*The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act describes the legal ages for the following cattle husbandry practices:
Castration – less than six months of age
Dehorning – less than 12 months.
**Cattle must be suitably identified applicable to the production system and current regulations.
*All citizens in NSW must comply with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (POCTAA). Castration can only be carried out after six months of age if performed by a veterinarian and the animal is appropriately anaesthetized.
**All cattle must be tagged in accordance with the NLIS
| Approved activities | Category |
|---|---|
| 4. Ear marking/tagging of livestock | 3 |
| 7. Hoof trimming: cattle & horses | 3 |
| 12. Milking | 3 |
| 19. Freeze branding of cattle and horses | 4 |
22. Castration of calves
|
4 4 4 |
| 30. Microchipping | 3 |
| 31. Horn tipping | 3 |
| 32. Dehorning cattle under 6 months of age | 4 |
| 34. Disbudding calves | 4 |
Routine husbandry activities for cattle include:
- Internal parasite control
- External parasite control
- Vaccination
- Identification (branding, ear tagging, tattooing)
- Castration
- Pregnancy detection
- Horn tipping and dehorning.
Freeze branding, castration, dehorning and disbudding all have the potential to cause pain and distress and school staff should consider the use of pain relief for the animals undergoing these procedures. The use of suitable pain relief should be discussed with a veterinarian who is familiar with cattle and advice can be accessed at Flyboss – Pain relief – frequently asked questions.External link
It is essential that a crush or calf cradle and the appropriate equipment are used for each of the activities, with the exception of milking a dairy cow that is familiar with the activity. A head bail is suitable for milking a dairy cow.
The Routine husbandry activities video (2:00) below demonstrates some of these activities.
Narrator: Boyd Holden – livestock handler
(bright upbeat music)
Vaccination is an essential part of any livestock health program. We do this as early as possible in the animal’s life. We also do it annually to ensure maximum immunity.
Whilst in the crush we often apply a backline which helps control internal and external parasites. When you’re tagging or mouthing cattle we use a device called a head restraint. This device enables us to restrain the head effectively.
Here I’m putting in a management tag in the cow’s left ear. This is a NLIS tag. However, this heifer already has her NLIS tag in her right ear.
I’m now going to mouth her to see what her dentition tells me. And she has got her milk tooth but she has just lost a tooth and she’s now considered a two-tooth.
For internal parasite control there is several options. There is backline, injectable or oral drenching. We are going to oral drench this cow using this apparatus which is a hook gun.
(bright upbeat music)
[End of transcript]
Schools are encouraged to keep polled cattle. This will minimise the risk of injury to humans and other animals and remove the need for horn tipping or dehorning.
Disbudding of calves is best carried out on calves in the first two weeks of life. Calves must be checked for regrowth two or three weeks after disbudding.
Cattle must be tagged in accordance with the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). Further information can be obtained at NLIS CattleExternal link.
