It is a common belief that only male cattle, or bulls, possess horns. However, this understanding is more complex than a simple distinction between sexes. The presence or absence of horns in cattle is influenced by several factors, including genetics, breed, and human intervention.
Horn Presence in Cattle
Both male and female cattle can naturally grow horns; they are not exclusive to bulls. Many cattle breeds, regardless of sex, are naturally horned, meaning they are born with horn buds that develop into full horns as they mature. For instance, breeds such as the Texas Longhorn, known for its impressive horn span, and the shaggy-coated Highland cattle, commonly display horns in both sexes. The Ankole-Watusi is another breed recognized for its large horns, which can reach significant lengths.
Natural Hornless Cattle
Some cattle are naturally hornless, a trait referred to as “polled.” This characteristic is due to specific genetic factors, where the polled gene is dominant over the horned gene. If an animal inherits at least one copy of the polled gene, it will be hornless. This natural hornlessness means that the animal is born without horn buds and will not develop horns throughout its life. Selective breeding programs have increasingly focused on promoting polled genetics in cattle herds, as it offers benefits for management and safety on farms.
Horn Removal Practices
Despite many cattle being naturally horned, a significant number of cattle seen today do not have horns due to common farm practices like dehorning and disbudding. These procedures are performed for practical and safety reasons, reducing the risk of injury to other animals and handlers, minimizing damage to carcasses, and requiring less space during feeding and transport. Disbudding involves destroying horn buds in very young calves before they attach to the skull, making it less invasive than dehorning. Dehorning refers to the removal of established horns from older animals, a more complex procedure often performed when the horn has already fused with the skull.
Understanding Horn Growth
Cattle horns are permanent structures composed of a bony core covered by a layer of keratin, the same protein found in human fingernails. Unlike antlers, which are shed and regrown annually by animals like deer, horns grow continuously throughout a cow’s life. The horn bud initially floats in the skin above the skull, but by around 8 weeks of age, it fuses to the frontal bone. As the animal matures, a sinus cavity extends into the horn’s hollow core, which continues to grow. The extinct wild ancestor of domestic cattle, the aurochs, also had large horns.