Dealing with painful procedures for calves such as disbudding and castration was one of the topics of discussion at a CalfCare event in Co. Loais.

Agriland visited the farm of John Comerford in Bushfield, Borris-in-Ossory, Co. Laois where one of the 17 CalfCare events took place.

CalfCare ’25 is a collaborative roadshow by Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and Teagasc’s DairyBeef 500 campaign, promoting calf health and good calf rearing practices.

Veterinary advisor with Tirlán, Joris Somers said that "this is the first time we are talking about pain relief for calves at an event like this but it is so important".

He said that using both local anesthetic and pain relief is considered the gold standard when it comes to disbudding and castrating calves.

Somers said that these prescription drugs are essential to "minimise the effects of these painful procedures" and for good welfare and he urged farmers to "order these pain reliefs and local anesthetics now off your veterinary practitioner to be prepared".

The advisor said that for disbudding, "the earlier the better" and said that "once the calf is over a month old, it is considered dehorning".

Attendees were told that disbudding should be carried out after the horn bud becomes visible and that the timing can differ depending on the breed.

It was advised that disbudding should ideally be done when the calf is under two weeks-of-age.

About 2-5ml of local anesthetic should be administered halfway between the base of the ear and the corner of the eye and Somers said to "run your finger along to feel for a bony ridge in this area, the nerve runs under that ridge""

The area of administration is as follows:

As a farmer is waiting for the hot iron to heat up, the calves should eventually be ready for disbudding, but Somers warned to make sure to give the calves a few minutes.

Before cauterisation (hot iron disbudding), the calf's head should be completely restrained to prevent injury and if a calf dehorning crate is available, it should be used to minimise stress.

Local anesthetic is mandatory for disbudding after two weeks-of-age but recommended along with pain relief for all ages.

Disbudding in young calves is less painful and stressful than dehorning of older animals.

Dehorning refers to the removal of the horn at any time after attachment of the horn bud to the skull, which occurs at approximately two month- of-age.

Somers warned farmers that "delaying castration offers no economic benefit to the farmer, but results in much greater pain and risk to the health and welfare of the animal".

He also mentioned that by carrying out the procedure when they are younger, calves tend to be less aggressive which makes it a safer.

Calves can be castrated with a burdizzo under six months-of-age or with a rubber band before eight days-of-age.

Somers said that studies have shown that the best way to castrate male calves is to squeeze them before two months-of-age as it is the least painful experience for them and does not stunt their growth.

The advisor said that pain relief is highly recommended for this process and if you are castrating using a rubber band, the wound should be monitored for signs of infection or flystrike.

When a burdizzo is being used, each spermatic cord is crushed twice and Somers advised to crush the second time below the first and hold each for 10 seconds along the neck of the scrotum.

A tetanus vaccination was also advised on the day to minimise the risk of disease.

Somers further emphasised to try to ensure castration is completed before the two months-of-age mark, as "it is easier to put a kg back on a young calf than it is on an older calf" and that is a lot less stressful for both man and beast.