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Congenital Taillessness in Cattle¹

Department of Dairy Husbandry and Statistical Laboratory, Kansas State College, Manhattan

ABSTRACT

Taillessness, a rare congenital defect of cattle, has been observed in 25 animals sired by registered bulls of the Angus, Ayrshire, Guernsey, Hereford, Holstein, Jersey, Milking Shorthorn, and Shorthorn breeds. The dams of the tailless animals included descendants from one or more of these or from the Brown Swiss breeds.

In females, taillessness occasionally is accompanied by anterior and dorsal misplacement of the vulva and anus, concave rump, and stiffness of the rear legs. In males, the defect may be accompanied by misplaced or atretic anus, concave rump, and stiffness of the rear legs. Malformations of the vertebral column appear to be variable.

The defect was noted in more than twice as many females as males. Defective animals were from older dams, most of which had not been reported to have had malformed offspring previously.

Tailless animals seem unlikely to occur, on the average, more often than once in every 3,000 births, and may occur as infrequently as once in every 20,500 births. Although the defect seems to be of little significance, there is some slight evidence for the supposition of a hereditary basis for the defect in the Holstein breed.

¹ Contribution No. 261, Department of Dairy Husbandry, and No. 38, Statistical Laboratory, Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Manhattan. This research was part of the North Central Regional Dairy Cattle Breeding Project NC-2.