CROSS BREEDING QUESTION

[reno1014]

I was wanting to breed a herford heifer to Ali who is a Main.
Does anyone have any idea what the calf might look like?

 

[red]

I'm thinking you'll have a black baldie.

Red

 

[pigguy]

black baldy or brokle face

 

[OH Breeder]

http://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/CowPatterns.html

Hereford x Black Maine

RW x Bb  RB Wb Rb WB

Likely to get a white faced black body but could get all black and reddish black calf

 

[AAOK]

My Father-in-law was in the Polled Hereford business for over 30 years.  He sold all his calves as commercial at the area Sale Barns, and always got docked on his red/white calves.  He finally bought a commercial "Angus" bull to produce black baldies.  He did get some black baldies, a few red baldies, some solid black, and an occasional solid red calf.  After several years of seeing his Grand daughters win show after show with their Home Grown Maine-Anjou heifers, he bought a Maine-Anjou bull from me.  This bull was neither homozygous black, nor homozygous solid patterned ( I'm talking back in about 1995).  He still got about the same mixed bag of colors in his calves, but received a premium at the auctions with his 50 lb. + higher than average weaning weight calves.  In 1999 I sold him a Draftpick X Streamliner solid black PB Maine-Anjou bull.  Many of his best cows by now were black baldies, sired by the "Angus" or the Maine-Anjou.  The last bull sired all solid black calves, smaller framed, deep, springing ribbed calves like the Herefords, but with the bone and muscle of the Maine-Anjou.  His calves topped the sale every time he hauled a load into town until he sold out in 2004 due to health reasons.

To sum up this tale: Your Ali X Hereford calf will look much better than it's Mama!