Horns in cattle - KOBRA - Universität Kassel

herd has calming effects on the cows. However, this may depend on the individual
behaviour of the bull. Scientific studies that analysed the effect of a bull in the herd
are missing.
Finally, it is recommended to remove aggressive animals from the herd that are
responsible for a considerable amount of injuries and to use aggressiveness as a
negative breeding criterion (Menke and Waiblinger, 1999; Schneider, 2008). A
further possibility to cope with single aggressive animals is to cut or grind off the tips
of their horns or to cover them with protectors (Menke and Waiblinger, 1999;
Schneider, 2008), which was found to be very effective in order to reduce the risk of
injuries (Schneider, 2010).
With regard to human safety, i.e. as a way to reduce risks of accidents, stockpeople
should be assertive and calm in all situations, maintain a clear communication with
the animals and be predictable in order to reduce fear-related behaviour (Menke and
Waiblinger, 1999; Schneider, 2008). In general, a good human-animal relationship,
preferably from birth on, should be aimed at (Menke and Waiblinger, 1999; Eilers et
al., 2005; Schneider, 2008). On this line Menke et al. (1999) found in their
epidemiological study a significant negative relation between the frequency of
agonistic behaviours and the ability of the stockperson to identify individual cows and
the frequency of personnel changes. Schneider (2010) also found fewer injuries on
farms with fewer employees. Therefore, it is recommended to have as little personnel
changes as possible (Menke and Waiblinger, 1999; Schneider, 2008).
13