Curly hair??

[hrbelgians]

I have read and heard say a cow or heifer with curly hair is usually no good for a brood cow?? Any experiences, or ideas if all the rest looks okay?

 

[CPL]

Not true for me, but my cow doesn't have excessively curly hair.

 

[CKC1586]

Now that's a new one, never heard of that?

 

[TREY-L]

I have read and heard say a cow or heifer with curly hair is usually no good for a brood cow?? Any experiences, or ideas if all the rest looks okay?

I've never heard that, but that doesn't mean that it may not hold some truth.

Some of my best heifers, and later cows, are very curly headed. As a matter of fact one of them is named Curly (only 4 out of 35 have names, as do my two bulls).

If I were a betting man, I would have bet that curly hair on a cow would make her more fertile, as is the case in bulls.
http://www.bovineengineering.com/NL_fertile_bull.html


On the other hand I'm sure someone, with superior bovine intellect, will later say that it is a masculine trait, and to avoid it, I've not found that to be the case in my herd. Just my experience FWIW. I raise Charolais.

Trey

 

[Alan]

A small amount of Polled Hereford have a defect that cause hair loss and or curly hair. But in general I would say the there is no problem with curly haired cattle.

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/liv ... 7.htm#HYPO

Alan

 

[randiliana]

I have read something similar to what you are talking about.

Bulls should have darker, curlier and coarser hair than cows. Especially over the neck and crest. It is a sign of fertility, and in bulls a sign of testosterone. Which means, that if a cow were to exhibit the same signs she could have too much testosterone, and be subfertile.

On it's own, I don't think I would worry about curly hair. But if the animal had other signs of being 'bully' I would certainly think she may not make a good brood cow.

 

[KNERSIE]

I have read something similar to what you are talking about.

Bulls should have darker, curlier and coarser hair than cows. Especially over the neck and crest. It is a sign of fertility, and in bulls a sign of testosterone. Which means, that if a cow were to exhibit the same signs she could have too much testosterone, and be subfertile.

On it's own, I don't think I would worry about curly hair. But if the animal had other signs of being 'bully' I would certainly think she may not make a good brood cow.

Randiliana has it spot on.

Tight coarse curls on the forehead is a masculine trait and is coupled with testosterone levels.

Smooth soft silky curls is a feminine trait.

On a side note a harsher curly coat is often an indication of a less adapted animal to its environment and typically those animals will shed its winter coat later than the softer straighter haired cattle. This is a very important trait where ticks and tick borne diseases are a problem.

 

[hrbelgians]

Thanks for the info guys!! Interesting thoughts.
And to clarify her breed, she is out of an angus cow and a Shorthorn Bull???

 

[shorty]

I have a cow which I got as a young heifer over 5 years ago , we named her curly beause of her curly hair , she is expecting her 5th calf in december , she raised up 4 good calves so far , she is one of the calmest easy going cows and a good mother. I'm hoping she'll be here a long time.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

It is also a "breed thing". Some chocolate or grey Simm x Ang will have a tight kinky curl all over - never knew one to be a poor breeder.

 

[grannysoo]

I've got a Black Angus with a hair-do that looks like Elvis. That cow has the most hair on his head I've ever seen. Don't know what it is about him, but he's going to be resting in the freezer come late January.

 

[SkinMan]

An Elvis cow? You have GOT to post a picture of that!!

 

[Brandonm2]

We had several polled Hereford cows back in the late 70s- early 80s that were very curly headed. Even a couple that carried it into the neck and down into the belly hair. It annoyed my Grandfather; but they weren't the least bit bully, unproductive, or infertile and they shedded much of that (except on the face) in the spring. Our cows had numbers; but some of those were distinctive enough that they were "Curly", "Curly White", "Curls", "Curly belt", etc I wish I could tell you the bloodlines (other than they were some sort of Victors) but I apparently was not paying enough attention at the time.

 

[Carnivore]

I have had several shorthorns, and many had longer, thicker curley hair.

 

[Sir Loin]

For many years I’ve heard both about hairy bulls being better and hairy cows making poor cows and I have found no validity to either.
IMO hair texture plays no part in fertility.
SL

 

[TheBullLady]

I've never heard of any correlation either.. interesting! I do know that curly hair is a major PAIN on a show calf! :x

 

[Chuckie]

Is there some kind of comparison to the fact that men with no hair on their chest are sissy's?
Chuckie

 

[Sir Loin]

Chuckie,
Re:

Is there some kind of comparison to the fact that men with no hair on their chest are sissy's?

I don’t know about that but I do know that if you are bald in the front you are a thinker and if you are bald in the back it means you are sexy. And when the two meet it means you only think you’re sexy!
SL

 

[Chuckie]

He-he!!!!!!

 

[msscamp]

I have read and heard say a cow or heifer with curly hair is usually no good for a brood cow?? Any experiences, or ideas if all the rest looks okay?

I'm wondering if what you've read/heard might not be due to what is known as 'rat-tail', because coarse, curly hair is one of the signs. I know it is not desirable, but I have no experience with it so I can't really say why.