Hair shedding and why it is important

[Dusty Britches]

When I bought my Hereford bull, the owners of Atlas Farms said to cull any heifer that doesn't shed her coat early and recommended reading Man Must Measure by Dr. Jan Bonsma. Unfortunately, I cannot find a print version of his book, but I'm curious, why focus on early hair shedding? Today I came across this article: https://www.drovers.com/news/beef-production/increase-adaptability-through-use-hair-shedding-epds but it doesn't really get into how to score hair shedding or really explain how it relates to increased adaptability. Thankfully, I saw Jeanne - Simme Valley's thread on the data collection that U of Missouri was doing and a short write up on how to score.

But, what benefits are there? Isn't hair shedding also a function of the overall health of an animal? If they are not healthy, they retain their winter coats longer? What other characteristics will early shedding indicate on cattle?

 

[Rafter S]

Cattle with a worm problem will often be late to shed their winter hair. That's the only thing I'm aware of.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Some genetics just naturally have a thicker/longer hair coat. They 'shed', but they grow back a good amount of hair. This is great for up here, but not so good with Texas or South weather. I can see it in my own herd with the same breed.
But, IMO, black hide would be worse for the cattle in the heat than their hair.

 

[Ky hills]

There are some individuals that shed of slick and early and some that don't shed off till late and some that never seem to fully shed.
It's been something I've took notice of more in recent years. Our summers are fairly hot and humid but not as much so as areas further south, although with our fescue based pastures, I figure our cattle should have hair and shedding qualities similar to those further south.
I had a BWF cow that was bought as heifer that had a long heavy almost wool looking hair coat. She spent the summers in the pond. She didn't get bred on schedule and was culled.

 

[BFE]

There are some individuals that shed of slick and early and some that don't shed off till late and some that never seem to fully shed.
It's been something I've took notice of more in recent years. Our summers are fairly hot and humid but not as much so as areas further south, although with our fescue based pastures, I figure our cattle should have hair and shedding qualities similar to those further south.
I had a BWF cow that was bought as heifer that had a long heavy almost wool looking hair coat. She spent the summers in the pond. She didn't get bred on schedule and was culled.

It is very important in fescue country. Slick coat cows handle fescue much better than those with a rough coat. I'ts a big factor in my selection process.

 

[Ebenezer]

Dr. Bonsma said it was tied to glands and hormones. We select for early shedding in both the shedding and the overall function. We have cattle that work very well on KY31 fescue. The problem I have with the AAA and their hair shedding effort is that they do not have a way to tie it to fescue or not. I'm the same way on EPDs - regional or forage based EPDs would be much more helpful. But it also points out the differences that national promoters do not want to block their influence.

 

[Ky hills]

It is very important in fescue country. Slick coat cows handle fescue much better than those with a rough coat. I'ts a big factor in my selection process.

Yes, it's one of my main criteria now..

 

[greybeard]

This is great for up here, but not so good with Texas or South weather.

I thought that's what ponds were for. 30 years and the only color bovine I've ever seen in this pond was a black one.



(Not mine btw. My lease guy's)

 

[Stocker Steve]

Dr. Bonsma said it was tied to glands and hormones. We select for early shedding in both the shedding and the overall function. We have cattle that work very well on KY31 fescue.

We do not have infected fescue, but the shiny heifers also do better on our pastures.

1) Are you only sorting for shedding in the first spring, when they are unbred yearlings?

2) What percent of yearling heifers are culled for later shedding in your herd?

3) Do you see some that do not shed early after they have their first calf?

 

[Ebenezer]

We do not have infected fescue, but the shiny heifers also do better on our pastures.

1) Are you only sorting for shedding in the first spring, when they are unbred yearlings?

2) What percent of yearling heifers are culled for later shedding in your herd?

3) Do you see some that do not shed early after they have their first calf?

Shedding is best identified in cows over 3 YO from what I remember of the MO research. I am an oddball, no doubt, but I use home raised bulls in all but the rare case of one like the Oak Hollow bull which was also a fescue based herd and he and cattle in his pedigree did well. I use few AI bulls and they are old or known to be able to deal with fescue. I've had a few trial AI bulls to sire fuzzballs and the rest of the semsn was tossed.

Weaned calves can be hairy through the first winter but not all do that. Oddball again, I put the heifers in a pasture that was tested for fungus and had very high % fungus -93% from memory. I let them fail ASAP on breeding and that tells me a lot more than hair. That might be one to three some years but not that many. All are short hair to slick in the spring and summer. We have built from a farm base long enough that we do not have long hair in any of them. I had one cow that was 16 and sold this year due to age. She was the only daughter I ever had that was worth a toot from a trial of an old Select Sires bull. She always did well but always had a light brown fuzz. Her calves were all slick and useful.

 

[Dusty Britches]

Some genetics just naturally have a thicker/longer hair coat. They 'shed', but they grow back a good amount of hair. This is great for up here, but not so good with Texas or South weather. I can see it in my own herd with the same breed.
But, IMO, black hide would be worse for the cattle in the heat than their hair.

In my area that's about 95% of what cattlemen use and have. My neighbor runs purebred non-registered, black Angus, but the majority of the rest of us are running Brangus cows or Brahman crosses. I'd say the second most common foundation breed is Brahman - grey and reds. If we were in the Gulf grasslands, I'd probably run Brahmans, too. The mosquitoes there swarm in masses that are made of nightmares (bad enough to shut down oil drilling rigs). My Brangus cows will outperform the Angus any day of the week. When it gets hot, they lay up in the shade and change to grazing at night and mornings. Generally in August and September by 10 am they are back in the shade.

Back to the topic - The Brangus are slick by the time temps are getting to the 70's, which is mostly late March. My Hereford bull sheds out by March as well.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Shedding is best identified in cows over 3 YO from what I remember of the MO research.

So you sort yearling heifers based on breed up, and then sort again at 3 YO for hair?

 

[Ebenezer]

So you sort yearling heifers based on breed up, and then sort again at 3 YO for hair?

I was referring to the MO hair study about the 3 YO cattle. That was their take on it and they did not get a lot of positive correlations on younger cattle. It has been a while since I read that article. Others might have read it more recently and can be more informed. Most of the time I know, going in, if a AI bull will sire proper hair. The herd also has that as a base requirement. There have been a few that were said to be useful, I never saw daughters or calves prior and I learned not to do that again. I have not actually culled an animal for hair problems in likely 8 years. I remember the last one that tricked me and that semen got chunked out ASAP. Just to give a glimpse - our calving seasons in the past 2 years lasted 45 and 47 days. This is on stockpiled fescue for winter, greened up fescue for spring breeding and we shift to C4s and fescue mix for summer. The chances for the cattle to get to a pond is minimal. I am confident in the functionality of our cattle.