Black and Good
Well-known member
R V":18ffdi1v said:
Where is he located?
Horned hereford bull vs polled
- Thread starter OvertonAngus
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Where is he located?
Like many have said before there are lots of posts on this subject already if you do a search. We breed polled Herefords, bottom line is like someone else said if you want polled calves there are plenty of good polled bulls out there otherwise if you don't have a preference then ignore the polled or horned status and buy the best Hereford bull you find. The reason we breed polled is we don't like dealing with dehorning. We still get a few horns, most polled cattle will probably have a horn gene somewhere in their pedigree and it will pop up if you match up with just the right bull but we always feel that the best dehorning method is to do it at conception. To say a horned bull is more hardy than a polled bull I think is BS, unfortunately there is still some folks out there that continue to believe the horned bulls are superior to the polled bulls but bottom line is a good bull is a good bull regardless if he's horned or polled.
JHH
Well-known member
SPH":2oqv7bnv said:
Believe what u want. I know here my horned cows require very little babysitting.while the polled are always having a problem.
Horned, I am not a Hereford person but just from phenotype I like the horned over polled, they seem to have more bone and mass.
gizmom
gizmom
http://m.hoffmanranch.com/sires/cattle- ... il/id/7763
http://m.hoffmanranch.com/sires/cattle- ... il/id/6050
http://m.hoffmanranch.com/sires/cattle- ... il/id/6458
Just a few inferior polled Hereford Bulls.
http://m.hoffmanranch.com/sires/cattle- ... il/id/6050
http://m.hoffmanranch.com/sires/cattle- ... il/id/6458
Just a few inferior polled Hereford Bulls.
Aaron
Well-known member
Yup, what he said.[/quote]
Likewise, I am running one of Danny's bulls and would also recommend him as the source of your first Hereford bull.[/quote]
Where is he located?[/quote]
Knifely, KY
PM him if you'd like at MrVictorDomino.
Likewise, I am running one of Danny's bulls and would also recommend him as the source of your first Hereford bull.[/quote]
Where is he located?[/quote]
Knifely, KY
PM him if you'd like at MrVictorDomino.
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
I've used horned bulls in the past, but the best dehorner you can buy is a polled bull..-selection-
cow pollinater
Well-known member
I was going to stay out but that wouldn't be any fun at all...
I got my start cowboying for a ranch that was doing a two way cross of red angus and hereford. There was also a little fleck in the mix on the older cows so they made the decision to switch to polled hereford shortly before I came on board to try to knock the horns off... I hated herefords for a long time after I watched those bulls come crawling out of the mountains skin and bones. We went through bulls of all genetics from suppliers all over the state and got to the point where we ran less cows per bull and gave the hereford bulls the easier country and still had more open cows and skinny bulls.
Fast forward fifteen years and I'm buying horned hereford bulls for myself after watching what they do for my neighbor in country that is quite a bit tougher than where I started. My bulls come out as fat as they go in and they get the job done.
I thought maybe I had just run across a good supplier or herefords had come a long way. Then a neighbor up the road bought some polled bulls and all the old timers told her what was going to happen and she lost one and hauled the other two to the sale within two years.
I realize that it doesn't sound logical to think that there's something about a horn gene that makes cattle sturdier but that is my opinion anyway and it's based on observation.
PLUS the glory of a hereford in todays market is heterosis on a black cow from another english breed. Heterosis is at it's best when the breeds are dissimilar. The study that I remember seeing showed a 1% increase in heterosis between horned hereford vs. polled over angus cows. Horns are more dissimilar than polled over polled.
I got my start cowboying for a ranch that was doing a two way cross of red angus and hereford. There was also a little fleck in the mix on the older cows so they made the decision to switch to polled hereford shortly before I came on board to try to knock the horns off... I hated herefords for a long time after I watched those bulls come crawling out of the mountains skin and bones. We went through bulls of all genetics from suppliers all over the state and got to the point where we ran less cows per bull and gave the hereford bulls the easier country and still had more open cows and skinny bulls.
Fast forward fifteen years and I'm buying horned hereford bulls for myself after watching what they do for my neighbor in country that is quite a bit tougher than where I started. My bulls come out as fat as they go in and they get the job done.
I thought maybe I had just run across a good supplier or herefords had come a long way. Then a neighbor up the road bought some polled bulls and all the old timers told her what was going to happen and she lost one and hauled the other two to the sale within two years.
I realize that it doesn't sound logical to think that there's something about a horn gene that makes cattle sturdier but that is my opinion anyway and it's based on observation.
PLUS the glory of a hereford in todays market is heterosis on a black cow from another english breed. Heterosis is at it's best when the breeds are dissimilar. The study that I remember seeing showed a 1% increase in heterosis between horned hereford vs. polled over angus cows. Horns are more dissimilar than polled over polled.
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
cow pollinater":gnr9gh5w said:
cow pollinater":34ahv9vm said:
Would love to see some photos of your bulls in your environment. I have a house in McKinleyville and am familiar with CA cattle.
My motto is use whatever works and don't see the need to have a dog in this hunt.
I have seen both polled and horned fall apart here...but in our area Hereford people LOVE the semen stud of the month breeding strategy. The large framed giants that seem to be the standard for the semen outfits never make it on pasture in the heat and humidity.
Would have to disagree that heterosis is the big thing the feeders and packers are looking for, but we are in different locations.
jedstivers
Well-known member
I like the horned in this environment.
In the right place with the right genetics polled are fine, look at Jims for proof of that.
I bought a horned out of Wagon Mound NM sight unseen. Wish I had another one. I don't know if he was in mountains, plains or dessert but I do know he had to change environments to come to the Delta in May just in time for the heat, humidity and bugs. He never missed a beat or lost condition.
In the right place with the right genetics polled are fine, look at Jims for proof of that.
I bought a horned out of Wagon Mound NM sight unseen. Wish I had another one. I don't know if he was in mountains, plains or dessert but I do know he had to change environments to come to the Delta in May just in time for the heat, humidity and bugs. He never missed a beat or lost condition.
