Mandalong Super Flag

[librarian]

Did this bull carry double muscling? Does ASA have a genetic defect code for the myostatin mutations? Angus acknowledges two myostatin mutations and it hasn't hurt them.

 

[Cabanha Santa Isabel - BR]

 

[sue]

One of the very first bulls my dad used AI .

 

[justintime]

Did this bull carry double muscling? Does ASA have a genetic defect code for the myostatin mutations? Angus acknowledges two myostatin mutations and it hasn't hurt them.

I have never heard of any offspring of Mandalong Super Flag that had double muscling issues. I don't know if he was ever tested or not.

 

[Okotoks]

I am pretty certain he didn't carry myostatin. He was imported by my sister and brother in law and shows up multiple times in many pedigrees, 40 to 60 times in some cases and I don't know of a double muscled issue. I did have Super Flag tested for TH and PH and his is free of both of those. We test all our herd bulls for myostatin now and are currently pulling hair to test this years bull calves. We have tested some already. I am attaching a photo of a white bull calf out of a two year old Mandalong Super Flag heifer. He is myostatin free (by Diamond Lord Belmore 56B). She raised two calves this year an orphan blue steer and her own! Her calf weighed 577 at 186 days and she was 1029lbs. so 57% of her body weight and the blue steer weighed 543 lbs! That's all on grass no creep feed.

 

[jaimiediamond]

A picture of Diamond Decor 38D and his "brother" Blue with their mother who was a April calf herself.  Decor was born March 20.  Their dam raised 1129lbs which is 91lbs more than her fall body weight.  We are really pleased with her

 

[sue]

I am pretty certain he didn't carry myostatin. He was imported by my sister and brother in law and shows up multiple times in many pedigrees, 40 to 60 times in some cases and I don't know of a double muscled issue. I did have Super Flag tested for TH and PH and his is free of both of those. We test all our herd bulls for myostatin now and are currently pulling hair to test this years bull calves. We have tested some already. I am attaching a photo of a white bull calf out of a two year old Mandalong Super Flag heifer. He is myostatin free (by Diamond Lord Belmore 56B). She raised two calves this year an orphan blue steer and her own! Her calf weighed 577 at 186 days and she was 1029lbs. so 57% of her body weight and the blue steer weighed 543 lbs! That's all on grass no creep feed.

You test by way of the Angus marker for Double muscling? Should we test all shorthorns or just certain blood lines?

 

[jaimiediamond]

When Igenity tests for Myostatin they test for all 9 variants.  We have been testing all of our herd sires and bull calves regardless of bloodline

 

[librarian]

Is there semen on Winalot Big Mac that could be tested?

 

[Cabanha Santa Isabel - BR]

What bull are double muscle carriers?
Where we can find a full list of carriers for all tests, not only DS, TH and PHA?

 

[jaimiediamond]

1) I believe Winalot Big Mac was not collected so there may be no way to test him. This applies to a number of old sires in North America with no proof speculating does nothing to fix the problem, testing is the only way you can. 

2) When purchasing genetics one can request tests that are important to maintaining the integrity of a good breeding program.  I am implementing step 2 to my program. 

3)  Food for thought Belgium Blue cattle originated in central and upper Belgium. Local red-pied and black-pied cattle were crossed with Shorthorn cattle imported from England from 1850 through 1890.  I suspect those Shorthorns may have been Myostatin carriers. Information from http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/belgianblue
 

 

[Duncraggan]

jaimiediamond, I thought you had been banished to the Canadian internet wilderness, welcome back, been a long time since I saw a post!

 

[Willow Springs]

Big Mac was collected, I actually have one straw, and Duane Farrar or Milt Hennig might have some. I know another fellow who has a few straws.

 

[jaimiediamond]

jaimiediamond, I thought you had been banished to the Canadian internet wilderness, welcome back, been a long time since I saw a post!

I actually took a trip of a lifetime and went to Australia to look at the genetics I am most interested in.  During that trip I got very ill and it turned out I was pregnant and have been one of the lucky women to have hypermesis gravidarum.  Now at 6.5 months along I am starting to feel human again and tada I am back!
 

Big Mac was collected, I actually have one straw, and Duane Farrar or Milt Hennig might have some. I know another fellow who has a few straws.

I actually was talking to dad this morning and he let me know that Big Mac had been collected and he even used him by AI when I was 4 going on 5! We have no semen left to test but it would be interesting if someone that did have semen was willing to destroy one to get the results. 

 

[librarian]

I'd kick in to help compensate for the cost of the semen if anyone else would. A few people putting in $25 could cover it, I imagine.
Seems like ASA could help fund testing on influential sires to improve the data base.

 

[huntaway]

I have had a couple show up in the past 5 or 6 years that I would be confident they had it but I did not test just culled.
How does the gene work, is it a recessive like TH or DS where it doesn't always show the phenotype?

Mine have contained Both Belmore Jackaroo and Eionmoor Ideal close in the pedigree and are now A bit careful what I put over Jackaroo daughters.

Okotoks or Jaimie have you tested the wentworth bull you used?

 

[sue]

I have had a couple show up in the past 5 or 6 years that I would be confident they had it but I did not test just culled.
How does the gene work, is it a recessive like TH or DS where it doesn't always show the phenotype?

Mine have contained Both Belmore Jackaroo and Eionmoor Ideal close in the pedigree and are now A bit careful what I put over Jackaroo daughters.

Okotoks or Jaimie have you tested the wentworth bull you used?

Eionmor Ideal 69F ?

 

[huntaway]

I have had a couple show up in the past 5 or 6 years that I would be confident they had it but I did not test just culled.
How does the gene work, is it a recessive like TH or DS where it doesn't always show the phenotype?

Mine have contained Both Belmore Jackaroo and Eionmoor Ideal close in the pedigree and are now A bit careful what I put over Jackaroo daughters.

Okotoks or Jaimie have you tested the wentworth bull you used?

Eionmor Ideal 69F ?

Yes 69F. He is on both sides of the 2 I have had.

 

[librarian]

Maybe it's easier to find semen on 69F and he could be tested?

Huntaway, it's believed to be a simple recessive, but there is a wide range of expression in heterozygous animals. As mentioned, there are 9 known variants distributed across several breeds. Here's a good description of the variants. https://tlbiolabs.co.uk/products/bovine/myostatin

 

[huntaway]

Maybe it's easier to find semen on 69F and he could be tested?

Huntaway, it's believed to be a simple recessive, but there is a wide range of expression in heterozygous animals. As mentioned, there are 9 known variants distributed across several breeds. Here's a good description of the variants. https://tlbiolabs.co.uk/products/bovine/myostatin

Ok the expression in the heterozygous animal was what I was wondering. Both bulls are trait leaders for EMA and have quite expressive Muscle patterns. Belmore Jackaroo also goes back to Big Mac through Shadybrook Scotty.  I have no semen of either bull left so testing a son with both bulls in his pedigree won't help eliminate sources.