Both male and female cattle can develop horns, a characteristic primarily influenced by genetics and human management practices.
Factors Determining Horn Presence
Some cattle breeds are naturally “polled,” meaning they are born without horns due to specific genetic traits. Examples include Angus and many strains of Hereford cattle, selectively bred to lack horns. Other breeds are naturally horned, with both sexes developing horns as they mature. The Texas Longhorn and Ankole-Watusi are notable examples, known for their distinct and often expansive horn structures.
Horn presence is largely a breed-specific trait; in horned breeds, both males and females typically grow horns. While the size or shape of horns might sometimes vary between a male and female of the same horned breed, the fundamental presence or absence of horns is determined by their genetic lineage. This differs from other animal species, like deer, where antlers are generally a male-specific characteristic that are shed annually. Cattle horns, unlike antlers, are permanent bony extensions of the skull that are not shed.
Practices such as dehorning and disbudding are common in livestock management. Disbudding involves removing horn-producing cells, known as horn buds, from young calves before they attach to the skull, typically within the first few months of life. Dehorning is the removal of fully formed horns from older calves or adult cattle. These procedures are performed for various reasons, including reducing the risk of injury to other animals and handlers, minimizing bruising and damage to carcasses, improving safety during transport, and allowing for more efficient use of feeding and handling facilities.
Clarifying Cattle Terminology
A “cow” refers to a mature female bovine that has given birth to at least one calf. A “bull” is an intact adult male bovine. Young female cattle that have not yet had a calf are called “heifers.” A “steer” is a male bovine that has been castrated before reaching sexual maturity, typically raised for beef production. An “ox” is generally a castrated male bovine trained and used for draft work, such as pulling carts or plows.
The term “cow” is often used colloquially to refer to any bovine animal, regardless of sex or age. However, this usage is not technically accurate in an agricultural context. Therefore, the phrase “male cows” is a common misunderstanding; these animals are correctly identified as bulls or steers.
The presence or absence of horns applies to all these categories of cattle. Bulls, steers, cows, and heifers can all be naturally horned, naturally polled, or have had their horns removed through dehorning or disbudding. Breed genetics and farm management practices dictate whether any individual animal, regardless of its specific classification, will display horns.