Skunk tale calves

[Nesikep]

Hereford is good at that. We started out with herefords and 5 generations later I've still got lots of calves with white tail "flags".. I found white socks will usually be accompanied by white tail tips, but not necessarily the other way around. This year I have 3 white footed calves, all 3 with white tail tips, and another couple with just white tail tips. It really stands out when they're young and the tail is clean, once they're older you don't notice it anymore.. Around here you don't get docked anything for white tails, though I haven't seen and real skunk tails go through.. You will get docked for a lot of white/roan... So shorthorn calves get mistaken for longhorn... Cream colored char's are OK though.

The answer to skunk tails is... SPRAY PAINT!

 

[deenranch]

The Simmi will also do it.

I can't recalled that Simmi will throw skunks and I don't think I ever seen any skunks out of Simmi. But in this situation, it was this Charolais bull that is responsible for these skunk calves.

I agree Taurus. Now some crazy color can pop up from the old Fleck influence, but never a skunk tail.

I guess it is the Black Angus that is creating the skunk tales! If you'll read my post, I am refering to the Simmi/Limmi cross cows with Angus bull. Those cows have had a lot of skunk tails.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I like the way the Simmi folks letting on like the Fleck's are a different breed.

 

[Taurus]

I can't recalled that Simmi will throw skunks and I don't think I ever seen any skunks out of Simmi. But in this situation, it was this Charolais bull that is responsible for these skunk calves.

I agree Taurus. Now some crazy color can pop up from the old Fleck influence, but never a skunk tail.

I guess it is the Black Angus that is creating the skunk tales! If you'll read my post, I am refering to the Simmi/Limmi cross cows with Angus bull. Those cows have had a lot of skunk tails.

I did read your post very well, just not buying it that the skunks came from Simmi.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I like the way the Simmi folks letting on like the Fleck's are a different breed.

Not sure what you mean by that. The Simmi today is very different from the original, but yet still carries the milk and muscle of the Fleck (along with the neck and some color!). That is why we have separate registration certificate status; Fullblood (Fleck), Purebred, and Percentage. You can never go back to Fleck from a purebred status. I guess it depends on what your definition of "breed" is. It is said some of the best cows carry 1/8th of Fleck in them.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

A Fleck is just another name for a fullblood simmi. And your modern simmi does not carry the muscle nor does it pass as much muscle on to its offspring as will a fullblood simm. From what I see your modern simmi does not milk as well. I am well aware of definitions of fullblood and purebred.

 

[RoanDurham]

A Fleck is just another name for a fullblood simmi. And your modern simmi does not carry the muscle nor does it pass as much muscle on to its offspring as will a fullblood simm. From what I see your modern simmi does not milk as well. I am well aware of definitions of fullblood and purebred.

same way I see it.

 

[charangusman08]

See that on the Chars here. The good new is they are still worth a lot of money.

Not around here they're not. Sometimes go 10-20 cents less per pound depending on weight of course. Neighbor had skunk tail calves few years ago and sold some steers at 700 pounds, the solid black sold for 15 cents more than the skunks. But anyway we will see what happens with these calves. Oldest one is 45 days old today and is a monster...so maybe it wont be as bad as i think.

 

[Taurus]

See that on the Chars here. The good new is they are still worth a lot of money.

Not around here they're not. Sometimes go 10-20 cents less per pound depending on weight of course. Neighbor had skunk tail calves few years ago and sold some steers at 700 pounds, the solid black sold for 15 cents more than the skunks. But anyway we will see what happens with these calves. Oldest one is 45 days old today and is a monster...so maybe it wont be as bad as i think.

Can you post some pictures of these skunk tail calves? I'm curious to see what they looks like.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Is there a market to sell your own meat straight to the consumer and avoid the sale barn altogether?

 

[Taurus]

Is there a market to sell your own meat straight to the consumer and avoid the sale barn altogether?

I think he will have easy time to get rid of these skunk calves by drop them at the sale barn. Sure he may lost some money on the skunks but not that much money loss.

 

[cowgirl8]

Sim.....char...totally different chrome....if you're getting it out of a cow that looks sim or char and you bought the cow, it probably has longhorn in it somewhere. And it will come out years down the road too. As it washes out through generations, you'll still get the white tail without the rest of the white many many generations down the line out of the blue..

I got into the chrome issue in several threads. Where i live at least, ranchers put longhorn bulls on their heifers because their calves were easy calvers and hardy. Thats where the LBW angus was invented. That got rid of those skunk tail chrome buyers dont like and calving ease. They see a skunk tail, that carcass weight is going to be light, hence the lower price paid for chrome like this. You have sim chrome, buyers know hanging weight will be high.
This is a calf out of my daughters pasture ornament. The calf is half registered angus, yet still looks full longhorn. And as you can see, isnt anywhere near the size. Buyers are sharp, dont think that if you send in a calf with some long horn blood in it, it will go past them unnoticed.. The buyer is looking for a growthy calf, and this marking is a red flag...

 

[cowgirl8]

I have been getting skunk tale calves out of my black and red cows bred to a Charolais/Red Angus cross bull. I do not get why this is happening. 20 cows are black and 27 are red. The guy we bought the bull said the reason is because the cows have Simmental in them. Is this true? We have had about 20 calves so far and 15 have had white bellies and a white stripe down there back and tail. Some of the red cows I know have Simmental in them but don't think any of the black ones do. Thoughts?

You have longhorn in there somewhere. Where did you get your cows...And i sure hope the breeder you bought from didnt sell you something with longhorn in it. Not a sim marking.....

 

[RoanDurham]

That's not a skunk Tail marking from a char either

 

[cowgirl8]

That's not a skunk Tail marking from a char either

How do you get a marking out of a char? My husband showed a heifer in the 70s and anything out of it was either white or variations of grey when out of other solids. We even have descendants from this one char cow from so many years that just pop out. Just about every grey we have has her mixed in. Although, mix a red sim with a angus an you get grey also with or without sim markings.... If you mixed a char with a sim, you'd either get a grey or a sim marked grey, a regular sim, and possibly something that looks full char.....Skunk markings are longhorn....

 

[RoanDurham]

I'll be nice here because I see you're trying to learn but this whole topic is about skunk tail markings in Charolais cattle. All charolais are homozygous red in color yet only because they carry the diluter gene do they appear white. Some Charolais -though rare- are prone to throwing spots on the tail head and at times on the under line. It is a genetic condition and it is hereditary. Purebred breeders are doing their best to rid the gene pool of these lines, but because Charolais cattle are deluded in color, it is difficult to notice the white marks. This is more of a birthmark or like you would see in some people who have a white spot in their hair, and in my opinion, has nothing to do with the infusion of another breed.

 

[RoanDurham]

http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread ... etCookie=1

Click on this link and you will see examples of the skunk tail calves.

 

[cowgirl8]

I see, but if they are getting docked at the sale barn its because thats how longhorn crosses come out. I've never seen the char marked like that, but that doesnt mean i think a char cant be. I'm just saying that if you get that particular marking and wonder why you get docked, its because its a red flag there could be longhorn in the mix. Where i live it sale barn 101. And it could be that way down the line, considering the size of char calves, that possibly they picked that up from longhorns being used as heifer bulls. My calf is marked way more than we expected. Breed her to an angus and she may have a solid black. Breed that calf, boom, skunk tail.. 5, 6 generation of solid, you still get them. Its taken 40 years to get it out of our herd from roping calves way back in the early 70s. Where i live, longhorns were used a lot as heifer bulls years ago and you see it in almost every commercial herd still dotted around. But, this is new to me and i did learn.

 

[glacierridge]

Sim.....char...totally different chrome....if you're getting it out of a cow that looks sim or char and you bought the cow, it probably has longhorn in it somewhere. And it will come out years down the road too. As it washes out through generations, you'll still get the white tail without the rest of the white many many generations down the line out of the blue..

I got into the chrome issue in several threads. Where i live at least, ranchers put longhorn bulls on their heifers because their calves were easy calvers and hardy. Thats where the LBW angus was invented. That got rid of those skunk tail chrome buyers dont like and calving ease. They see a skunk tail, that carcass weight is going to be light, hence the lower price paid for chrome like this. You have sim chrome, buyers know hanging weight will be high.
This is a calf out of my daughters pasture ornament. The calf is half registered angus, yet still looks full longhorn. And as you can see, isnt anywhere near the size. Buyers are sharp, dont think that if you send in a calf with some long horn blood in it, it will go past them unnoticed.. The buyer is looking for a growthy calf, and this marking is a red flag...

Could also look like a pinz, but IMO they don't grow much better.

 

[tsonda4570]

I need to clarify my remarks. Skunk tails will get docked but any calf brings good money now.