Horned Herefords

[greenwillowherefords]

Lims might actually be a newer problem, the suspicion is to get red necks.

Polled Herefords will dehorn. Someone looking for a show fad chaser wouldn't care if they were introducing horned genes to the pool or not. Some polled bloodlines have a lot of scurs.....

I honestly want to believe that it is not true, that it never happened.

Other breeds do it on purpose, and even endorse it. You have black this and black that, and purebreds versus fullbloods in some breeds.

There are many, many, good honest Hereford breeders who would never think of intentionally introducing anything else to their herd, Campground at the head of the committee.

We are straying from the real intent of my post, and that is that I don't understand why so many want to exterminate horned Herefords from the face of the earth, when they still have something valuable to bring to the table. The Line One genetic pool for instance, is only beginning to develop a polled branch.

 

[Campground Cattle]

Lims might actually be a newer problem, the suspicion is to get red necks.

Polled Herefords will dehorn. Someone looking for a show fad chaser wouldn't care if they were introducing horned genes to the pool or not. Some polled bloodlines have a lot of scurs.....

I honestly want to believe that it is not true, that it never happened.

Other breeds do it on purpose, and even endorse it. You have black this and black that, and purebreds versus fullbloods in some breeds.

There are many, many, good honest Hereford breeders who would never think of intentionally introducing anything else to their herd, Campground at the head of the committee.

We are straying from the real intent of my post, and that is that I don't understand why so many want to exterminate horned Herefords from the face of the earth, when they still have something valuable to bring to the table. The Line One genetic pool for instance, is only beginning to develop a polled branch.

If I didn't run polled I would run horns I am a hereford man all the way I like both, prefer polled.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

I kinda like the idea of cattle that ain't gonna horn me in the butt when my backs turned :lol:

 

[greenwillowherefords]

If I didn't run polled I would run horns I am a hereford man all the way I like both, prefer polled.[/quote]

Well said.

 

[greenwillowherefords]

I kinda like the idea of cattle that ain't gonna horn me in the butt when my backs turned :lol:

I have owned horned Herefords, and never had this happen to me. I gave my horned bull his vaccinations one year not even in a chute, free-standing.

 

[Craig-TX]

I'll have to agree with the last posts. Horned look better but I do enjoy the thought of being able to be banged up instead of gored. Hereford is still my favorite. I love the looks of the 'old' champions, squatty and 'blocky' as they used to say. That's what makes for a good steak.

Craig-TX

 

[greenwillowherefords]

I'll have to agree with the last posts. Horned look better but I do enjoy the thought of being able to be banged up instead of gored. Hereford is still my favorite. I love the looks of the 'old' champions, squatty and 'blocky' as they used to say. That's what makes for a good steak.

Craig-TX

Has anyone ever used paste? I have some, never used it yet.

 

[Copenhagen & Shiner B]

I kinda like the idea of cattle that ain't gonna horn me in the butt when my backs turned :lol:

LOL, my Polled Hereford bull has gotten into the habit of comin' up behind me and knockin' the bucket of range cubes out of my hand. I would like to try a horned Hereford bull, but the closest breeder is over 300 miles away and Polled Hereford breeders are plentiful here.

 

[greenwillowherefords]

I kinda like the idea of cattle that ain't gonna horn me in the butt when my backs turned :lol:

LOL, my Polled Hereford bull has gotten into the habit of comin' up behind me and knockin' the bucket of range cubes out of my hand. I would like to try a horned Hereford bull, but the closest breeder is over 300 miles away and Polled Hereford breeders are plentiful here.

Some breeders offer nearly free delivery when they are delivering more than one bull to your area, or are passing through en route to another destination. Ever thought about AIing a few to see how it turned out? Good luck.

 

[Ryder]

I kinda like the idea of cattle that ain't gonna horn me in the butt when my backs turned :lol:

I have owned horned Herefords, and never had this happen to me. I gave my horned bull his vaccinations one year not even in a chute, free-standing.

I have. Not a bull but a heifer. I bought two of them and they both seemed gentle enough loading. Got them home and unloaded and one of them went mad crazy. She didn't get a chance to actually hook me, but she sure tried to get me and two men I had to get to help me pen her and load her back up.

It was not because she was a Hereford. It was just that individual. I think you can get a bad one in any breed.

 

[dun]

My problem with horns isn't the intentional use of them to stick someone, it's the accidental jostling that can happen when you're working them on foot in a crowding/gathering pen.
But the neighbor had a Holstein bull with horns that was never mean, but would stick the end of the horn right square in my butt to encourage me to walk a little faster when I was graining them. Very unpleasent.

dun

 

[Craig-TX]

I kinda like the idea of cattle that ain't gonna horn me in the butt when my backs turned :lol:

LOL, my Polled Hereford bull has gotten into the habit of comin' up behind me and knockin' the bucket of range cubes out of my hand. I would like to try a horned Hereford bull, but the closest breeder is over 300 miles away and Polled Hereford breeders are plentiful here.

Cope, you might want to break him of that habit. One of these days he's liable to be a little irritated, swing his head and knock you into next week. You might consider carrying a club, cane, fence stay, something. Crack his nose any time he gets close enough to stick it in the bucket. He'll get the message to keep his distance.

Like Dun said, often times they're not really coming after you. It's easy to get knocked or stepped on when they but each other into you. Different motivation, same result. That's also caused many a dent in pasture trucks.

Craig-TX

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Understand the suspicion and extra caution of some who have had questionable experiences around horned cattle. Horns CAN kill as CAN heads without horns...let's not forget "cow-kicking"!

We don't have any problem with working our Longhorns. We know their personalities, their short flight zone, and work with them. Never crowd too many in a pen...know which ones "live to eat" and don't get "feed bucket" too close.

Our feeding activities are geared to their behavior. Move them to adjoining area when we put round bale out. Some will wait while you put cubes out; others won't. Feed dominant Longhorns first and on down their pecking order when passing out cubes. Scatter some cubes away from the gate...let them go for those cubes while we put rest of cubes out in another spot. Calves are no problem...they have learned to wait till any cubes or supplements are put in their trough.

Any animal can hurt you, regardless of breed or size. Know your specific animals and work around them and their behaviors. As John Lyons has said... (more or less):

"I can't get hurt...my horse (or cattle) can't get hurt...and we're both calmer after the lesson..."

 

[Copenhagen & Shiner B]

I have recieved the horn from one of Longhorns before and I was lucky thatit was at the right angle and just knocked me down.

 

[Alan]

It gives you a genetic jump on your polled Hereford cows

.

Greenwillow would you, or someone, please explain what you mean by a genetic jump? What kind of genetic jump, to what benifits?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[ollie]

I'll have to agree with the last posts. Horned look better but I do enjoy the thought of being able to be banged up instead of gored. Hereford is still my favorite. I love the looks of the 'old' champions, squatty and 'blocky' as they used to say. That's what makes for a good steak.

Craig-TX

Has anyone ever used paste? I have some, never used it yet.

GWH, I ment to answer this the other day and forgot. Acid paste is wonderful.Ocassionally I make a unicorn out of one accidentally but other than that I love it. I have a very neat invention I have come up with I think on my own. It's been so long I may have heard it somewhere anyway when you paste the horn buds good tear off about 18 inches of duct tape and put this over the pasted horns till it almost meets under their chin like a bonnet. Cows cant lick it off and the calf cant get any paste on the cows udder. When I am using a horned bull my calves are all running around with these silver bonnets on like aliens. The tape comes off in a couple of weeks .
Works great.

 

[certherfbeef]

Acid paste is wonderful.

Is that the brother that Caustic mentioned?

 

[greenwillowherefords]

It gives you a genetic jump on your polled Hereford cows

.

Greenwillow would you, or someone, please explain what you mean by a genetic jump? What kind of genetic jump, to what benifits?

Thanks,
Alan

Sorry I was gone so long and didn't find your post. I think I've already addressed it on the other thread, but when you cross two breeds, you get a hybrid vigor, a genetic jump. When you cross two bloodlines within a breed, you get something similar if they are very far removed from common parentage. Line-bred animals really deliver this when outcrossed. A line-bred animal's true potential is not realized until an outcross calf is produced, as the close breeding slows down growth gains.

 

[Abby]

Just tuned in and saw the discussion on horned herefords. I'd like to interject my opinion, the use of a horned hereford bull on an angus/ polled hereford herd is that if you have enough pasture room have 2 bulls one hereford and one angus run the angus on angus and hereford on hereford for 30 days then switch, keep the best heifers for replacements of the pure bloods then use the crossbreds for terminal use (sell as feeders or retain for sale as fats) you then have the best or both worlds. This is what I have always wanted to do but don't have the land, resources, or guts (to borrow enough ) to do this kind of expansion, so I keep plugging away with my horned herefords. As to horns with running a horned bull on this herd, if you have a sound (not adulaterated) polled herefords, and angus herd you will have no horns on the black calves and very few on the herefords and those will probably show up as scurrs. For those who like horned herefords but not the horns try this. I give my calves on the day after they are born they get shots, they get a tatoo in both ears, and tag in one, ther hair is clipped around the horn button, and a dab of dehorn paste about the size of a quarter is applied I usually keep the calf and mama in for 12 to 24 hours depending on the weather and how much room I need, if the weather is nice I kick them out right away if both are doing well. If you look at my herd there is a couple of knots out there but the rest you would say are polled, that how good it works. I have had the best results from Dr. Naylors dehorning paste. I have talked with other breeders and they recomend on of these either rechargeable electric or gas powered dehorners. Good luck with your dehorning. One last thing I would like to ask others opinions on and that is the increasing use of bulls of what I call brockle faced. Pigment is good but when there is a ring of red hair 1 to 4 inches around the eye this is a brockle faced cross bred. I'm sorry but it is. Your opinions and discussion would be appricated

 

[greenwillowherefords]

Someone the other day said they would like to try a horned Hereford bull, but there was no one near who sold them. Largent and Sons of Kaycee, Wyoming is not near you in the south, but they have been in business since 1902, have good carcass and growth cattle, advertising one customer that produced straight Hereford steers that went 84% Choice. They are advertising free delivery in the continental U.S. and a two year guarantee. Their ad in Hereford America is on page 9. Phone # (307)738-2443.
I don't like too large patches around the eyes either, regarding the last post.