White on Angus

[Air gator]

A few times I have seen folks give a heads up about Angus bulls that produce purebred calves with white...not exactly sure if that is just white hair, white udders and/or white skin. I think there was a post about Gar Sleep Easy throwing white and there was a post about Gar Prophet producing white. How common is it for an Angus bull to produce enough white to a point the calf is not eligible to be registered? Has anyone had that problem? I think it is common to see Angus cows with some white on their udders...I think I have seen this on some bull's ads. So I get this straight...it's OK to have white hair and some white on the udder but you can't have a white spot on the body where you can see it...

 

[jscunn]

To be registerable the calf cannot have white on the underline 1 inch in front of the pizzle or any where on its body above the underline..

unless...

it is a birthmark. (Birthmarks will be white hair on black skin not pale skin)

 

[Son of Butch]

I think pizzle is officially spelled navel.
White on udders is not uncommon, white in front of navel is uncommon on purebred black angus,
but is fairly common on angus crossbreds.

 

[crimsoncrazy]

In the last GAR sale they were selling quite a few bulls as not registered i'm assuming from too much white.

 

[Air gator]

Butch,
Thank you for the translation!

Crimson,
I missed that connection. I don't look at their catalog very often.
So, it happens more often than I would have thought.

I guess the rule on the color was because of 'breeding up' to purebreds instead of only registering fullbloods.
Thanks for the info. It would be pretty disappointing to have a really nice calf with too much white.
I guess they could convert and become a Simmental?

 

[Ebenezer]

That's why they make black shoe polish!

 

[Son of Butch]

Nope, according to my google search, black shoe polish was started exclusively for British military use for their
soldiers boots in 1795 and was not well known as a purchasable product prior to 1906.

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

Ebenezer-a hot branding iron applied to the offending white burns it off and instantly makes the calf registry eligible.

The things we learn as the years pile up

Saw this done at a seedstock outfit at their spring branding before going to grass.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

"I guess the rule on the color was because of 'breeding up' to purebreds instead of only registering fullbloods."
FYI - there is NO "breeding up" in the Angus breed. Not sure if you were joking?? Simmental can be upgraded, but must be Simmental genetics.

 

[skeeter swatter]

Excessive white plus horns reminds me of my schaff bulls experience.

 

[farmguy]

Many years ago when the push was suddenly for large cattle such as Simmental we had a neighbor who had a Holstein dairy herd and as path to retirement had a herd of registered Black Angus. He sold registered Angus bulls. I was just a young man then but I remember that his Angus cows started to have white on their bellies and udders. After the dairy cows were gone he had a retirement auction. I went with a friend who wanted to buy an Angus bull and this friend wanted the old style beef bull. I remember him saying that the bulls looked like Holsteins. Make of this story what you will but those cattle were registered and went on as breeding stock. farmguy

 

[rain dance]

Have been told white on the udder and underbelly comes from Angus breeders crossing with Holsteins way back.

 

[Ebenezer]

Have been told white on the udder and underbelly comes from Angus breeders crossing with Holsteins way back.

Was a widely used sire and semen is still out there from him. It was accidental. Probably more than one from the looks of Angus in the 70's which were on purpose. Angus have always had white in them. Just want the right amount in the right places. I'd rather have a little white than bad feet and legs, hard doing or bad attitude.

 

[rain dance]

If it happened a accident is very unlikely. Angus have always have white? I doubt that. Black is so dominant over the white that a Angus Holstein cross is usually close to solid black if not completely black.

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

In 2009 I purchased a fairly expensive angus bull from a registered breeder in Gordon, Nebraska. That bull had no white anywhere on him but if he was mated to a cow with the tiniest bit of white, he took the white to the extreme. I had calves with white socks, complete white underbellies, white on the forehead. I was pretty darn unhappy with that bull and he more surprises in store for me. The white was just the beginning.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I have been breeding beef cattle since the late 60's and a percentage of Angus always had "some" white. Back then, if they had a red calf born, they would hide it or kill it. They didn't want anyone to think they didn't have purebred Angus. No one knew about the recessive red gene back then. Little did they know that they would be worth good money some years later.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

In 2009 I purchased a fairly expensive angus bull from a registered breeder in Gordon, Nebraska. That bull had no white anywhere on him but if he was mated to a cow with the tiniest bit of white, he took the white to the extreme. I had calves with white socks, complete white underbellies, white on the forehead. I was pretty darn unhappy with that bull and he more surprises in store for me. The white was just the beginning.

Hmmmmmm............. sounds like that bull gave you more than you bargained for.

 

[Ky hills]

In 2009 I purchased a fairly expensive angus bull from a registered breeder in Gordon, Nebraska. That bull had no white anywhere on him but if he was mated to a cow with the tiniest bit of white, he took the white to the extreme. I had calves with white socks, complete white underbellies, white on the forehead. I was pretty darn unhappy with that bull and he more surprises in store for me. The white was just the beginning.

Hmmmmmm............. sounds like that bull gave you more than you bargained for.

Definitely does sound that way. From what I have seen of the disqualifying white on Angus it isn't near that extreme. I have seen some white on the belly or maybe a little on the flank area, those occurances make me a little skeptical of the actual breeding behind them. The extremes of white socks and white on the foreheads make me wonder if there could have been a mistake as to who the sire of that bull was. Doesn't sound like an Angus bull to me, even one from a line that is known to sire some excess white.

 

[Son of Butch]

I have been breeding beef cattle since the late 60's and ....
Back then, if they had a red calf born, they would .......kill it.
No one knew about the recessive red gene back then.

WOW!
Tell us more Miss Information about the dark ages of 1968.
Were those Red calves killed with stone axes and burned on alters?
I guess that was before the enlightened 90's when feeding out cattle was invented.

No One Knew!
IF only someone would have read Gregor Mendel's 1866 paper which included PUREBRED Recessive Traits.
Funny how after his death in 1884 his work ever became known as Mendel's Laws of Inheritance by 1900 and
went on to being taught in universities and yet no one knew in the late '60s.

Oh well, it has been foretold the final generation would believe themselves to be better than their fathers.

p.s.
Did you know colors were invented by a Wizard in Oz in 1939?

I've seen news reels from the 1930's about the Great Depression. Life was just black and white with shades of grey.
Even the grass was grey, no wonder everyone was so depressed!

 

[Ebenezer]

In 2009 I purchased a fairly expensive angus bull from a registered breeder in Gordon, Nebraska. That bull had no white anywhere on him but if he was mated to a cow with the tiniest bit of white, he took the white to the extreme. I had calves with white socks, complete white underbellies, white on the forehead. I was pretty darn unhappy with that bull and he more surprises in store for me. The white was just the beginning.

Hmmmmmm............. sounds like that bull gave you more than you bargained for.

Definitely does sound that way. From what I have seen of the disqualifying white on Angus it isn't near that extreme. I have seen some white on the belly or maybe a little on the flank area, those occurances make me a little skeptical of the actual breeding behind them. The extremes of white socks and white on the foreheads make me wonder if there could have been a mistake as to who the sire of that bull was. Doesn't sound like an Angus bull to me, even one from a line that is known to sire some excess white.

My bet it was a well known, highly promoted and widely used bull of that era. This is not a tale of the Lone Ranger!