KMacGinley":wvnn79bk said:
Who are you talking to? The guy said he was going to cull her and hasn't replied since.
Jovid":wvnn79bk said:
I don't think it matters whether it is a recessive or dominate gene trait. What does matter is if a trait (good or bad) shows up then there is a good possibility that that trait will be passed on down the road.
If you don't care whether or not your cattle are cow hocked then continue to breed them and pass that trait on.
If it's not genetic why cull her? If it is, you should cull the animals that produced her even if they had good feet if one is concerned about eliminating it from the breed. The only way to make a determination about FURTHER culling is to understand its origin. If it's recessive, you could breed her to a bull with good feet . . . etc . . . as DOC said re: curly calf . . . no need to cull them all . . . just manage the situation. With structural problems it seems we just cull them all. Just wondering if that's the best practice. Structural problems take a MUCH MUCH MUCH greater toll on the cattle industry than curly calf ever has or will. Seems like a valid thing to inquire about. Perhaps not.