The contribution of horned cattle to carcase bruising

Five trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of the presence of horns on cattle on carcase bruising. In each trial there were three groups of cattle, hornless, horned and mixed (some with hrons and some without). The weight of bruised tissue trimmed from the carcases of the cattle in the horned groups was significantly greater than that trimmed from the carcases of the cattle in the hornless groups. When horned and hornless cattle are mixed the hornless animals in the mixed group sustain significantly more bruising than animals in a group consisting soley of hornless animals while the horned animals in a mixed group have a similar degree of bruising to cattle in a group consisting solely of horned cattle.