If you’re new to the cattle world, keeping bulls, steers, cows and heifersstraight is confusing. Even though you once thought that “cow” was a blanket term used for all cattle in all situations, you’ll catch on quickly to the correct terminology.
Bulls
A bull, also known as a sire, is a mature male bovine that is at least 2 years old used for breeding purposes. Bulls are usually not used for meat.
Bulls are not castrated because they have desired traits that producers want to use for breeding. Typically, a sire will produce more calves in its lifetime than a cow, according to Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist John L. Evans, Ph.D., at Oklahoma State University Extension.
Bulls are usually larger than other cattle. They have large, muscular shoulders, necks and hindquarters. A hump is usually noticeable on its shoulders. When bulls are full grown, they can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. According to OSU Extension, young bulls can reach half of their mature weights in as little as 14 or 15 months.
Don’t let a bull’shorns trick you; the breed of cattle determines if a bull has horns or not. Museum of Life and Science explains that many dairy breeds will have horns on both male and female cattle.
Steers
A steer is a castrated male bovine. Male bovines are castrated when they are young and before they develop the bull’s physical characteristics, according to USDA. Steers are less aggressive than bulls.Steers are normally raised for meat.
A steer won’t be as muscular as a bull. It’s shoulders won’t be as large or muscular. Another way to tell the difference between a bull and a steer is to check if the bovine has testes. If it does, it is a bull; it if doesn’t, it is a steer.Sometimes, it can be difficult to distinguish between steers and heifers. Heifers have a vulva beneath their tails, while steers do not.
Cows
A cow is a mature female bovine that has had at least one calf.
Cows have larger hips and thicker middles. Compared to bulls, they look feminine. Cows should have a slightly angular body shape, lean-looking shoulders and a broad chest, according to University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Heifers
Heifers are young female cattle that have not yet borne calves. Heifers canbe used for breeding, and they can also be raised for beef. Heifers are bred once they reach maturity (about 12 to 14 months), according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Once a heifer has a calf, she becomes a cow.
Heifers are similar in appearance to cows, but lack the mature characteristics of cows such as prominent hips and thick middles.
Calves
Both baby male and female cattle are referred to as calves. They’re called weaners once they’re weaned, and then yearlings once they’re a year or two old.
Quickest way to determine gender
Don’t rely on the appearance of horns on cattle to determine if an bovine is a cow or a bull. Instead, look between the animal’s back legs. A side view of the animal will offer you the best view to determine the gender. Cows have udders; bulls have scrotum. Steers will not have testes like bulls. Heifers have teats but no visible udder like cows do.
Also, don’t rely on the color of a cow’s skin to determine if it’s a bull or a cow. A bovine’s breed, not its gender, determines it’s color. For instance, Angus cattle are typically black, Jersey cattle are brown and Holsteins are black and white. For information about cattle breeds, refer to Oklahoma State University’s Department of Animal Sciences page.
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FAQs
A side view of the animal will offer you the best view to determine the gender. Cows have udders; bulls have scrotum. Steers will not have testes like bulls. Heifers have teats but no visible udder like cows do.
How do you tell the difference between male and female dairy cows? ›
Just like with humans, there are different names given to cows depending on their sex and stage in life. For example, a female cow younger than 3 years old that has not had a baby is termed a heifer; a male cow is called a bull; and a castrated male is a steer. So a dairy cow is a female that has given birth to a baby.
How do farmers identify their cattle? ›
You've probably noticed that most cows, especially here in Nevada, have number tags on their ears. These numbers serve as a lifelong identification of the cow and help farmers tell them apart, find specific cows and keep track of their herd. Additionally, you might have noticed that many cows here also wear collars.
How do you identify different types of cattle? ›
Some common methods of identifying beef cattle include hide brands (hot iron and freeze branding), ear marks (cropping, notching, or splitting the ear), eartags (metal, plastic, rubberized plastic), neckchains, and straps with numbers, horn brands, and ear tattoos.
What makes a bull a steer? ›
steer, young neutered male cattle primarily raised for beef. In the terminology used to describe the sex and age of cattle, the male is first a bull calf and if left intact becomes a bull; if castrated he becomes a steer and about two or three years grows to an ox.
Can you milk a male cow? ›
No, you cannot milk a male cow. If all adult female cattle are cows, what are the males? The adult male counterpart of a cow is called a bull. They can't produce milk, but you can still find them on a dairy farm.
What happens to bull calves on a dairy farm? ›
Male dairy calves can be sold for beef production to eventually be turned into food like hamburgers. They're sent to feedlots, which are penned-in facilities that can hold up to 150,000 cattle, where they are confined and fed grain diets so that they gain weight and can be slaughtered as quickly as possible.
What do dairy farmers do with male cows? ›
The males are not so lucky. Soon after birth, they are trucked off to veal farms or cattle ranches where they end up as hamburger meat.
Is a male dairy cow a bull? ›
Mature female cattle are called cows and mature male cattle are bulls. Young female cattle are called heifers, young male cattle are oxen or bullocks, and castrated male cattle are known as steers. Cattle are commonly raised for meat, for dairy products, and for leather.
What does a red tag on a cow mean? ›
After gloving up and entering the cow from the business end, the good doctor would then apply a glued-on sticker to identify such pregnancy. A blue tag meant she was in the first trimester; a red tag proclaimed her in the second stage; a green tag placed her in the last three months before calving.
Each tag color indicates the optimal time to ship the animals to market. The yellow ear tags on these animals mean they will be ready to ship at the same time. Heifers and cows on this dairy farm are tagged with the last four digits of their 15-digit RFID (radio frequency ID) number.
How to identify a steer? ›
Quickest way to determine gender
Cows have udders; bulls have scrotum. Steers will not have testes like bulls. Heifers have teats but no visible udder like cows do.
What is the difference between a steer and a heifer? ›
Heifer: A heifer is a female bovine who has not given birth to a calf. Steer: A steer is a male bovine who cannot reproduce. (He's been snipped.) Bull: A bull is a male bovine who can reproduce.
What are the 3 classifications of cattle? ›
Cattle were originally identified by Carolus Linnaeus as three separate species. These were Bos taurus, the European cattle, including similar types from Africa and Asia; Bos indicus, the Zebu or humped cattle found in India; and the extinct Bos primigenius, the aurochs.
Is a steer a bull without balls? ›
Castration is the removal of the testicl*s from male animals. A bull that has been castrated is called a steer. There are various castration methods, and it is recommended that castrations be performed in calves at the youngest age possible (1), preferably within three months of age (2).
Does bull meat taste different than steer meat? ›
Bull beef contained more connective tissue and had less intramuscular fat. Fatness was poorly related to tenderness (r = 0·3) and unrelated to juiciness or flavour. A consumer panel of 606 assessors showed that bull beef was not as pale as steer beef and found no difference in fatness of the cuts, flavour or juiciness.
Why is a steer worth more than a bull? ›
More buyers have orders for steers and will pay more money per pound. Buyers like steer calves because there is a bigger risk for buyers to buy bull calves at larger weights. When larger bull calves have to be castrated, there is a larger risk of the calf bleeding and dying.
Is a male cow a bull or steer? ›
Mature female cattle are called cows and mature male cattle are bulls. Young female cattle are called heifers, young male cattle are oxen or bullocks, and castrated male cattle are known as steers. Cattle are commonly raised for meat, for dairy products, and for leather.
A bull, also known as a sire, is a mature male bovine that is at least 2 years old used for breeding purposes. Bulls are usually not used for meat.
A steer is a castrated male bovine. Male bovines are castrated when they are young and before they develop the bull’s physical characteristics, according to USDA. Steers are less aggressive than bulls.Steers are normally raised for meat.
A cow is a mature female bovine that has had at least one calf.
Heifers are young female cattle that have not yet borne calves. Heifers canbe used for breeding, and they can also be raised for beef. Heifers are bred once they reach maturity (about 12 to 14 months), according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Once a heifer has a calf, she becomes a cow.