There is some practical evidence that even old healed bruised areas may possibly be tougher. Research on injection site damage at Colorado State University has shown that there is an area of tougher meat around injection lesions. Contrary to popular belief, cattle can be bruised right up until the moment of slaughter. Their research indicated that there is an optimal density for loading cattle. Too Many Horns It is likely that many of the severe bruises on the Strategic Alliance Field Study cattle were due to horns.
Horns cause a high percentage of bruised loins.
Deep bruises that penetrate all the way through the carcass are often caused by horns. Thirty-one percent of fed steers and heifers had horns. There are definite regional variations in the incidence of horns. On Midwestern Holstein steers, most animals were dehorned, but in the Southwest there are areas where almost 100 percent of the Holstein steers have horns. Overall, the national audit showed that 88 percent of dairy cattle were dehorned.