I had a young (6 month old) Scimitar that broke a horn at the base. The horn did not fall off it was hanging out to the side, hanging out behind the ear. So I taped it in place back upright. Has anyone every tried this? if so what were the results. I'm assuming the damage may kill the horn and it will eventually fall off. Or now the horn may not have as good of circulation and will get frost bite here in South Dakota. Figured it was worth a try to see what happens.

More than likely it will just be broken and fall off later due to tape not holding but it should still grow, hope you dont sell him that way. I could imagine a pissed off hunter or customer after its down and seeing that. LOL

I don't see that working.

IF it's broke at the horn base, you are better off shooting the oryx. It's been our experience that they shortly after get infected and have a slow death. If the break where higher up then it would grow back.

Here is a picture of him. I should have added that I did not tape it until 2 days after the break. I thought the horn would fall off so I left it; after the second day I decided to try the tape. I am now thinking I should have did it right away the day he broke it.

It has been a week since I taped it.

I am hoping to keep this young male back as an eventual breeder bull, because he is unrelated to my main group. I want to use him on the heifers I raise from that group. So if he looses the horn no big deal. I know in Texas you guys have large herds. I just have a small group.

Here is my limited experience with Scimitar:

I started with them a few years ago. I bought yearlings from a couple different herds in July and August. Since I am in South Dakota, and our winter temps go to extremes. I trained them to come into the barn at night when called. I do this with all our Antleope, but I only haveOryx, Eland, Addax and Blackbuck.

The bull that I purcahsed starting out had damage or frost bite to his horns before I purchased him. The horns were normal at the base but then a few inches up started to angle and curve down. Not the normal arch backwards.

The bull is on the left, kinda hard to see the kink in the horn. During that first winter the ends of both horns eventuly came off.

In 2011 our heifers had their first calves in April. The bull was protective but he would only stay between me and the females. Then end Jan & begining Febuary of 2012 they all calved again. We kept them in the barn for a few days each time a calf was born.

But after a few days we would let them outside for the day. So we would have 3 day old calves outside with temps that were just in the teens some days. Altough 2012 winter was mild. But we put them back in the barns around dusk. Our cows now just calved agian a few weeks ago again.

During the summer we turned them out on pasture with our cattle. The pasture is about 500 acres. It is just cattle fence- some spots it is woven wire with a strand of bardwire on top and other spots it is 4 strands of barbwire.

For the first week, I called them into the corral at night and locked them in as I wasn't sure if I could trust them in a low fence. Since the pen and barn they are use to is on the otherside of the road from the pasture they were now in. After a week we just left them out in the pasture and did not have any problems with them. When we moved them back to the winter pen this fall, the Scimitar bull wanted to fight thru the fence with our Addax bull. With his short hrns we would bang against the fence when the addax bull was close. I weaned the spring calves since the cows were looking pretty big. The bull has become very protective with the new babies in the herd and the addax bull so close. He would also stand his ground when I was in the pen so I dehorned the bull.

This has helped alot, as he now does not bang on things with the horn stubs gone.

The spring bull calves are still seperate from the adults with the new calves, but I put the only spring heifer back with the group.

Very unique situation you have there. I will be interested to see what happens with this young bull's horn. Please keep us posted, and let us know how it works out.

Thanks for sharing the photos as well....

Good luck! Will be curious how that turns out. Oryx have horn-freezing issues in the hill country of Texas during cold winters, I'm frankly a bit surprised you have as many with full-length horns.

African Game can survive in that cold?

thats cool to see the hair is thick on the oryx... used to show heifers in ffa and knew that as a trick to put them in coolers in make the hair grow thicker

Yesterday morning the young Oryx had the tape off his horns. It has been almost 6 weeks. The horn that was broke seems to be fine, however it is a little crooked. IF I ever need to try this again I would put a piece of foam between the horns and then tape over that to keep better space between the horns. I just taped to keep the horn upright.

Will update again if anything changes.

they sound more like pets

Is there something wrong with that?

So how are the Blackbuck getting along in that climate?

Not a damn thing, good job.

What all can you raise in South Dakota? Does the state make you have permits and other nonsense?

good looking critters hope the horn holds

The blackbuck do good, I have raised them for along time. We keep all our antelope inside on days like today when temps don't go above a few degrees and the wind chill is teens below zero.

We raise alot of birds (ornamental pheasants, Vulturine guineafowl, swans, wild geese & ducks, etc)For hoofstock besides the 200 commercial brood cows we raise calves from, we have several breeds of mini cattle, mini horses, Alpacas & Llamas, Camels, Watusi, Longhorns, Bison, Beefalo, Yaks, Elk, Dragon Sheep, 4 Horn Sheep, Hair Sheep, some commercial sheep, Quarter Horses. Small mammals- Primates, African & N.A. Porcupines, Patagonian Cavies, Badgers, Skunks, Fischers, etc.
We have had alot of other exotics but no longer keep any of the large cats.

WOW!! You guys have quite an assortment of critters...

I think your place is considered a ZOO... Thats awsome!!!!

I have pictures of the various critters on my "Spectrum Ranch" facebook page.

Hopefully I can get a link to work:

Spectrum Ranch FB page

Spectrum, can you tell us about your gaur?

How do they do in South Dakota in the winter?

Amazing how fast the horns grow, calves are not even 3 months old yet.

Took a few other pictures today:

Patagonian Cavy


Baby African Porcupine


Java Macaque


Mongolain Kirghiz pheasant

Southern Caucasus Blackneck pheasant


Bianchi pheasants

I had a skunk as a pet in Europe. Bastard of a thing, never much of a friend.

Love the cavies and the porkies, and the birds.

do you have any kookaburra, hornbills or toucans?

Great pics.