Char cows and color

[Show Heifer]

What color of calves would you get if your bred char cows to    A. Homo Black Bull              B. Heter Black bull                C. Gelbvieh                D. Black Angus                E. Maine                   

How does the diluter gene factor in?

 

[kk]

Smoke or cream with diluters maybe a rattail or some chocolate colors

 

[randiliana]

OK, assuming that these are your true, white charolais.

A. Homo black would give you various shades of grey. Anywhere from almost white to almost black.

B. Hetero black would give you various shades of grey AND various shades of tan.

C. Gelbveih would depend on what color. Homo black, same as above, hetero black same as above. Red would give you various shades of tan.

D. Black Angus would be the same as A or B, depending on whenther the bull was homo or hetero.

E. Maine would give you tan calves. Some might be spotted as well, because Char can carry the recessive spotting gene.

The dilutor gene (that the Char carries) is a dominant gene. What this means is that if the animal carries the gene it will be visible. A homo dilute animal will be white, a hetero dilute animal would be either gray (black base coat) or tan (red base coat). Charolais are genetically RED and Homo Dilute.

 

[Show Heifer]

Thanks randiliana. I have a friend that has char cows and was tired of using red bulls, but they do not want choc or rat tail calves. So I guess it is back to red!

 

[braunvieh]

We use Charolais on Braunvieh bulls occasionally and you get a nearly white calf with dark skin and hooves, never had a rat tail and sometimes get a smoky. Here's a picture.

 

[muleman]

what is a rattail?

 

[randiliana]

Rat-tailed calves are usually mouse grey, have short, curly and sometimes sparse hair and lack normal tail switch development . They are often seen when crossing Charolais with Angus (or other black cattle). Can also happen when using Simmental and very rarely Hereford crossed with Angus.

 

[simtal]

what is a rattail?

a conspiracy made by cattle buyers that these cattle are poor doers and often sell a few cents back of their black hided contemporaries

 

[Cowfarmer65]

This conspiracy of cattle buyers came about from them getting burned by buying smoky coloured calves that would not finish. They were Holstein X Char crosses.............they now steer clear at all cost.

 

[TWR]

We've used several different clubby bulls on PB char cows.  We noticed that the higher % maine bulls usually give us more rattails along with any simmi in the background.  I won't mention any names but a popular PB Maine gave us the most rattails along with our 3/4 maine herd bulls. 

Usually bulls with the red gene give better hair when mated to PB Char cows, although you get alot more tans and not as many smokeys.

 

[CAB]

 Wouldn't a good SH bull be the ticket on Char/Char cross cows. You shouldn't get any greys or rat tails.

What do you think Randiliana? Brent

 

[randiliana]

No, you wouldn't get any rat tails, they should all come out tan. But depending on the bull you use, you would possibly get roans or spots. Might not be a problem, but if you're selling commercial cattle, spots and roans might cost you something.

 

[Show Heifer]

This conspiracy of cattle buyers came about from them getting burned by buying smoky coloured calves that would not finish. They were Holstein X Char crosses.............they now steer clear at all cost.

Actually for several years a group of rattail calves WON the feeder calf competition (where they fed them out and graded them etc) that USDA MARC center in Neb.....  So much for the theory that they "don't feed well."

 

[FutureBreeder2013]

Does anyone got a picture of a rattail calf?

 

[Hoosier]

Rattails do feed out alright, but I'd hate to have a bunch of em runnin around come winter. Any of em that I've ben around are thin hided and haired and, even in southern Indiana, they sometimes can't take the cold like a good haired one.  We had a couple in a lot a few years back that were in good health and doing a world of good until a big winter storm hit and they froze to death.

 

[cdncowboy]

what is a rattail?

a conspiracy made by cattle buyers that these cattle are poor doers and often sell a few cents back of their black hided contemporaries

It's not really a conspiracy theory.  I have seen quite a few "rattails" on feed, most are exactly that poor doers.  Some would feed alright, but as a whole they would end up the tail enders of the group,  and they really didn't do well through the winter.  Not sure how they fair in warmer climates, but in the Canadian winters they are not what you'd want, nor what the cattle buyers - who take orders for the guys feeding them - want either.