Smoke Color Question

[Mueller Show Cattle]

OK, I am not familiar with how the color of calves work very well. I am looking to buy a couple nice PB Charolais heifers this spring to breed for smoke colored calves. The question I have is if I use a black bull am I guaranteed to get a smoke colored calf. My father in law has a white colored cow, don't know the breed of the cow, she came from the auction barn. But we have a papered PB black Angus bull, in the last 3 years, that cow has had a white colored calf with black spots all over the calf. What determines that? I want to make sure I get smoke colored calves, not white with black spots all over. I don't know what the breed of the white cow is but she always throws white calves with black spots when bred to our black Angus bull. If you had an all white shorthorn cow and she was bred to a black bull, will the calves be smoke colored? Does it have anything with the bull being homo black? But I have see alot of nice smoke colored calves out of Charolais cows bred to black clubby bulls that were not homo black. Just want to increase my odds if possible for a 100 % chance for a smoke colored calf. My father in laws white cow got me thinking. If someone could shed some light on how the color of the calf is determined, so I know I'm making the rite decision and not guessing. Thanks

 

[cpratz]

The only way you are guarenteed to get a white calf is to breed char to char. Your best to get a smoke would be too breed too Alias, Milkman, Texas Twister or another char cross bull.

 

[LLBUX]

The white cow you mention sounds like a White Park or possibly a white Galloway.(Very rare)  The speckles are hard to get rid of.      A smokey calf with speckles would be hard to miss.

Alias, Captain Morgan or similar should help with smoke calves although I'd breed them Angus for first calf.  Those others may cause you some problems at calving time.  Get a live calf first!

 

[JSchroeder]

Smoke is an incomplete dominance of a dilution gene.

When it's homozygous, you get the white color of PB Charolais cattle.

When it's heterozygous, you get the a diluted black/red which is what we all call smoke or light red.

Breeding to a smoke bull will only give you a 50/50 shot of getting the gene.  If you want a 100% chance of it, go with a homozygous black bull on your PB Charolais cows.

 

[HAB]

OK, I am not familiar with how the color of calves work very well. I am looking to buy a couple nice PB Charolais heifers this spring to breed for smoke colored calves. The question I have is if I use a black bull am I guaranteed to get a smoke colored calf. My father in law has a white colored cow, don't know the breed of the cow, she came from the auction barn. But we have a papered PB black Angus bull, in the last 3 years, that cow has had a white colored calf with black spots all over the calf. What determines that? I want to make sure I get smoke colored calves, not white with black spots all over. I don't know what the breed of the white cow is but she always throws white calves with black spots when bred to our black Angus bull. If you had an all white shorthorn cow and she was bred to a black bull, will the calves be smoke colored? Does it have anything with the bull being homo black? But I have see alot of nice smoke colored calves out of Charolais cows bred to black clubby bulls that were not homo black. Just want to increase my odds if possible for a 100 % chance for a smoke colored calf. My father in laws white cow got me thinking. If someone could shed some light on how the color of the calf is determined, so I know I'm making the rite decision and not guessing. Thanks

Big M,

Using a homozygous black bull on Charolais, will give you smokes.  The white cow in question must have some shorthorn in her.  

 

[Mueller Show Cattle]

Thanks guys. I am not going to be using my father in laws white cow for any breeding, it is just on the ranch for regular beef cattle production, not club calves. I will stick with the PB Charolais cows and heifers for the smokes. Jeff you explained it really well, so now I know if I breed the PB Charolais to black clubby bulls that are not homo black, I have a shot of getting a light red calf if not smoke colored and if bred to a homo black, I know I will get a smoke colored calf.

 

[dimebag]

Sounds like Who Made Who should work , Homo Black and heifer safe .

 

[Mueller Show Cattle]

Sounds like Who Made Who should work , Homo Black and heifer safe .

I did not know that WMW was Homo black, I have looked around different semen dealers that sell WMW semen but no one lists him as being Homo black. I like WMW and now with there being a clone (Who 2) which should be Homo black also if WMW is, should make some good smoke colored calves if he is indeed Homo black.

 

[dimebag]

Cattle Visions lists him as homo black , I've seen it other places also .

 

[Mueller Show Cattle]

Cattle Visions lists him as homo black , I've seen it other places also .

Thanks, I found it on Cattle Visions web site. I will remember that and use his clone (Who 2).