Re-Clipping Cattle Backs

Clipping the backs of cattle at housing is common practice.  However by the turn of the New Year quite often the hair has regrown to the extent that it can be difficult to tell if the animal was clipped or not. Benefits of clipping the backs of cattle when housed include;

• Reduce sweating
• Reduce the risk of pneumonia
• Reduce the risk of lice infestations

For those with fattening cattle, keeping them cool as daily live weight gains increase is a particular problem.  Re-clipping would help to keep cattle cool (reducing sweating also keeps cattle cleaner) and has the advantage of potentially increasing their daily live weight gain by increasing intakes.  Clipping could easily be incorporated with another handling e.g. weighing so does not have to mean extra handling or labour.

Basil Lowman, val.angus@sac.co.uk