Polled ?what does it mean

[jd721]

;)Good day folks,my family and I are considering raising a couple of dexters on our 4 acre farm for meat,this website has helped very much thanks to all the folks for the great info.
I have a couple of questions .What vaccines do you recomed,how often and can i do it myself,i grew up aroud a dairy farm and raise my own chickins,so i have some farm exp.also what does polled mean..thx for the help guys,,jim

[Olga]

Hi Jim, welcome. The vaccines depend on your location, so if you want to administer them yourself, you can call the extension service agent or a friendly local vet and ask them what they recommend. Some vaccines will be available at your local feed store, but if you plan on having just a few head, sometimes it's easier to just pick up the individual doses from the vet (you'll have to tell the age and estimated weight of each animal). Most vaccines are administered yearly. It's certainly do-able as long as you have a squeeze shoot or at least a head-gate and you know how to give shots under the skin or into the muscle; shots are usually given in the lower neck area, forward from the shoulder. Polled means naturally hornless. Depending on having one or both genes for polled, the animal will produce 50% or 100% polled offspring. Let us know if you have more questions.

[jd721]

Thankx very much for the info Olga ,do you find the horns dangerous ,i have children 11 yrs old and up that will be helping with the chores,would you purchace polled stock in this case?thx for your time..jim ;D

[copperhead]

Hi Jim, I have horned and polled animals, both. I de-horn my calves because a gentle cow will come around with those horns and "clock" you, without meaning too. Having said that, a lot of people love their horned cattle and would never think about taking the horns off of them. It's really a personel decision, but, I would not call the horns dangerous, but something you do have to watch out for, but.
P.J.