Fawn Calf

[robert]

Looks like there has been enough genetic material collected to develop the test for FCS now.

The onus remains on registered breeders of any breed to take the necessary steps to identify and eliminate genetic defects before they reach the commercial industry.

The bloodlines to avoid at this point depends on what bloodlines you've used previously, if for example you've been using precision bloodlines you need to avoid those due to AM / Hydro (no test yet for the latter).

The Australian research cited 3 bulls, Bando 598, Rambo 465T of JRS and an australian grandson of Premier Independence (who is considered the common ancestor carrying the defect).

 

[Northern Rancher]

If less people would overmanage their cattle alot of this stuff would self cleanse itself-I have Wiley Coyote on duty 24/7 and Mr. Winchester and Remington to take care of any other of natures misfits. Let the screwups die and cull what produced them.

 

[Frankie]

There was a good article in the April issue of the Angus Journal. When it gets online, I'll try to post a link. The Fawn Calf problem is going to be harder to track than Curly Calf (AM) because generally the calf survives. It just doesn't look right or grow well. I think most of us have had a calf or two in that category and it wasn't a Fawn Calf. You can't get an AM calf unless you breed an AM carrier bull to a carrier cow. When the research is done, FC will probably like AM: a simple recessive genetic disorder. The #1 way to avoid a problem, IMO, is to not linebreed. When you buy a registered Angus bull, you should get a Performance Registration Certificate with the bull's pedigree. Look at it and avoid using the same bloodlines over and over. When the test for AM became available, the Angus Assn made a list of all potential carriers available to Angus breeders. We had one, a heifer we had bought last spring. We tested her (she's AMFree). I would expect they'll do the same thing when we know more about Fawn Calf.

And don't pay attention to online gossip. :roll:

 

[J+ Cattle]

NR, I am not a babysitter for my cattle, they are employees and are expected to work to earn their keep. They have to calve unassisted or die trying because I am rarely there when they calve. Nevertheless, if I lose a calf I take a hit in the wallet, so if there is anything that I can do to prevent or reduce the odds of having high risk calves or potential carriers in the herd then I want to know. You have to cut the head off of a snake in order to kill it.

J+

 

[J+ Cattle]

And don't pay attention to online gossip. :roll:

Frankie, many times there is some truth to the gossip. The best way to stop the gossip is to have full disclosure.

If you can sell me an Angus bull that is 100% guaranteed free of all of these defects; CC FCS, and dwarfism I am interested.

J+

 

[alexfarms]

There was a good article in the April issue of the Angus Journal. When it gets online, I'll try to post a link. The Fawn Calf problem is going to be harder to track than Curly Calf (AM) because generally the calf survives. It just doesn't look right or grow well. I think most of us have had a calf or two in that category and it wasn't a Fawn Calf. You can't get an AM calf unless you breed an AM carrier bull to a carrier cow. When the research is done, FC will probably like AM: a simple recessive genetic disorder. The #1 way to avoid a problem, IMO, is to not linebreed. When you buy a registered Angus bull, you should get a Performance Registration Certificate with the bull's pedigree. Look at it and avoid using the same bloodlines over and over. When the test for AM became available, the Angus Assn made a list of all potential carriers available to Angus breeders. We had one, a heifer we had bought last spring. We tested her (she's AMFree). I would expect they'll do the same thing when we know more about Fawn Calf.

And don't pay attention to online gossip. :roll:

The reason that genetic defects go undetected and become spread throughout a breed is because of a lack of linebreeding and culling. If breeders would linebreed their seedstock, cull the inferiors and keep the superiors better breeds would be built. Linebreeding is a very valuable tool for seedstock producers to use to improve their herd and their breed. If you do not do the hard work of linebreeding you become only a replicator of other seedstock producers genetics and eventually all problems don't go unnoticed. The best way to avoid becoming a victim of the affects of online gossip is to prove your own seedstock. There is a saying in seedstock production: Linebreeding will keep you in business and outcrossing will get you out of business.

 

[alabama]

I still have not seen the names of any blood lines that are suspedctd of Fawn Calf. Can some one please list the sirses suspected?

 

[Oldtimer]

I still have not seen the names of any blood lines that are suspedctd of Fawn Calf. Can some one please list the sirses suspected?

As far as I am aware all FCS carriers which have been identified or rumoured to be, trace back to Freestate Barbara 871 of KAF.

Alabama- several of the Vets that are working on it are discussing it on this site right now:

http://www.advantagecattle.com/forum/to ... 812&#46367

 

[Brandonm22]

We have seen the same videos. You just have a little dinky calf that often walks on his fore arms, has an awful frail phenotype, takes short little choppy steps, and has a little difficulty moving around. A real attentive guy spots that cow and calf on day one takes them to the barn or a paddock where that calf can get a week of extra attention and all ends well.....as everything Angus has written says these calves EVENTUALLY grow out normally. If the condition is not too bad a real good moma cow might be able to rear that calf without help. THAT guy probably blames whoever sold him his mineral program for what most of us would guess was some sort of a mineral deficiency. Somebody with a real big ranch, a job that keeps them away during calving, or who is lazy probably finds this calf as a corpse and blames coyotes. Either way it is easy to see how this did not get spotted quickly. This is probably worse than Arthrogyroposis multiplex or Hydrocephalus because most of us wean this calf. A cow that loses a calf is a whole lot more likely to get herself culled than one that weans one that is a little light and the article says that the calves appear "normal" by the time they are four to six months of age. Some people even have kept some of these heifers for breeding purposes (to their regret). A good cow that weans a 600 lb calf every year shows up with a 450 pounder PROBABLY gets kept another year in most commercial herds. Even more so with a bull carrier of this. If he sired 25 good stoudt calves and two tailenders MOST of us would praise the bull for his good calves and blame the mamas or the minerals or some noxious weed......or not even notice that two calves were a little dinky.

http://www.angus.org/reporting_FCS.pdf

 

[alexfarms]

I still have not seen the names of any blood lines that are suspedctd of Fawn Calf. Can some one please list the sirses suspected?

As far as I am aware all FCS carriers which have been identified or rumoured to be, trace back to Freestate Barbara 871 of KAF.

Alabama- several of the Vets that are working on it are discussing it on this site right now:

http://www.advantagecattle.com/forum/to ... 812&#46367

After reading through some of the posts on advantagecattle.com and reading about how many animals are being found to carry multiple genetic abnormalities through dna testing, it makes linebreeding look a lot less complicated and costly.