Arguments For and Against Dehorning Cattle

 

The sources present several arguments in favor of dehorning cattle, as articulated by F. A. Hedrick in a January 1889 letter to the editor of The Pocahontas Times.

• Safety: Hedrick argues that dehorning cattle makes them safer for both humans and other animals. He emphasizes the danger posed by horned cattle to people who work with them, as well as to the cattle themselves, who can injure each other with their horns.
• Comfort: Hedrick also contends that dehorning makes cattle more comfortable, particularly when confined in pens, barns, or during shipping. He reasons that cattle without horns can lie down closer together and are less likely to injure each other, reducing stress and promoting a calmer environment.
• Improved Fattening: Dehorned cattle will “fatten faster” because they are not afraid of each other. This suggests that dehorning reduces stress and allows cattle to focus on eating and gaining weight.
• Ease of Management: Dehorned cattle “become like calves,” making them easier to manage. They are more likely to lie down together, eat together, and drink from the same trough without fear of being injured by other cattle.
• Improved Appearance: In a subsequent letter, Hedrick notes that after dehorning his cattle, he observed that they “look well in order, better in appearance and decidedly more comfortable to themselves and me”. This suggests that, in addition to the practical benefits, Hedrick also believes that dehorning improves the aesthetics of cattle.

While the sources do not present any direct arguments against dehorning cattle, the act of dehorning was considered controversial.

The sources offer insight into the dehorning process. In a letter published in January 1889, Hedrick states that he learned the process from Dick Edmiston, a Pocahontas County native who moved to Kansas after the Civil War. Edmiston was already dehorning cattle, and Hedrick observed “a great many dehorned cattle of all ages” on a trip through Kansas in the spring of 1888. The sources do not provide any details about the method that Edmiston used. However, the fact that Hedrick dehorned approximately 40 cattle and in February 1889 noted that he had “just learned from a reliable source” that a man had dehorned approximately 100 cattle “last fall” suggests that dehorning was becoming increasingly common in Pocahontas County.