Teenagers embarrasing question re horns

[greggy]

Hi

Was asked a question by a teen...and was stumped.

Greggy, is that one growing horns ?

Should all be polled, but hey, instead of angus maybe is short horn.

This is one with ringworm, and hair is missing in various spots on head.

But that had me thinking, at what age do calves that will develop horns start to show, or, grow them ?

Sheep it is clear after not that long.

I have a Herefird heifer too that you can feel nubs on, cant see them cause all is white, she is prob 3 month, and has a much squarer head and snout compared to others, which are more angus like....but nil are angus x.

 

[Aaron]

Right from birth. Horned calves have two little hair twists on top of the head marking where the little buds are.

 

[Silver]

I paste every calf I can find evidence of horns on at birth. Some horns are quite advanced, some you feel for and can't find anything to put paste on only to see quite a set growing out 6 months later.

 

[gcreekrch]

Burn them off with a horn iron at less than 60 days. Done properly they will never return.

 

[Silver]

Or catch the ones missed with paste at branding time as yrlgs using ob wire.

 

[regolith]

Can see them pretty clear at 2 - 3 months old, but they're all different.

 

[greggy]

Got her a bit closer today, did not notice hair, but the nubs are very soft......is she about to pop a horn ?

 

[Silver]

If there are nubs they will become horns.

 

[Lucky_P]

Scurs are a possibility... I've seen them range in size from flat little things smaller than my pinky fingernail to big, full-grown 'horns' that flop around because they have no bony core... they're strictly a skin growth.
Scurs are genetically determined separate from the horn gene... you don't know the animals are carrying the gene for scurs until you start breeding the horns off with polled animals... in general, males only have to have one copy of the scur gene in order to express them, but females must have two copies in order to express them.
Scurs have been present in the Angus breed since early in its development... there are PURE Angus cattle that carry the scur gene, though I'm certain it's discriminated against. Certainly, crossbred cattle, of any breed makeup - including Angus crossbreds, can express scur growth.

 

[greggy]

I will watch her and see what happens, when I put bare finger on them, you can feel and move the soft area, in sheep, they can have this, but it wont be soft and never get horns.

This young hereford heifer calf was aquired to possibly use to produce baldies.

I only want polled animals, so, if bred to angus later, or a known polled Hereford, would this fix this or at least produce a polled calf ?

Also, so maybe I should do dna, but these are not pedigree animals, do not even know how they will shape up at this point....I will look at dna costs here, I am sitting down

 

[greggy]

And if scurs, then it cannot or will not mean horns down the track ? Or is there a link....

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Scurs can only be expressed on a polled animal. If you dehorn them at birth, it is very difficult to tell if they are horn buds or scurs - at least that is my experience.
Polled gene is dominant. So, they only have to inherit 1 polled gene to be polled, but they might carry the horn gene.
So, "most" Angus are carrying two polled genes (PP) and all their offspring will be polled (PP or Pp).
A polled animal carrying a horned gene (Pp) bred to a Pp animal has a 25% chance of having a horned calf (pp)

 

[greggy]

I am in no rush to do anything about it, so will find out I guess, she is prob 3 month old now, so may just be scurs....

If she shapes up, she will prob go with Angus bull...

This heifer has a squarer skull shape at top between ears, and a squarer face, all my others are more rounded like Angus, not sure if that indicates anything.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yes, we call that a "pallet head" LOL Horned cattle have a flat top.