Step 1: Select homozygous Polled (PP) sires to create your next generation. 100% of these replacements will be phenotypically Polled, and carry the gene in their genetic profile, along with a remaining horned gene from their mothers.

Step 2: Repeat step 1. Continue the phenotypic Polled expression by mating first generation offspring to homozygous Polled sires and 75% of replacements will be homozygous for the Polled gene.

Step 3: Now you have some options. Option A is a repeat of Steps 1 and 2. Option B is to repeat Steps 1 and 2, but only on the 75% of the female population that is homozygous Polled, resulting in a replacement population that is 100% Polled both genetically and phenotypically. (If you choose option A in step 3, then 87.5% of the third generation is homozygous Polled and you could then utilize option B in the fourth replacement generation on the 87.5% homozygous Polled herd of replacements to have a complete herd of 100% Polled replacements).

Why would a dairy producer want homozygous Polled replacements?

• Calf wellness

• Optimization of lifetime genetic potential

• Marketing opportunities and public perception

In a time when every replacement counts, maximizing lifetime potential has a new meaning and much greater value in both the short- and longterm profitability of the dairy. Maximizing lifetime potential begins in our calf rearing and calf wellness programs. Genetics and environment each play a critical role in developing healthy and thriving calves.

Farm records and genetic audits show that leveraging calf wellness traits such as Zoetis’ Calf Respiratory Disease, Calf Scours and Calf Livability, as well as the Calf Wellness Index™ (CW$™) has substantial value.

Housing, nutrition and protocols combine to represent the environment and providing the right environment for genetics to express themselves is paramount. Dehorning has always been accompanied by risk, time and cost, both direct and indirect.

What I find most interesting is that if Polled is dominant, and not damaging to the expression of other genes, why do we avoid it? Most often, I think folks make the claim, “the Polled bulls aren’t high enough,” but that isn’t the case today.

Polled genetics can help ‘Make Longevity Her Legacy’

The average productive life of dairy cows in the U.S. is less than three lactations but research shows that cows reach their greatest productive potential in the third and fourth lactation. Select Sires realized the general genetic focus was in the wrong direction and developed the Herd Health Profit Dollars^® (HHP$^®) index, designed to create cows that stay healthy, hassle-free and exceptionally productive at every age. Adding the Polled gene to healthy, hassle-free and productive cows is icing on the cake.

While we can assess the reliability, heritability and general profitability of specific traits, the ‘right’ genes are those which complement a cow’s ability to thrive in the environment in which she lives and under the management strategies of the farm.

Is the Polled gene a magic bullet? No. But the Polled gene can help farmers make longevity her legacy because a stress-free beginning to life pays dividends throughout her lifetime. The Polled gene complements the high performance, healthy, hassle-free genes prioritized in HHP$ and has no negative corollary genes. The Polled gene has no negative side effects, and it is growing in acceptance by both processors and consumers. In fact, the infiltration of the dominant Polled gene is as easy as 1-2-3.

Selections, Summer 2025

¹Thompson et al., 2017

™Calf Wellness Index and CW$ is a trademark of Zoetis Inc., its affiliates and/or its licensors.

^®Herd Health Profit Dollars (HHP$^®) is a trademark of Select Sires Inc.