Fascinating Farmyard Facts Explained: Do Cows Have Horns?

Bos taurus is the scientific name of a cow, and it is listed in the largest category of Bovinae.

Although cows are common creatures, they are found in different breeds, colors, shapes, and sizes. If we compare the average weight, it weighs only a little less than a small car.

The cow's skin comprises a thin layer of bristle hair, and those who live in the cold climatic regions have long hair. The skin and hair of the cows come in different patterns and differ from one breed to another.

The Holstein pattern is the most common style pattern with irregular white and black stripes with a white stripe around the eyes. There are also reddish-brown patterns instead of black.

The highland cows have long, bushy and reddish-brown hair. The Angus cow has a black stripe from the top to the tail.

There are thousands of different breeds of cows; each has its unique pattern like brown, black, white, gray, and red. Also, some cow breeds have unique features like the Indicus cow breed; it has a hump. With the location of a hump on a cow's back, you can quickly tell to which breed they belong.

If you enjoyed reading this article, then why not read about how many stomachs do cows have and do cows sleep standing up.

Do all cows have horns?

Mainly the word cow refers to different kinds of female animals such as seals, elephants, and whales. But generally, the term cow is popularly used to describe female cattle.

Therefore, you should know that every cow is a female. Well! Cows like bulls grow horns, and it is one of the most important characteristics for both male and female cattle.

A slight difference is that the horn of a cow is smaller than a bull. We hardly notice horns in a cow or bull these days because a farmer removes them for safety purposes.

So all cows are known to grow horns. However, the length and shape of the horns depend on the breed.

For example, the Texas Longhorn cow has its horns grow out straight from the sides of the head and are around three feet long. Surprisingly, the Texas Longhorn cow is known to have its name in the Guinness World Record Book for cattle having the longest horn, around ten feet long.

The Brahman cow has around six feet longhorn grow at the back of its head pointed upwards. The English Longhorn cow is known to grow horns that are curved and pointed downwards.

Do cows have horns or just bulls?

It is needless to say that every animal has its reason to evolve in the way they are today. The characteristics present in every animal are due to some reason.

Horns protect the cattle from predators. Cattles have horns, and they are there to defend themselves against their predators. Nowadays, as humans have started domesticating them, they have decided to remove the horns for safety purposes.

So, whether the cows grow horns or only bulls do? Many people sometimes get confused that the horns on the cattle are based on gender and that only the male cattle or bulls grow horns.

We are here to get the help you get rid of your confusion and answer the main question of whether the cows are known to have horns or not?

Well! Horns grow in both males and females. Sometimes, it is not possible to point out whether it is a cow or a bull by simply looking at their face because both cow and bull have the same size and horns.

You have to look under the belly to tell for sure. As udders are only visible in female cattle, so you can tell it is a cow. The steers are castrated males, and the intact male is distinguished as a bull.

Sometimes, some cattle are not born with horns naturally; this is a genetic trait referred to as naturally polled. This trait might be passed down to the offspring.

On the farms, also you might see some cows without horns; actually, their horns are removed by a farmer when they are young so that they don't grow. The adult cows without horns are cut or blunted so that no injury is caused.

What type of cows has horns?

Horn is a genetic trait acquired after years of evolution. We have already mentioned above that horns are found in both male and female cattle. However, as we know that naturally polled cows don't have horns, we would like to help you identify some of the different types of cattle with horns.

Some female cows with horns are Jersey's, Guernsey, Holstein-Friesian, Santa Gertrudis, Shorthorn, and Ayrshire. The horns start growing right after the calf is born.

The Holstein-Friesian beef breeds are from the Dutch province of Northern Holland and Friesland. They are large and have a black and white pattern body. Famous for the highest production of milk around the world.

The Jersey dairy cows are native to Jersey, which is one of the British Channel Islands. They are average size, and their horns are short and are found in various colors, and they produce ten times more milk per lactation than their body weight.

The Shorthorn beef breeds are also horned and are known as Durham. The breeding is mainly done for dairy purposes in northeast England during the late 18th century.

Guernsey is a dairy-breed cattle and has its name after one of the Channel Islands. They have short horns and are famous for producing golden-yellow colored milk, which is rich in protein.

Santa Gertrudis beef breeds are deep red-colored. They are a crossbreed of Brahman bulls and Shorthorn cows, developed on the King Ranch in south Texas during the 20th century.

Ayrshire dairy cows are horned and are native to the British Isles. With stunning white and red stripes, these are the only dairy beef breed cows that can produce a large quantity of milk.

Why do they cut horns off cows?

Horn is the genetic trait of both cows and bulls. Although, the horns are a bit smaller than the bulls.

However, we rarely see horns in cows nowadays; this is because a farmer removes the horns for many reasons. In fact, in many farms, the horn of the calves are removed right after they are born, when they age for a few weeks. Horns are removed, so they never grow.

The main reason a farmer removes the horn of the dairy cows is to protect the people working on the farm to protect them as they might hurt them with their horns.

Secondly, cows often fight with each other, and their horns act as a weapon, so to avoid hurting each other, the farmers thought it to be a better solution to cut the horns.

Their fights can be severe and might end up blood-killing each other. Therefore, to avoid any unwanted incidents, farmers cut them.

Another reason is that the cows often got stuck in the fences and feed gates with their horns. It might lead to a more panicking scenario on a farm and hence severe damage. Also, you will be surprised to know that the cost of hornless is more than the horned ones.

The process of cutting the cows' horns is known as dehorning, and it is performed when the calf's age is only two months. The horn bud is burned to prevent it from growing. Or some farmers adopt the polled method.

As you see, dehorning the cow is very important, and it is a necessary procedure on a farm. The farmers do not have any ill-will but for safety reasons and avoid blood loss.

Do Jersey cows have horns?

The Jersey cattle is a small cattle breed. The main reason for breeding them is for the production of large quantities of milk. Jersey is well-known for its rich milk and high butterfat content. Surprisingly, it is the second-largest dairy cow breed in the world. Farming them can help you lead a good life.

All the dairy farming cows have horned genes. However, only some cattle carry the polled gene and thus do not have any horns. Currently, more farmers are using the polled gene sires to produce the calves without any horns.

So, all Jersey cows, like other cow breeds, are horned. The only exception is that they should be a crossbreed, and the other half is a polled animal. The result is a calf without any horn as the polled gene is dominant.

Why are cattle dehorned and is it painful?

Dehorning is the procedure that involves removing the horns of a calf. The main reason, as mentioned earlier, is to avoid any unwanted incidents on a farm. The horn bud is removed from the calf's head when they are two months old when the horns have not yet been attached to the skull. This procedure is called disbudding.

A farmer usually performs dehorning of cattle to keep the herd safe and avoid any unwanted incidents on their farm, like harming farmers, avoiding injuring each other, and avoiding getting stuck on the fences. Also, without horns, the herd of cattle can be kept in a small space.

Cattle farming is an important source of livelihood, so the cattle's herd dehorning is undergone to keep them safe. The horns never grow again throughout their life.

Dehorning and disbudding are usually done by a farmer or farm contractor without any pain reliever or anesthesia, and the result is somewhat disheartening. Dehorning and disbudding are very painful, and the calf suffers from acute pain.

In dehorning, a piece of equipment is used to cut the bone or horn tissue. If the calf is in its conscious state, the process is more painful for them.

Studies have revealed that in calves whose horns were cut without any pain-relieving component or anesthesia, the appetite of the calves was found to be reduced for two weeks. Also, the agony goes on for many days.

The dairy industry has been advised to use local anesthesia when the calf is a few weeks old to lessen the pain while disbudding. Heat cauterization, also known as thermal budding or hot iron, is performed as soon as the horn bud appears. It is better to perform disbudding rather than dehorning adult calves to avoid more pain.

Ethics Of Dehorning Cows

Horns are natural in both males and females. As in the case of dairy cattle, it is a well-known procedure to remove the calves' horns right after a few weeks after their birth. It is done by dehorning or disbudding. To understand the process, let's first define the two terms.

Dehorning is removing the horns of the adult calf after the horn has already grown from the bud. In disbudding, horns are removed right after few weeks after their birth.

The animal welfare society often uses the word ethical to discuss whether removing horns is good or bad. Some debate it to be wrong as it is painful for the animal. However, so does vaccination, it is painful, but it protects your body from harmful diseases.

Similarly, just like a vaccine dehorning should be considered beneficial as it prevents injuries to their companions. Based on a survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association, cattle without horns are less likely to attack each other and suffers less bruising in their udders, eyes, flanks, and body.

Dehorning not only benefits the animal itself but as a whole to all the other animals with whom it comes across and the humans who look after them.

The dehorning method then becomes an ethics issue. There are different ways to dehorn a cattle-like hand saw dehorning in adult cattle and caustic paste disbudding in calves. The pain caused by these two methods varies immensely.

Some dairy farming farmers also use a hot iron to disbud the calf horn, while some use Guillotine or Barnes to dishorn the calves. Both of these methods justify the definition of ethics as both follow proper methods of conduct.

However, although they are following the proper code of conduct doesn't mean they are morally acceptable. They can change over time, as discussed in the animal welfare debate.

In 2014, based on a survey, around 22% of the dairy farmers dehorned their calves when they were two to six months old, and ten percent of the farmers dehorned their calves when they were six months old.

In 2016, according to a survey, it was found that 64% of the farmers used professional dehorning and disbudding methods and that pain-relieving component was given.

The polled method does not cause any pain. About nine percent used the polled gene method to produce hornless cows.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do cows have horns? Then why not take a look at do cows cry? or Cow Facts.