zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
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Post by zephyrhillsusan on Apr 5, 2016 20:23:15 GMT -5
This post is for fun! How many of you find a correlation between the cow's poll hair toward the end of pregnancy and the sex of the calf? Here's a post from KFC about it. For those who aren't familiar with it, the theory is that smooth poll hair indicates a bull calf and rumpled poll hair indicates a heifer. Last year was the first time I ever paid attention and purposely took poll hair photos. I had to go back and look in my old photos to fill in some of these (and correct a goof I made as to which cow was which). In 2013, this was Siobhan's poll hair: She had a heifer, Macree. Last year she sported this look (with a sprinkling of hayseed): Last year she had a bull calf, Remy. Here was Ebby's poll hair last year: She had a bull calf, Seb. Here's Ebby's poll hair this year: And just for fun, here's Ebby's "pole" hair (telephone pole, that is!) I wish I thought Ebby's poll hair looked messier this year than last, but I'm afraid it's just wishful thinking. Anyone want to guess what she'll have? How does poll hair work for you?
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Post by carragheendexters on Apr 5, 2016 20:42:17 GMT -5
I have never noticed what their fringes do. What I have noticed though is that our polled cows don't have a fringe but their hair always lays neat and flat, and it is only our horned cows that have a fringe.
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Post by legendrockranch on Apr 5, 2016 21:17:45 GMT -5
I just went through some of the pictures of my polled girls. For the most part the top of their poll hair is all over the place. Similar to the picture Susan posted of "Ebby's "pole" hair (telephone pole, that is!)" I'll have to pay attention to the last 3 girls I have that will calve soon so see it the poll hair lays flat or stands up and what the sex of the calf is.
Barb
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hoperefuge
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Milking our Dexters in the mountains of KY since 2007
Posts: 101
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Post by hoperefuge on Apr 6, 2016 7:33:52 GMT -5
I'll vote heifer for Ebbs. I find that I need to know what is a normal hair-do for the individual cow, and then it usually works. If they're messy like normal it will be a heifer, and neater/straighter than normal it will be a bull. With some cows, the difference is miniscule. Kim
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Post by karenp on Apr 6, 2016 16:30:53 GMT -5
Lower Delaware
Shortly before she delivered DH commented about how wild her hair looked. He didn't know anything about the poll hair theory, heifer calf.
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zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
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Post by zephyrhillsusan on Apr 6, 2016 22:24:34 GMT -5
Too bad, Ebby tricked me! She delivered a bouncing bull calf today. And bouncing is the word--he was bouncing and bucking all over the pasture by the time he was a half hour old. So I'll pretty much never believe Ebby's poll hair again, the stinker.
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Post by carragheendexters on Apr 6, 2016 22:46:23 GMT -5
Congratulations on your new healthy bouncing boy, she did it intentionally just for you to get your hopes up for a heifer, little stinker
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Post by Pinevalleydexters on Apr 6, 2016 22:52:17 GMT -5
Congrats Susan, on a healthy bull calf! I love how fast they are up and running.
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zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
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Post by zephyrhillsusan on Apr 7, 2016 8:31:17 GMT -5
I think she did, carragheendexters! I decided to call him Royal Pretender (since his sire is Crown Royal). Rather than call him "Tender" for short, I'm calling him "Bucky."
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Post by Pinevalleydexters on Apr 7, 2016 9:29:51 GMT -5
I like his name, I have to keep the calves names short or my DH has a harder time keeping them all straight. Tender would work if he was a steer:( I don't give our steers beef cut names, it seems cruel. Bucky is a good name, as he was up running and bucking so soon.
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Post by Pinevalleydexters on Apr 7, 2016 9:54:22 GMT -5
This Colette yesterday, I was trying to get a poll shot, but she wanted loving. Since we have had 3 heifers, and one bull. I am fully expecting a black, horned bull calf. Any guesses? Today is her official due date.
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zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
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Post by zephyrhillsusan on Apr 7, 2016 20:06:25 GMT -5
Pinevalleydexters , I can't see her poll hair--only her friendly nose--so the only thing I can guess is that it's going to be sweet! I decided to change Royal Pretender's familiar name to "Buddy" instead of "Bucky." Our first attempts at getting him to lead with a training halter ended in bucking, and I thought he didn't need any encouragement to live up to his name.
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Post by Pinevalleydexters on Apr 7, 2016 21:16:08 GMT -5
@zepherhillsusan, Sweet would be nice. Her poll hair was slicked down with the snow, it doesn't look like it's going dry up anytime soon. We have another blast of snow coming tonight. We put Colette in the box stall it's easier to keep an eye on her at night via cow cam. That probably is a good idea to name him Buddy, you wouldn't want him to live up to his namesake if you named him Bucky. It is fun to have a calf on the farm, our four are very entertaining.
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Post by Pinevalleydexters on Apr 11, 2016 22:55:34 GMT -5
Colette had a beautiful black bull calf on Sunday morning. I had a feeling it was going to be a bull, he evened out the calf ratio, 3 heifers, 3 Bulls this year.
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zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
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Post by zephyrhillsusan on Apr 12, 2016 9:58:02 GMT -5
Congratulations on a healthy calf, Pinevalleydexters! You should get "normal" poll hair photos for each of your cows now and then you can play the game for real next year!
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