At birth, calves are an «immunosteric organism» and for this reason are susceptible to a number of diseases. Technological stresses contribute to a high incidence of disease in young animals, even regrouping and vaccination increase the risks of a reduced immune response. In the conditions of dairy cattle breeding, already in the first days of life, calves undergo removal of horny rudiments, purchase of tails, vaccination, etc.
Removal of horny rudiments in calves in the early period of development is important for reduction of traumatism in production conditions. Three main methods are known to prevent horn growth in young cattle: thermal treatment, chemical method, surgical method.
Surgical method is less demanded in modern cattle breeding. Cattle breeding enterprises prefer the chemical method, which consists of applying a caustic paste to the horny outgrowths and gradually burning them out. The procedure is quite simple to perform and requires minimal labor. However, this method does not give a 100% result, and often horny rudiments continue to develop. That is why a number of specialists consider the thermal method of preventing horn growth in calves to be the most effective. The advantage of thermal dehorning is that it can be carried out en masse during zoo veterinary activities, combined with vaccination or weighing.