White heifer disease

[tamarack]

I had a really nice white shorthorn heifer that I tried to AI. I had a ai tec from the collage doing my ai for me and he was stumped couldn't find a connection to the cervix and finally gave up said he hadn't been stumped by this before as he taught ai for more than 10 years. In talking to a fellow shorthorn breeder he said "oh that's called white heifer disease" after I googled it sure enough there is such a problem in the shorthorn and belgin blues breeds any one else have this problem? I have a number of white shorthorn cattle and never had a problem.

 

[Aaron]

Really surprised that for a Shorthorn man, you didn't know about that. Never seen a white Shorthorn until I seen some on the show circuit out west, no one ever kept them here.

 

[Lucky_P]

Uncommon, but it happens; my understanding, from some friends who have been Shorthorn breeders their entire lives that it's pretty rare... and some have opined that upwards of 90% of 'white' Shorthorns are actually roans... you just have to really hunt for the few red hairs they have.

 

[tamarack]

Thanks for reply guys, When I bought my first purebreds from a older grower he was giving me some advice and told me to ring every white bull calf as they would never sell. I have been breeding for mainly red but the market has changed if I had 5 whites a year I could sell everyone and at a premium at that, and next popular are roans go figure.