Why and how bulls get their nose pierced and a ring inserted, types of piercing
Taking care of a large herd of cattle is not easy. It is especially difficult to cope with bulls - aggressive and dangerous animals. Observing a picture of a grazing herd, sometimes the question arises - why do bulls have a metal ring inserted into their nose? This is an ordinary phenomenon, not everyone around you knows its meaning. Although it is assumed that in this way livestock breeders are trying to mark their animals.
Why do bulls put a ring in their nose?
But the reason for the piercing of the nose is quite commonplace. Thanks to this accessory, livestock breeders subdue the bulls, force them to obey and perform the necessary actions. Wayward animals, especially those not neutered, are often difficult to get into the stall or even just inspect. To suppress the resistance of the bull, the breeder has to act on his pain points (eyes, ears, nose). It is not difficult to make the animal obey even with a weak effect on these organs.
The easiest way to tame the bull and get him to move in the right direction is to lightly pull on the ring attached to the pierced nose. Scientifically, this accessory is called a septum (partition). The ring is passed through a puncture at the top of the septum between the nostrils. Usually, the procedure is carried out to bulls under one year of age.
Types of nose piercing
When raising cattle, livestock breeders mainly do two types of piercings: adult bulls and calves. Standard piercing of the nasal septum is done to bulls at the age of 7.5-10 months. A stainless steel ring equipped with a special lock is used as an accessory.
The purpose of the procedure is to wean the calves from sucking the udder. On the outside of the ring there are thorns that injure the udder of the cow as soon as the calf tries to suckle milk. Naturally, the cow drives the calf away.
How is it done
Puncture of the nasal septum is a small operation, but it is recommended to entrust it to a veterinarian. Because the farmer, by himself piercing the tissues, can damage the bull's nose. Errors or careless actions lead to inflammatory processes, decay of tissues. Stages of the piercing procedure:
- The animal is tied in the pen, while trying to securely fix the head.
- To reduce the locomotor activity of the bull, he is given an intravenous injection of "Xelazin" (0.5 ml is a sufficient dose).
- With a cotton swab, mucus is removed from the sinuses and an anesthetic is injected into the upper part of the nasal septum (2% novocaine solution can be used).
- With the disinfected edge of the ring, pierce the septum, thread the ring and snap it onto the lock.
- The piercing area is disinfected.
To remove the painful effect after the end of the anesthesia, injections of "Meloxicam" are made. After 10-13 hours, the anesthetic drug is re-administered. As a rule, the animal is not disturbed for one and a half to two weeks after the operation. But the inflammatory process cannot be missed.
The bull is taught to follow the ring gradually. To take the animal out of the pen, the ring is hooked with a special hook.
Piercing the nasal septum of an animal should not be regarded as an inhumane attitude, since without this accessory, it is almost impossible to control bulls. After all, violence and screaming will increase aggression and can lead to injuries to the surrounding animals and people.
