> What indicators are there that
> tell you that an all black cow is
> not purebred black angus?
Appearence for one, does she show characteristics such as a Gelbveih which extra sheath. Hair is also a differential. The best way to tell is to buy cattle from people you trust.
True, true! Always buy from a reputable breeder who also has ethics. If in doubt, purchase registered cattle--with papers & pedigree info. In the long run, "it costs no more to go first class"....
> What indicators are there that
> tell you that an all black cow is
> not purebred black angus? if they don't have paper and are from reputable breeder then beware. angus cattle have alot of good traits as far as momma cows go .
they seem to be some type of crossbred? Write the check as quick as possible. Research has documented the advantage of crossbred over straightbred in volumnes.
> last time I saw angus that I could absolutly swear were angus they were 4 ft tall 3 ft wide, the breeder called them aberdeen angus and it was 1970.LOL!
Table top Angus are not the norm. Records dating back to the 20's indicate large animals, some bulls as big as 3000 pounds and cows close to a ton.
The show ring fads of the 40's selected for smaller animals and that trend continued into the 50's and even the 60's. By the early 60's bulls like Camilla Chance 37T (Canadian Collossal) were appearing that weighed 2800 or more.
With better performance testing and selection weaning weights climbed and mature size with it. The show ring of the 80's seleced for frame only, and many cattle got too big. The trend has been down again, but not all breeders will follow to the too small cattle.
Angus were originally selected for meat quality and polled characteristics, little regard was given for ultimate size, it was allowed to look after itself. The breed has a vast genetic pool of big and small that enables all the variation you see.
Jason Trowbridge Southern Angus Farms Alberta Canada
> got to agree, the one thing I like about the angus is the increadable deapth of the genetic pool. you guys have more bulls on an epd test in Mo than many breeds have total.