{"id":8706,"date":"2024-08-24T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-24T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/?p=8706"},"modified":"2025-01-30T10:09:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T15:09:54","slug":"what-are-polled-genetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/","title":{"rendered":"What are polled genetics?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Polled genetics are increasingly growing in popularity and refer to the natural inheritance of the polled gene, resulting in cattle that are born without horns. This trait is dominant, meaning that only one parent needs to carry the gene for the offspring to have the genetic potential to be hornless.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This genetic trait is gaining popularity due to its many benefits, including enhanced animal welfare and reduced labour for dehorning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Types of Polled Sires<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two different types of polled sires, heterozygous (P) and homozygous (PP).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Heterozygous Polled (P):<\/strong> These sires carry one copy of the polled gene. As a result, 50% of their offspring will be polled.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Homozygous Polled (PP):<\/strong> These sires carry two copies of the polled gene, ensuring that 100% of their offspring will be born without horns.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When searching through sire directories, you\u2019ll notice that some bull names contain (P) or (PP). This indicates whether the particular sire is heterozygous or homozygous for the polled gene, helping you make more informed breeding decisions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-polled-vs-horned-genetics-is-there-a-difference-nbsp\"><strong>Polled vs. Horned Genetics: Is there a difference?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some farmers might wonder if polled genetics are as good as horned genetics. At Genus ABS, we\u2019re pioneers in genetic innovation, and we\u2019re proud to offer superior polled genetics that are of equal calibre to our industry leading horned genetics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To explore our unique diverse portfolio of market leading polled genetics <a href=\"https:\/\/absbullsearch.absglobal.com\/BullList?VisibilityCountryCode=GBR&amp;BreedTypeCode=D&amp;BreedCode=HO&amp;ProofCode=UK&amp;f_s_Polled=PP,P&amp;comp=&amp;o=PLI%7Ctrue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">click here<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-farmers-saying-about-polled-genetics-nbsp\"><strong>What are farmers saying about polled genetics?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom Dodgson, based in Yorkshire, has been a long-standing Genus ABS customer for over 30 years and has been using both\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/services\/sexcel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sexcel\u00ae<\/a>\u202fsexed dairy genetics and\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/services\/nuera-genetics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NuEra\u2122 Beef Genetics<\/a>\u202f as part of his sexed and beef strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"878\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/4_298144.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9470\" style=\"width:427px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/4_298144.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/4_298144.jpg?resize=300,257 300w, https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/4_298144.jpg?resize=768,658 768w, https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/4_298144.jpg?resize=1024,878 1024w, https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/4_298144.jpg?resize=1536,1316 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Since adopting a sexed and beef strategy, the fertility on Tom\u2019s farm has improved year-on-year and currently has a pregnancy rate of 27 and submission rate of 68.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having started incorporating polled genetics into his herd a few years ago, Tom is working towards a fully polled herd, without compromising on the performance of his animals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He explained: \u201cAs long as the genetics are not compromised and the bulls run on my Custom Index, using Homozygous Polled is 100% the right thing to do. Anything that stops stress on young calves is a great innovation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are continuing to make massive progress on health traits,\u202fkilos of fat and protein. Why would we not do the same with polled?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By adopting Genus ABS\u2019 polled genetics, Tom\u2019s working towards a fully polled herd without compromising on performance.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-learn-more-about-polled-genetics-nbsp\"><strong>Learn more about polled genetics<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"What are polled genetics?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/spWmS44x6mk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-interested-in-learning-more-about-polled-genetics-get-in-touch-with-your-local-representative-today-by-using-the-find-your-local-representative-tool-below-nbsp\"><strong>Interested in learning more about polled genetics? Get in touch with your local representative today by using the Find Your Local Representative tool below.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:21px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polled genetics are increasingly growing in popularity and refer to the natural inheritance of the polled gene, resulting in cattle that are born without horns. This trait is dominant, meaning that only one parent needs to carry the gene for the offspring to have the genetic potential to be hornless.&nbsp;&nbsp; This genetic trait is gaining [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11563,"featured_media":8711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[619,827],"abs_type":[7],"abs_industry":[57],"class_list":["post-8706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genetic-strategy","tag-polled-genetics","tag-sexed-and-beef","abs_type-article","abs_industry-dairy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.6 (Yoast SEO v25.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What are polled genetics - Genus ABS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A polled cow is one which was naturally born without horns as a result of its DNA. The polled gene is a dominant trait in a cow\u2019s DNA.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are polled genetics?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A polled cow is one which was naturally born without horns as a result of its DNA. The polled gene is a dominant trait in a cow\u2019s DNA.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ABS Global UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GenusABSUK\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-24T18:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-30T15:09:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"brittany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"brittany\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/\",\"name\":\"What are polled genetics - Genus ABS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-24T18:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-30T15:09:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"A polled cow is one which was naturally born without horns as a result of its DNA. The polled gene is a dominant trait in a cow\u2019s DNA.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg\",\"width\":2100,\"height\":1500,\"caption\":\"Polled sire, Estate-PP.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What are polled genetics?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/\",\"name\":\"ABS Global UK\",\"description\":\"Profit From Genetic Progress\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ABS Global UK\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2020\/03\/cropped-genu-abs.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2020\/03\/cropped-genu-abs.png\",\"width\":2542,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"ABS Global UK\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GenusABSUK\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What are polled genetics - Genus ABS","description":"A polled cow is one which was naturally born without horns as a result of its DNA. The polled gene is a dominant trait in a cow\u2019s DNA.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"What are polled genetics?","og_description":"A polled cow is one which was naturally born without horns as a result of its DNA. The polled gene is a dominant trait in a cow\u2019s DNA.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/","og_site_name":"ABS Global UK","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GenusABSUK\/","article_published_time":"2024-08-24T18:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-30T15:09:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2100,"height":1500,"url":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"brittany","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"brittany","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/","url":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/","name":"What are polled genetics - Genus ABS","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-24T18:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-30T15:09:54+00:00","description":"A polled cow is one which was naturally born without horns as a result of its DNA. The polled gene is a dominant trait in a cow\u2019s DNA.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg","width":2100,"height":1500,"caption":"Polled sire, Estate-PP."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/what-are-polled-genetics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What are polled genetics?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/","name":"ABS Global UK","description":"Profit From Genetic Progress","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#organization","name":"ABS Global UK","url":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2020\/03\/cropped-genu-abs.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2020\/03\/cropped-genu-abs.png","width":2542,"height":1080,"caption":"ABS Global UK"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GenusABSUK\/"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2024\/05\/RS13997_Estate-PP-hpr.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8706"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11563"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8706"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9483,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8706\/revisions\/9483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8706"},{"taxonomy":"abs_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/abs_type?post=8706"},{"taxonomy":"abs_industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.absglobal.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/abs_industry?post=8706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}