Nose Rings
Let’s talk nose rings:
Some rings are used for bulls and other aggressive cows. These are permanent nose rings. They are inserted into the cartilage of the nose so it does not affect eating or smelling; but if the cow or bull were to come after you or have you pinned, you could yank it and give yourself a couple of seconds to get away.
Some rings are to aid in weaning and are not permanent. These are both removable and adjustable. There are spikes on the front with the goal of irritating another heifer if the calf wearing the nose ring attempts to suck on her navel or teats. If a heifer with a nose ring attempts to suck on another heifer than the heifer being sucked on will be irriated by the nose ring and kick or move away, thus discouraging the sucking behavior and helping to reinforce that suckling is no longer a useful behavior.
Why use nose rings:
The reason we want to prevent cross sucking (one heifer sucking on another) is because it could cause either a navel hernia or mastitis (even if the calf has not begun lactating). A navel hernia could result in intestines coming through the abdominal wall or cause abdominal wall weakness during pregnancy and labor. Mastitis is an infection of the mammary tissue. It can cause a lot of discomfort (best cause scenario), cause the loss of a quarter or decrease in milk production, or even become septic (worst case scenario), causing the calf to die. The rings will either be taken out or fall out after a couple of months but can always be reinserted if necessary. The rings are an easy way to prevent illness and discomfort in calves and heifers.
Heifers will naturally suck in an attempt to feed themselves or during times of stress– big or small stessors so with any feed change, barn change, weather fluctuations and eventually hormone changes they naturally want to calm their nervous system. Sucking is a soothing action for calves and helps to do that. Cross sucking is especially prevalent in ad libim feeding situations because they are accustomed to sucking for milk any time they would like be it for hunger or stress.
Before placing a blanket nose ring protocol, consider evaluating ways to reduce stress such as improving weaning protocol, reducing the number of feed changes, or adjusting moving times. Even if nose rings are still necessary for every calf, they will adjust better to having one with less stress.
Things to watch out for:
Be sure to give the calves ample time to adjust to being weaned prior to putting the ring on. Putting the nose ring in too early will result in MORE stress and a poorly adjusted calf.
Make sure there is nothing for the calves to catch the rings on. This could result in injury however because the nose rings are removable it should not be catastrophic.
If the nose rings are too tight the rings won’t be able to turn so the calves can eat and they could cause pain and sores in the nose. They make multiple sizes be sure to use the correct size for the calves you are using them on.
Conclusion:
While nose rings may not be the answer for every farm, they are certainly an option for reducing cross sucking and blind quarter events in first lactation cows. Be sure to consult with your farm team before implementing any new protocols.
