Polled or Horned Hereford Bull

[Mosho]

I want to use a Hereford Bull on my Angus based cows. Any suggestions concerning polled vs. horned?

 

[r and s peckman]

Stay will polled, they will bring you more money.

 

[certherfbeef]

Stay will polled, they will bring you more money.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[MountainFarmChar]

I'm not a Hereford fan but in regards to the polled vs horned let me share my experience.

Though I like polled better (for the obvious reasons) I must say the best all around Charolais momma's I've owned have been the horned ones. I don't keep many and the ones I do have are dehorned but I must say they are the best ones.

Also, I'm finding this board to be more addictive than I thought it would be .

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Stay will polled, they will bring you more money.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

let me add another one there cert :roll: the horned might bring less in the wrong hands. and bad management

 

[bigbull338]

id put the polled hereford on those cows.that way you wont have to dehorn any steers you sale.an the heifers that you keep will be polled.personally im not going to take the time to dehorn the bull calves.unless im going to keep them an raise them for herd bulls.but im yalking reg cattle.so the bull calves wouldnt be steered.they would be sold as bulls.

 

[certherfbeef]

A horned bull will most likely still throw polled calved if those angus are truely angus. I have a horned bull on polled cows and I get polled calves.

 

[Kent]

If you get a GOOD bull, it won't matter. Go shopping. Dehorning is not a bad job, anyway, if done properly. Do it the first time you work your calves (4 months or less) with a heating element type dehorner. It is bloodless, and the intense heat kills the nerve endings quickly, so the calf doesn't hurt much. Get the bull you like.

 

[tlmcr]

I second cert and Kent. You will get polled calves so find the bull you like. I raise Herefords and have both polled and horned. Horned genetics are better for BW and Milk in most cases. Where are you located? Love to talk more about this topic.

 

[NamVet_Farmer44]

I want to use a Hereford Bull on my Angus based cows. Any suggestions concerning polled vs. horned?

They're still herfs, horned or polled aint going to make them a better or worse bull, it doesn't matter if it's horned or polled, just search and find the one that you think will contribute the most to your herd and use him

 

[Cowboymom]

Horns are a recessive gene. Angus are suppose to be polled which is a dominant gene. So if you breed your cow to a horned bull, it should have polled calves. If you breed your polled bull to your angus cows and they are not homozygous polled, you can get horns if the bull has horned blood.

Since we have horned herefords, I have heard a whole bunch on the subject of horned versus polled. Horned bulls aren't suppose to fight as hard as polled bulls because they get their horns sore and stay away from each other. It is also said that horned bulls will not "buddy up". Polled bulls you shouldn't have to dehorn, but if you tag your calves when they are born, you can use dehorning paste and the horns are history.

The most important thing is that you get the best individual you can find for the money that you have to spend. Also, it is important to get a bull that has been vaccinated for the diseases that you have in your area. It also depends on what kind of country you are going to run them in. You really don't want to turn a bull that has been highly fed out on tough country, the "hot house flowers" will soon fade. Reputation is everything.

Ask to look at the cowherd. That is most important of all, especially if you are going to keep your heifers. Herefords are known as a "maternal breed" so if you are going to sell all your heifers, you might want to get a bull of a "terminal breed". EPD's are worth looking at, but like I was told a long time ago, "EPD's won't help you sell a good bull, but bad EPD's can help you not sell a good bull". EPD's rely on information turned in, some families do not have much information and they are perfectly good cattle, they just don't have high numbers.

Temperment is very important also. There are different families that are known for being more docile than others. There is no bull alive worth getting someone hurt over.

If you use horses, ask if the bulls have been worked horseback. It isn't fun to be faced off by a bull that has never seen a horse. That isn't a deal breaker for us but if go to a place and don't see any horses around and a bunch of ATVs, be careful.

It is kind of like asking if you should marry a blonde or brunette. Depends what they look like and what you are looking for. We still keep our horns on our cows and don't slope our bulls' horns! They are "Horned" Herefords, not bulls have horns and cows don't!! I know, we are inbred nitwits. We even still horn brand our cows and bulls, we ear tag but we don't know each one personally so we have them identified.

Too bad is isn't the 1940's, I would have a great resume~ I know how to horn weight right, can read horn irons from the back, can fix a sickle mower, just a whole lot of things that most people don't do anymore!LOL!

 

[Aaron]

Go with Horned. There is no comparison between the breeds except colour. Dehorning is not that big a deal. Either paste them as calves, or use barnes-type dehorners (I like the barnes because it is quick and easy, can process a calf in about a minute and a 1/2). Lop, Lop and a little pine tar to cover the stumps up...don't even worry about bleeding, it will stop on its own. I can't take the polled herefords anymore, they just can't keep the consistency in them. I will be going out to Calgary in March to pick up a Horned Hereford for the herd, after seeing for a number of years what Horned Herefords have done for some of my neighbours, and the continual consistency I keep seeing in them across North America.

In simple terms, Polled Herefords follow every trend possible in the world. Start at 1900 and just go from there. Real big, then medium functional cattle, then real small, then super small, then good size, then gigantic, then moderate and chasing after the fastest growth rates/EPD's in the best package. During this time, milk flow, prolapses, birth weights etc. etc. rates all fluctuated.

Now compare this to the Horned Herefords which have basically never changed. Compare a horned bull from now and one from the late 50's...there is basically no difference.

 

[la4angus]

personally im not going to take the time to dehorn the bull calves.unless im going to keep them an raise them for herd bulls.but im yalking reg cattle.so the bull calves wouldnt be steered.they would be sold as bulls.

Are all your bull calves going to be herd bull quality.

 

[bigbull338]

no all the bull calves wont be herd bull prospects.but they wont be steered because of that.you have to let the bulls develope.an if you steer them to fast you may lose a good bull calf.i really dont see me raising very few herd bulls off reg cows.for the pure an simple reason if the bull calves arnt good enough they will go to the sale.how meny bulls do you raise off your reg cows.

 

[la4angus]

i really dont see me raising very few herd bulls off reg cows.for the pure an simple reason if the bull calves arnt good enough they will go to the sale.

So Then the cow-calf man can go to the sale barn and buy their cow freshener.

how meny bulls do you raise off your reg cows.

About 12% to 15%

 

[bigbull338]

i really dont see me raising very few herd bulls off reg cows.for the pure an simple reason if the bull calves arnt good enough they will go to the sale.

So Then the cow-calf man can go to the sale barn and buy their cow freshener.

how meny bulls do you raise off your reg cows.

About 12% to 15%

here is what im saying the cull bulls will go to the sale as feeders.now if the sale barn wants to run them in the breeding bull pen thats up to them.but if they not med to top qualty they wont be raised as a herd bull.you have got to have quality bulls the cowman can afford.not have them over priced.less i miss my guess you sale bulls from $1500 to $3000 a hd.

 

[Beef11]

Now compare this to the Horned Herefords which have basically never changed. Compare a horned bull from now and one from the late 50's...there is basically no difference.

I'd hope some improvement had been made in the last half century.

I think herefords are real good cattle, I like the polled and the horned. Can a guy find horned that aren't Line 1 anymore? When they came out they had several Lines didn't they? I like the Polled cattles ability to be so different. It seems its hard to find a horned bull with a bloodline other than Line 1.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

i really dont see me raising very few herd bulls off reg cows.for the pure an simple reason if the bull calves arnt good enough they will go to the sale.

So Then the cow-calf man can go to the sale barn and buy their cow freshener.

how meny bulls do you raise off your reg cows.

About 12% to 15%

here is what im saying the cull bulls will go to the sale as feeders.now if the sale barn wants to run them in the breeding bull pen thats up to them.but if they not med to top qualty they wont be raised as a herd bull.you have got to have quality bulls the cowman can afford.not have them over priced.less i miss my guess you sale bulls from $1500 to $3000 a hd.

this is bad business if a man buys one of those culls it could damage your reputation as a breeder even if you didnt intend for them to wind up as a breeder. they still can slip though the cracks and wind up on a farm . i would band those culls if i were you for your own protection

 

[Beef11]

If they aren't breeding quality why would you not cut them?

 

[Aaron]

Now compare this to the Horned Herefords which have basically never changed. Compare a horned bull from now and one from the late 50's...there is basically no difference.

I'd hope some improvement had been made in the last half century.

I think herefords are real good cattle, I like the polled and the horned. Can a guy find horned that aren't Line 1 anymore? When they came out they had several Lines didn't they? I like the Polled cattles ability to be so different. It seems its hard to find a horned bull with a bloodline other than Line 1.

Oh, there have been improvements in the Horned Herefords, but the improvements have been steady across the board, whereas the Polled get more into the routine of focusing on having a few great traits and letting the rest fall by the wayside (As in the 80's when milk was sacrificed from frame).

The are many different lines in Canada, with the Standard line being a big hit. I really do like the Line 1's for their uniformity and growth, but I am glad that we have a few more lines in Canada.