# Polled or Horns?



## elevan (Jun 10, 2011)

How or when will I know if my calf is polled or will grow horns?

I keep checking the buds and they don't seem to be growing but he's only maybe 6 or 7 weeks old...


----------



## jhm47 (Jun 11, 2011)

You should be able to feel "bumps" where the horns will grow by now.  It's most likely polled if you can't feel them by this age.


----------



## farmerlor (Jun 11, 2011)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> You should be able to feel "bumps" where the horns will grow by now.  It's most likely polled if you can't feel them by this age.


When we raised meat cattle on the farm where I grew up the babies had little buds almost like goat buds in just a few weeks.  So I'm assuming that my month old dairy calf is polled as there's nothing there at all. This is good because my heifer is polled so I'm hoping that their babies will also be hornless.  People just don't seem to like family milk cows with horns (shrug).  LOL


----------



## elevan (Jun 11, 2011)

Thank you!  I was hoping that he would be polled...cause we would have to have the horns removed otherwise.  While I like horns on my dwarf goats, I will not have horns on a beast over 1,000#!


----------



## goodhors (Jun 11, 2011)

One of the 4-H kids in our cow club told us the polled cattle have different shaped skulls.  Once the OBVIOUS is pointed out, we were quickly able to detect the difference by just looking at calves, even if horns had been removed young.

The horned cattle have a flatter top on the skull, while the polled calves have a more oval, rounded top to the skull. This is looking at the calf from straight in front, no profile.

The more calves you see, the easier it gets to tell them apart by skull shape.  Knowing this makes it easier if you want to buy breeding animals, trying to go polled.  That horn ridge, flat topped skull would be something to avoid if you want to breed polled calves later.  I find there is ALWAYS something new to be learned in 4-H!

I came late to having cattle, so maybe other folks already knew this detail, but I found it quite interesting!!  When we looked at calves to buy this spring, the owner said one heifer was polled.  We also looked at her and could agree because we recognized her skull shape.  Yep, she came home with us.

You can always get horns removed, I wouldn't own horned cattle.


----------



## farmerlor (Jun 12, 2011)

Well, the guy across the road from us has some beautiful, beautiful Scottish Highland cattle and oh, my heart flips a little everytime I see that young bull with his handsome set of horns.  I'd LOVE to have some of those cows but whatever would I do with them?  They're almost to purty to eat and I hear their milk isn't as rich as my Jerseys.....but they're awesome beauties they are.
AND of course I have kids who don't always recognize that not every animal in the world is their best friend which makes horned animals very dangerous here.


----------



## elevan (Jun 12, 2011)

farmerlor said:
			
		

> Well, the guy across the road from us has some beautiful, beautiful Scottish Highland cattle and oh, my heart flips a little everytime I see that young bull with his handsome set of horns.  I'd LOVE to have some of those cows but whatever would I do with them?  They're almost to purty to eat and I hear their milk isn't as rich as my Jerseys.....but they're awesome beauties they are.
> AND of course I have kids who don't always recognize that not every animal in the world is their best friend which makes horned animals very dangerous here.


I have a neighbor who has highlands too. My, they are beautiful animals.

I have 2 young boys who are still having a hard time understanding that they can't decide to play "tag" in the barnyard with each other because it freaks out the animals.  They are only 5 and 7, so they'll learn, but I don't want to fan the flames so to speak.


----------

