to burn and destroy the horn-producing tissue around the horn bud so the horn will not grow.

Farmers Weekly teamed up with dairy farmer Paul Knight and stockman Marcus Tizzard of Westnedge & Knight, Horley, Surrey, to test six hot iron disbudders.

Mr Tizzard, who performed the procedure on more than 200 calves, scored each product (one star = poor, five stars = excellent) on their ease of use, efficiency in burning the bud, cleanliness of burn and calf comfort.

See also: 7-step guide to disbudding calves

Mr Knight runs an autumn block-calving herd of 850 cows and disbuds 260 heifer replacements in the first few weeks of life.

Prior to disbudding, calves are given an anaesthetic in the horn region to prevent any pain during the procedure. Following the procedure, calves are sprayed with a blue antibiotic spray to prevent any infection.

Each product, with the exception of Steribud electric dehorner and the Mains electric dehorner, was tested on more than 45 calves.

The Steribud dehorner could be used on only 28 calves before the battery ran out. The Mains Electric could be used on only seven calves, after which it became too cold. The test results were based on the subjective scoring by Mr Tizzard.

Gas Buddex

High maximum temperature of 650C with heat-up time of less than 3 minutes.

The manufacturer says the screw-in gas cartridges last 2-3 hours and the automatic ignition lights the tool at a click of the button.

It has a total length of 31cm and is supplied in a strong metal carry case with 2 gas cartridges and a spare gas jet.

Comes with a two-year warranty

Cost £140 from Fairfield Supplies. Includes dehorner, in carry case with two gas cartridges and spare gas jet.

Overall score

Ease of set-up

Time waited until iron ready to use

Manoeuvrability (corded v cordless) 

Comfort to hold and work with

Ease/safety of putting down in between calves

Efficiency/time taken to burn bud

Cleanliness of burn

Calf comfort

Pros

• Built-in ignition.
• Comes with spare jet and iron tips of different sizes.
• Can be used anywhere.
• Easy to use when restraining calf and comfortable to hold.
• Good burning time – 2.5 hours per can (as stated by manufacturer).
• Quick – an average speed of 10-12 seconds per horn (second-fastest in this trial).
• Warm-up time 4-5 minutes (average).
• Very good continuous burn around the horn bud.
• Safe to stand can-end on a flat surface when not in use, even when in a pen of calves.

Cons

• Slightly unwieldy length and weight.
• Harder to light on both occasions than others in the trial.
• Found the Gas Buddex required a rest for a couple of minutes after dehorning 10-12 animals for maximum performance.

Farmer verdict It was a safe, effective way of disbudding, even doing large numbers. Comfortable to use for operator. Anyone could use this iron – very impressed.

 

Cox gas debudder with regulator

Comes with a propane regulator and can use propane or butane gas.

Described as lightweight and easy to use.

The manufacturer says working temperature is reached in 2-3 minutes.

Cost £71.25 from Cox Agri

Overall score

Ease of set-up

Time waited until iron ready to use

Manoeuvrability (corded v cordless)

Comfort to hold and work with

Ease/safety of putting down in between calves

Efficiency/time taken to burn bud

Cleanliness of burn

Calf comfort

Pros

• Can be used anywhere.
• It was the only one to come with an iron holder for when it isn’t being used.
• Consistent, constant heat, even when dehorning 20-25 calves an hour.
• Quick – an average speed of 10-12 seconds a horn.
• Simple design, easily repairable and easy to maintain.
• Cheap to run.
• 6kg bottle does 500 calves at £22.75/bottle.
• Strongly built.

Cons

• Must carry lighter or matches as there is no internal ignition.
• Bulky unit, including gas bottle.
• When working in pens, don’t put the holder on the can as it will get knocked over (I’ve mounted mine on a piece of wood, which I lay across the gates in the corner of the pen).
• Can take a while to warm up (5-7 minutes).
• The open flame from sides of the tip can mean your wrists get a bit hot when restraining the calves.
• Obvious risk of calves getting tangled in pipe if the bottle is in the pen.
• Fire hazard

Farmer verdict Not quite as good to look at as the canned gas units, but certainly up there in terms of power, output and heat.

Does a very good, reliable job. Ideal for large amounts of work, and easily transportable.

Express Gas Dehorner

Heavy-duty unit built for portable dehorning.

The manufacturer says it reaches maximum temperature in 3-4 minutes and a gas canister will last 3-5 hours.

The unit comes with a hard-wearing practical metal case housing the unit and 2 gas canisters.

Available with either a 15mm or 20mm brass tip.

Cost £149 from Agrihealth

Overall score

Ease of set-up

Time waited until iron ready to use

Manoeuvrability (corded v cordless)

Comfort to hold and work with

Ease/safety of putting down in between calves

Efficiency/time taken to burn bud

Cleanliness of burn

Calf comfort

Pros

• Lights every time with a built-in ignition.
• Comes with spare jet and tips.
• Can be used anywhere.
• Very safe, easy to use iron, even when restraining a calf at the same time.
• Quickest of the trial – 10 seconds per horn.
• Warm-up time 4 minutes (average).
• Can stand on can-end when not in use.
• Very comfortable to use, light and easy to grip.

Cons

• None

Farmer verdict Really liked this one – very hard to beat. A well-thought-out, effective piece of kit and does a top-notch job. Would suit any system, even professional dehorners.

Portasol gas dehorner mark 3

Can be used for dehorning calves between 3 and 8 weeks old.

It has a length of 238mm, weighs 330g and has an operating time of 45 minutes, with a tip temperature of 650C.

It uses butane lighter fuel.

Cost £110-£120 from Portasol

Overall score

Ease of set-up

Time waited until iron ready to use

Manoeuvrability (corded v cordless)

Comfort to hold and work with

Ease/safety of putting down in between calves

Efficiency/time taken to burn bud

Cleanliness of burn

Calf comfort

Pros

• Built-in ignition; quick to refill and very quiet.
• Very light and comfortable to hold and work with.
• Can be put down between calves, by standing it on a block in an empty feed trough at a 45° angle.
• Quick to heat up.
• Good constant heat, if kept topped up regularly (after every 12-15 calves).
• Quick – an average speed of 10-15 seconds per horn.
• Safe for the operator to use because there was no open flame, and the flange around the middle of the iron deflects the heat away from your hand.
• It was the only one that came with a small wire brush with which to clean the iron. A good idea.
• Warm-up time averaged 4-5 minutes.

Cons

• Needs to be refilled regularly to aid performance. Once it reaches only a quarter full, iron heat tends to suffer – resulting in a poorer burn and taking longer to dehorn.
• The supply lighter fluid canister needs to be fairly full as it doesn’t like loading from a nearly empty can.
• It came with only one tip in the case – most come with two.
• Struggled to achieve an effective burn in one 7-second burst. Worked better with two bursts.
• Disbudded only 28 calves before the battery ran out.

Farmer verdict Very awkward to perfect a good grip on the iron when restraining the calf as well.

The smallest iron in the trial. It did a good job and was comfortable to work with, quiet and efficient. However, more capacity would be a bonus.

Steribud electric dehorner

(supplied by Dairymac)

The manufacturer says it disbuds 100 calves per charge.

Uses lithium ion technology.

The unit charges in one hour.

Take 10 seconds per horn.

Instant heating to 650C.

Comes with a two-year warranty.

Cost £235 complete with three heads (2 x 16mm and 1 x 19mm) and two chargers (12V dc and 220V ac) in carry case. From Dairymac

Overall score

Ease of set-up

Time waited until iron ready to use

Manoeuvrability (corded v cordless)

Comfort to hold and work with

Ease/safety of putting down in between calves

Efficiency/time taken to burn bud

Cleanliness of burn

Calf comfort

Pros

• No naked flame.
• Very safe when working in pens with calves as the iron can be laid down.
• Safe for operator – very hard to burn yourself accidentally.
• Comes with two spare ceramic tips and blades and 12V charger.
• Instant heat.

Cons

• Disappointing performance even when buds were clipped clear of hair, as hair build-up on the ceramic tip reduces depth of cauterisation to an ineffective level.

Farmer verdict From a safety point of view excellent.

Disappointing performance level lets it down. Good idea if it worked better.

It would suit small numbers of animals being dehorned at any one time.

Mains electric dehorner

Product description

This electric dehorner from German manufacturer Lister comes with a 20mm head. The manufacturer says it keeps a constant 700C heat to ensure easy dehorning.

Cost £65.10 from Mole Valley

Overall score

Ease of set-up

Time waited until iron ready to use

Manoeuvrability (corded v cordless)

Comfort to hold and work with

Ease/safety of putting down in between calves

Efficiency/time taken to burn bud

Cleanliness of burn

Calf comfort

Pros

• Good glow to start with.

Cons

• Red glow soon faded, and by the seventh consecutive calf the product could no longer be used because it was too cold.
• Manufacturer’s guidelines suggested it should be unplugged when being used. However, keeping the iron unplugged only exacerbated the problem as it meant the iron had to be warmed up for each individual calf, which is only practical for very small numbers of calves.
• Was very slow to warm up (10 minutes).
• Need to have electric leads trailed around the calf shed, with the potential of being chewed by calves, or a trip hazard.
• Handle not long enough to get a good grip before the lead entry.
• No supplied method of hanging the iron up when not in use.

Farmer verdict It can do a good job, but very slow, and awkward to use if you have big hands.

It would suit a year-round calving herd where only a few calves need to be done at a time.