How To Tell A Boy Cow From A Girl Cow
There seems to be a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about how to tell a boy cow from a girl cow (there's no such thing as a "boy cow," by the way).
Here at CowboyWay.com we've known a lot of people who didn't know how to tell the difference between a bull, steer, cow or heifer, and a fair percentage of these folks even had close ties to the farming or ranching industries.
Fortunately, understanding and recognizing the differences between sexes in cattle isn't difficult. In the text and photos below we describe how to tell the difference between male and female animals in the biological subfamily Bovinae (commonly called bovines) which includes the species cattle. In other words, how to tell a boy cow from a girl cow. (And we repeat: There's no such thing as a "boy cow." Trust us.)
The Boys: What You Call Them
In cattle, males (boys) are either bulls, steers, or oxen. We can also use the word "calf" for a boy because in bovines it's a word that is used for both young males and females.
- Bull - A bull is an "intact" male, which is a male that has testicles. Since a bull has testicles (and assuming he is otherwise healthy) he can sire offspring. A bull's testicles are contained in a pouch called called the scrotum, which is visible between the hind legs.
- Steer - A steer is a male that was born a bull but has had his testicles removed before reaching sexual maturity. A steer cannot sire offspring. Because the testicles have been removed the pouch that contained them, the scrotum, is shrunken and (usually) can't be seen when the animal is in a normal standing position.
- Ox - An ox is a male that was born a bull but has had his testicles removed after reaching sexual maturity. An ox cannot sire offspring. Because the testicles have been removed the pouch that contained them, the scrotum, is shrunken and (usually) can't be seen when the animal is in a normal standing position.
- Calf - The word "calf" for cattle is similar to the word "baby" in humans: It is gender-neutral and can be used to describe a young male or female. It is commonly used to describe cattle less than a year old.
Note: Since steers are more common than oxen (the plural of ox), and for the simplicity of the remainder of this article, we will refer to all castrated bulls as steers.
Bulls and steers both have a penis and a sheath. Since they both have a penis, bulls and steers both have a sheath, which is the external pouch that contains the penis. The sheath is located on the underneath side of a bull or steer's belly. Depending on the individual the sheath might be large and very noticeable, or (particularly in steers) barely visible.
Bulls and steers both have an anus. The anus is the outlet of the rectum. In both bulls and steers the anus is located underneath the tail. (Females also have an anus underneath the tail, but they also have the added presence of a vulva.) Depending on how the animal is holding its tail, you may, or may not, be able to see the anus.
The Boys: Let's Have A Look
When determining if a male bovine is a bull or a steer, there are two main places to look: Underneath the belly and underneath the tail.
Underneath The Belly
Below is a look underneath the belly of a bovine.
- The presence of the sheath lets us know that this is male.
- The additional presence of the testicles, which are contained in an external pouch called the scrotum, lets us know that this a bull (as opposed to a steer).
Note: In some cases depending on how and when a steer was castrated there might be a small amount of the scrotum still visible. However, in these instances it is quite small and "dried up" looking, probably difficult to see, and does not resemble the large, healthy, bull scrotum shown here.
Below: A look underneath the belly of a bull.
Below is a look underneath the belly of a young calf (remember, the word "calf" is gender-neutral and is used to describe both young males and females).
- We know by the presence of the sheath that it's a male.
- However, since we cannot see between the hind legs to know whether or not he has testicles, we can't tell if it's a bull or a steer.
Note: On a calf this size the testicles, if present, would be contained in a comparatively small scrotum and would be more difficult to see than on a mature bull.
Below: A young male calf.
Underneath The Tail
Below is a look underneath the tail of a bovine.
- The presence of the anus without the additional presence of a vulva lets us know this is a male.
- However, since we cannot see between the hind legs to know whether or not he has testicles, we can't tell if it's a bull or a steer.
Below: A look underneath the tail of a male bovine.
The Girls: What You Call Them
In cattle, girls are either heifers or cows. We can also use the word "calf" for a girl because in bovines it's a word that is used for both young females and males.
- Heifer - A young female. When a heifer matures she is called a cow.
- Cow - A mature female.
- Calf - The word "calf" for cattle is similar to the word "baby" in humans: It is gender-neutral and can be used to describe a young female or male. It is commonly used to describe cattle less than a year old.
Note: Like we mentioned above a heifer is a young female while a cow is a mature female. For the simplicity of the remainder of this article, we will usually refer to all females as cows.