De-budding, April 22

The de-budding iron and kid box Bob made make the whole de-budding experience much easier. Lisa came and helped Bob and I de-bud Sweet Pea's two kids, Dahlia and Violet. The kid is placed in the box so only their head is exposed. This allows one person to hold the head only, not worrying about legs and wiggling bodies. The other person can hold the iron on the kid's head over the horn bud. Hence, de-budding the kid. The iron needs to be in contact with the base of the horn bud for approximately 8 to 10 seconds for a proper burn to occur. In other words, a lifetime. I trimmed the hair away from the base of the bud with small scissors. This seemed to increase the contact area of the iron and create a better burn. We purchased a new, fancy electric iron this year. No guessing on temperature or fooling around with a blow torch to heat a non-electric iron. Does a blow torch in a barn sound like a good idea to you? It didn't sound like a good idea to me either. The process of de-budding is not a pleasant one. It, however, is much more palatable than watching the vet de-horn the kids. The horn is actually a continuation of the frontal sinus. When the horn is removed a hole is created and the frontal sinus is exposed. It's not fun spraying antiseptic fly spray into their frontal sinuses. Better than getting flys in the sinus....I guess. Carmen