Calf Changing Colors

[BK9954]

Have a calf 6 weeks old. Born black but now dark brown. Think she might go back to the black direction. She is half registerd angus and half commercial brangus. Do not know the origin of the brangus.

 

[dun]

She'll go back to black when she sheds out

 

[cowgirl8]

Baby fir bleaches out before it falls out. Sometimes it depends on how much red the cow has in background as to how much it fades. Some of our calves look red before they shed, then shed off to dark black.

 

[BK9954]

good deal, thanks. first calf born in my herd. I was thinking maybe she had some brown genetics in her bloodline. I am wanting to keep this one.

 

[shortybreeder]

I've got a similar scenario with 3 embryo calves. Cow is black, but shorthorn sired (so red carrier) and bull is a red roan shorthorn. The one I raised last year was solid red (white on underline) and now I had 2 more this year. Both are red with white underlines, but one has black around the eyes, a black nose, and a black tip on his tail. Do you guys think he will shed out and be black? It's a bit of a concern in regards to how we register him.

 

[dun]

I would think you'll end up with red with black highlights. One cow family (Red Angus) we have does that with all of their calves. Faces are almost black they're such a dark red, but they are black around the yes, but with a white tail switch.

 

[Muddy]

I've got a similar scenario with 3 embryo calves. Cow is black, but shorthorn sired (so red carrier) and bull is a red roan shorthorn. The one I raised last year was solid red (white on underline) and now I had 2 more this year. Both are red with white underlines, but one has black around the eyes, a black nose, and a black tip on his tail. Do you guys think he will shed out and be black? It's a bit of a concern in regards to how we register him.

I got a great idea: why not wait till he's six months old before registering him? But he sounds like he'll be black.

 

[shortybreeder]

I've got a similar scenario with 3 embryo calves. Cow is black, but shorthorn sired (so red carrier) and bull is a red roan shorthorn. The one I raised last year was solid red (white on underline) and now I had 2 more this year. Both are red with white underlines, but one has black around the eyes, a black nose, and a black tip on his tail. Do you guys think he will shed out and be black? It's a bit of a concern in regards to how we register him.

I got a great idea: why not wait till he's six months old before registering him? But he sounds like he'll be black.

That would be the plan... but that doesn't mean I'm not curious about what to expect.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Get the calf in and shear off the body hair. It will grow back the destined color of the calf...

 

[BK9954]

When do the babys shed out?

 

[dun]

Anytime from about 6 months to a full year.

 

[smoothmule]

This is my heifer that I'm keeping this year from my Brangus heifer and Beefmaster bull. She will shed off black too. I've had some calves shed off as red as can be that shed off to black. Black to black breeding will only produce black.

At a day old



and taken more recently, you can see the ankles, nose etc already showing some black

 

[shortybreeder]

Black to black breeding will only produce black.

Thats only true if one or both is homozygous black. If both are heterozygous then you can get red that stays red. Red to red will always be red however.

 

[smoothmule]

I thought black was dominant

 

[smoothmule]

Same heifer at birth (she's mine)




And now, she's shedding off to black at 3 months old. Both parents are black.

If an individual is heterozygous for black (one black gene and one red gene) then they will be black so even if you breed 2 heterozygous blacks together, all the calves will be black.

 

[City Guy]

If sire and dam are heterozygous black 25%(+/-) of the calves will be red! If one parent is homozygous black and the other is homozygous red all the calves will be black. Black is dominant.

 

[dun]

Same heifer at birth (she's mine)




And now, she's shedding off to black at 3 months old. Both parents are black.

If an individual is heterozygous for black (one black gene and one red gene) then they will be black so even if you breed 2 heterozygous blacks together, all the calves will be black.

Wrong! If you breed 2 heterozygous black animals the calves will be black if 1 of them passes the black gene. If both pass the red gene the calf will be red. For it to be red it will be homozygous red.

 

[BK9954]

Since I started this post I had a calf born to a tigerstripe came out brown. AI'D to a registered black angus. 4 months later I can now see the black shedding out around his eyes, neck and legs.

 

[BK9954]

This is the original heifer I had posted about. She has almost shed to all black since the post. Just a little bit of brown left. Her sire was registered black angus, momma black brangus.

 

[Lucky_P]

No, if you breed two hetero black animals, theoretically 1/4 of the calves will be red, 1/2 will be black-but hetero black, and 1/4 will be homo black.