CATTLE WITH HAIR WHORL PATTERNS ABOVE THE EYES ARE MORE BEHAVIORALLY AGITATED DURING RESTRAINT

Hair whorl position on the forehead may be of value in selecting breed ing cattle for a calm temperament. A total of 1500 cattle weighing 180 -360 kg were temperament rated on a four-point scale. Seventy-two perc ent of the cattle were EuropeanXBritish breed crosses and 28% were Zeb uXdairy breed crosses from Mexico. Cattle with a round hair whorl loca ted above the eyes became significantly more agitated while they were restrained in a squeeze chute (crush) compared to cattle with a hair w horl located either between the eyes or below the eyes. For both the B os taurus and Bos indicus crossbreeds, animals with hair whorls locate d below the eyes were rated calmer. There is a positive linear relatio nship (P<0.001) between cattle temperament while restrained in a squee ze chute and the location of facial hair whorls. The cattle observed i n this study were extensively raised and had a large flight zone when approached by people. Casual observations indicate that the relationsh ip between hair whorl position and temperament is most easily observed in cattle that do not have daily close contact with people.