loosing outside of horn?

opportunity · #1 10/04/13, 09:44 PM

Three years ago I had a bull calf break off the outside of his horn it looked horrible but started growing again and he was just lopsided. It was about 4 inches long when he lost it. Then this last year I had a heifer do the same thing not any of the same bloodlines different pasture. Last week I had a 6 month old heifer loose hers then the other one lost hers today. They have all been the left horn no relation in the cattle other then they are highlands. I have a good vaccination program and minerals always out and they are for my area (had cows tested and then figured out with the feed store and vet what I needed). I was at the Vet when we noticed the last one lost her horn and was in the trailer so I assume she hit it somehow but the others all were in pastures. The vet has no idea what is going on with the horns. I have has Holsteins, jersey and highland crosses in the past few years at least 15 other animals with no unusually horn problems. It seems odd to me that they would be that likely to break off.

**gone-a-milkin** · #2 10/04/13, 09:48 PM

With that many, I would guess there is some head swinging going on out there.
Maybe a bossy cow is pushing the younger ones around?
They can really hit eachother HARD sometimes.

opportunity · #3 10/07/13, 10:46 PM

Not sure about bossy cows if it is I have at least three that are mean do to who was in with who when it happened.

agmantoo · #4 10/10/13, 09:58 AM

The 3 ornery animals would join the polled group or get a free one way trip if they were on my place. Bad habits are learned from other companion animals. Years back I had a cow that would head for the woods as soon as I entered the pasture. Her heifer calf developed the same habit and I was going to send the calf to market. When I got the heifer in the corral she did an Olympic jump and cleared the entire enclosure and the momma cow joined her and both headed for the hills. Hours later I managed to get the cow and calf back in the corral and the calf in a headgate. When the trailer arrived I loaded both for market. It was a learning experience for me and I learned there are too many complications in life to put up with a problem animal. Over time I depopulated the herd of such difficult animals and I now have a group of mild docile cattle.

opportunity · #5 10/11/13, 10:28 AM

As far as I know mine are all docile many are halter broke most can be hand feed and I have not seen any fighting (not to say it doesn't happen). I cull anything that is wild or hard to deal with if the want to be nutty they are gone from the herd. I usually keep them in groups of 5-10 on pastures with about one animal per acre so they have space.