How to Identify Horned, Scurred and Polled Cattle

Study the characteristics and differences of each type of cattle. The following process will explain each identification strategy.

Observe the characteristic of horns in cattle. Horns are probably the most obvious and well-known characteristic of all bovines. All cattle are capable of having horns and it is not a sex-linked trait or a trait only meant for bulls or steers to have. The poll is flat and the horns of a bovine are found on opposite sides of an animal's head, immediately above the ears and point outwards, upwards or downwards on either side of the head. They are made of keratin and bone and are filled with blood vessels, and stay with a bovine throughout its life, unless they are removed manually or are broken off from getting a horn stuck somewhere where it cannot be removed without removing the horn itself.

• The way horns grow ultimately depends on the breed. Horns that grow outward then curve up is a characteristic typically found in most to all European/British breeds such as Texas Longhorn, Florida Cracker/Pineywoods, Corriente and Scottish Highland cattle breeds. English Longhorn is the only breed that have the horns of cattle growing downwards. With the majority of the Bos indicus breeds though, like that of Brahman cattle, horns point out and up. A large number of African Bos Taurus breeds such as Ankole cattle also have their horns pointing more up than out.
• Almost all cattle breeds in the world are naturally horned. Those that are not naturally horned will be mentioned further on below.
  • Animals that have had their horns removed are still considered horned, not polled.
    • Dehorned cattle are cattle which have had their horns removed, usually a few days after birth or around or after being weaned. Proper dehorning removes the entire horn and the horn bud right to the skull, leaving a circular bare patch above the ears. Dehorned cattle should never be considered polled, especially from a genetics point of view. Dehorned cattle typically have a flat-looking poll, unlike that of truly polled cattle, described below.

Understand the characteristic of "scurred", found in some cattle. Scurred is a characteristic that can be present in cattle that have been selected to be polled but are historically known to be horned. Scurred is a term describing the soft incomplete buds that would otherwise develop into bony horns. These buds are typically soft and loose or malleable on a bovine's head.

• The scurred trait can be found in any breed that comprises both polled and horned cattle, but has also been known to crop up in naturally polled breeds, especially like that in Angus or Red Angus cattle. Other breeds that scurs can occur in are:
  • Charolais
  • Hereford
  • Maine Anjou
  • Simmental
  • Shorthorn
  • Gelbvieh
  • Braunvieh
  • Tarentaise
  • Holstein
  • Brown Swiss
  • Jersey.

Understand what polled cattle are. Polled cattle have absolutely no horns, nor scurs nor bare spaces where a pair of horns may have been, whatsoever. The best way to tell is if a cow, bull, steer or heifer is polled is by looking at the poll, itself located just above and between the ears. If it forms some sort of peak, then the animal is indeed polled, not horned, scurred or dehorned.

• Many cattle breeds that are being used for commercial beef and dairy which have been historically horned also have cattle which are polled. This includes all breeds listed above, and others not mentioned. Naturally polled breeds, though, do not have both horned and polled cattle. Such breeds include the following:
  • Angus (also known as Black Angus)
  • Red Angus
  • Galloway
  • Belted Galloway
  • Red Poll
  • British White
  • American White Park
  • Speckle Park
  • Brangus
  • Red Brangus
  • Murray Grey.

Memorize the characteristics of each trait.