Beauty Adorns the Ram With Horns

Horned vs. Polled While originally all rams had horns, sheep can have horns or not, depending upon their breed, sex, and genetics. Some sheep breeds have horns on both rams and ewes. Some have horns on only the rams. Rams have larger and more striking horns than ewes. When neither sex has horns, the breed is said to be "polled" or naturally hornless. Some sheep breeds have both horned and polled strains. Partial or underdeveloped horns are called "scurs." While horns are oftentimes removed from cows or goats for safety and management purposes, horns are seldom removed from sheep unless they pose a danger to the animal.

HORNED Karakul Ram

POLLED Shropshire Rams Photo Courtesy of UK Shropshire Sheep Breeders' Association

Beautiful Horns! A sheep's horns are hollow, consisting of a keratinous sheath overlying a bony core that is attached to the skull. Horns will grow throughout the sheep's lifetime, with the most rapid growth occuring during the first two to three years. Sheep horns tend to curl and spiral, whereas goat horns grow straight out or up. Some rams have such beautiful horns that they are raised as "trophy" animals. Horns can be made into knife handles, spoons, hair combs, powder horns, and horse bits.
Awassi Rams Kazakhstan	Damara Ram Photo courtesy of Dawie Du Toit Damara Stud	Icelandic Ram Photo courtesy of Lavender Fleece

Rare genetics allow some sheep to have four horns (or more)!
Jacob Ram	Navajo Churro Ram Photo courtesy of Bid A Wee Farm

On Commercial Sheep Farms Horns are useful to wild sheep, but don't serve much of a useful purpose on sheep in commerical production situations. Horns can make handling sheep, especially rams, more difficult, dangerous, and more time consuming. Horned animals can get their heads stuck in fences, feeders, and equipment. As a result, selection has been for polled animals over the years.
Scottish Blackface Ram	Rambouillet x Merino ram

. . New Words . . Horns - a hard, pointed, often curved part that grows from the top of the head of some animals. Consists of an inner, boney core covered by an outer sheath that is much like our fingernails. Horns are not shed annually as are antlers. Polled - without horns, naturally hornless. Scurs - any horny growth which is not attached to the skull.

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Last updated 15-Feb-2005 by Susan Schoenian.

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