Polled / Hornlessness (Pc and Pf) - Cattle

About polledness in cattle

Polledness, or natural hornlessness, is an inherited trait in which cattle do not develop horns. It is practically important for animal welfare, farm safety and breeding selection because genetically polled animals reduce or remove the need for dehorning.

This analysis contains two subanalyses: the Celtic Pc variant and the Friesian Pf variant at the bovine POLLED locus. Both variants act dominantly: one copy can cause the polled phenotype. The test therefore helps determine whether an animal carries none, one copy or two copies of the tested polled markers.

Practical value of this test

• Breeding planning: select animals that reliably pass on polledness.
• Animal welfare: increase the proportion of naturally polled calves in the herd.
• Transparency: distinguish polledness caused by Pc, Pf or a combination of both markers.

Other rare or population-specific POLLED variants exist, but this import intentionally includes only the two requested commercial subanalyses: Pc and Pf.