Blue Calf

[ClinchValley]

I returned to the house yesterday to find that our oldest cow, Charolais X Angus, had calved. She had a 75 lb bull calf. Sire is a Red Limo, papered. All the 2016 calves have been red in color until now. I am relatively new at this, so excuse my lack of knowing. With dogs, I refer to this color is Blue. Some call it gray. While researching the color online just this morning, I was seeing it referred to as blue roan… Not sure if that applies to this little guy or not, but he is definitely blue all over. Not a spot of white that I noticed. Evidently its black and white hairs, similar to my blue heeler?

Anyways, I love the color. Is this color bad? Myself, I would love to have an entire herd this color. I am curious as to whether it is a desirable color? Or if he get beat up bad for his color come sale day.

From what I gather it is hard to get this color. A blue dam and blue sire will not necessarily result in a blue calf. Is it a genetic mistake as far as neither color being dominant 100%?

Just curious what you all think of blue cattle…

Thanks



Edit: Dam is smoke colored. A dirty white.

 

[dun]

Black gene meets diluter gene, bingo, grey. To be a true roan it would have to inherit a roan gene from usually a shorthorn.

 

[Muddy]

You'll get killed at the sale barn with the blue roan calf. Here, it is almost always a shorthorn trait and the buyers will dock you just because they can. Personally I think the blues are pretty cattle, just sucks they're not money makers.

I won't be surprised that Char hides the roan gene from breeding up programs. I've heard of chars throw white faces, spots and skunktails.

 

[ClinchValley]

He is very pretty if you were to ask me, man. Hmm… Is diluter gene a bad thing? When you say usually? Are there exceptions to that? As to how I understood it, roan was descriptive to a gene. Is it breed specific? For clarification purposes.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Always anted a blue roan cow/heifer. So far no luck. My char bull throws white face/solid grey/spotted/solid red (yes red, although light colored) but so far no blues.

 

[Muddy]

Maybe take a pic of the blue calf? It surely didn't sounds like it was Limo sired, more like shorthorn sired. Roan gene is usually found in shorthorns, Belgian Blues and occasionally longhorns but never in a Charolais.

 

[elkwc]

Sometimes colors are hard to predict. The lady I help had a very nice blue roan cow that was sold last summer at 15 years of age. She was bought as a heifer pair I understand. Was always bred to Registwred angus Bulls . All but two calves were blue roan. She has a 3 y/o blue roan heifer that both calves have been blue roan. We plan on keeping this years BR heifer. Her calves have never been docked. They sell them on the group and several times they have topped the market. They will cut off any char colored calves but not the BR's. In fact one buyer stated he would like to buy a bunch of them.

 

[Muddy]

Sometimes colors are hard to predict. The lady I help had a very nice blue roan cow that was sold last summer at 15 years of age. She was bought as a heifer pair I understand. Was always bred to Registwred angus Bulls . All but two calves were blue roan. She has a 3 y/o blue roan heifer that both calves have been blue roan. We plan on keeping this years BR heifer. Her calves have never been docked. They sell them on the group and several times they have topped the market. They will cut off any char colored calves but not the BR's. In fact one buyer stated he would like to buy a bunch of them.

Care to tell us what is your location? Location plays a big role for selling off colored calves. Some sale barns in southern MN and Iowa may accept roans and shorthorn influenced calves, however the sale barns in central and northern MN, they will dock you so hard...so severely.

 

[coachg]

As they say on the hunting forum, it didn't happen without pics ! Would love to see a picture, post when you can.

 

[dun]

He is very pretty if you were to ask me, man. Hmm… Is diluter gene a bad thing? When you say usually? Are there exceptions to that? As to how I understood it, roan was descriptive to a gene. Is it breed specific? For clarification purposes.

Roan is a color pattern, sort of like white face. It's not a color like red or black. There can be red roans and blue roans. The dilutor only is a problem when it combines with certain black genes and makes a rat tail. Or if you're sales point has a problem with them and you get docked.
The usually is because Short Horns are the most common of the roaning breeds. But there are Randall Linebacks which are roan and there are probably other breeds that also may carry the roaning gene.
This explains things a whole lot better then I can.
http://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/CowPatterns.html

 

[Commercialfarmer]

Had some Maine Anjou crosses that produced a few blue roans. They seemed to sell right along with the blacks. Kept more than a couple heifers.

I believe Maine and shorties share something like 67% of their genes and have some kind of arrangement between breed associations for breeding up cattle between the two. So I don't know if it was shortie influence in the Maine, or if Maine carries their own roan gene.

Really liked those cattle, seems non show ring oriented maines are an endangered species though these days.

 

[Son of Butch]

You'll get killed at the sale barn with the blue roan calf. Here, it is almost always a shorthorn trait and the buyers will dock you just because they can.

Ain't that the truth.
I've seen blue roan cows as nice as any around. Never had any, but sure wouldn't mind a few like what I saw.

 

[ClinchValley]

I will get pictures today and try to post this afternoon if I can. May be on the younger side of things here, but this "inter web" has me puzzled nonetheless.

It may not be what is classified as blue roan. But that's the best way I could describe him. Aside from the ridiculous belgian blues and shorthorns, I couldn't find any blue cattle.

I am 100% positive he was sired by a red limo. Since I have been here, he hasn't had any competition get in. He did get into the neighbor's place on Thanksgiving day. He runs all blacks, but who knows, maybe I will see some red calves in his pasture in a couple months.

Thanks for the feedback fellas. I am thinking of watching him grow. See how it turns out.

 

[dun]

I will get pictures today and try to post this afternoon if I can. May be on the younger side of things here, but this "inter web" has me puzzled nonetheless.

Use this link, easiest way I've seen to post stuff on here: http://postimage.org/

 

[boondocks]

[
http://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/CowPatterns.html

thanks for the interesting read!