Best bull new or old to add color

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CMesser14

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I have seen a lot of marked cattle being shown lately and was wondering what everyone thinks is the best bull to add a little color to a herd.
 

Easy Peasy

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My vote is for 2tone. Ive got one that is awesome yellow and white chubby stout one with hair dripping off him. Need to get a picture.
 

CMesser14

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I agree with that from the pictures I have seen on Rodgers' and Lautners' blogs. I have seen a lot of red calves out of him though as well and I wonder how he will work on simmi-angus cows. If anyone has any personal experience or pictures I would love to see them. Thanks
 

leanbeef

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Spot genes are recessive, so you need to have some color on the dam's side as well in order to get color out of any sire. You can make white faces and such out of Angus cows or other females that don't have recessive spot genes, but don't expect loud spotted calves out of cows like that, no matter what you breed em to.

If your SimAngus cows have some color on the Simmental side--i.e. a spot gene, a white or blaze face, or white legs--you could get color out of those bulls. And if these females are actually baldies or have white feet or bellies, you're a lot more likely to get more chrome.

There are some dominant genes that make color out of solid cows--the white or roan gene in Shorthorn will share dominance, and a white face like in Hereford is dominant...you get the white face every time. Matings to solid colored cattle (like Angus) can produce calves with goggle eyes or brockled face markings...those face markings are on the solid animal's side and can only be expressed in conjunction with the white face. Just keep in mind that crossbred cattle that are heterozygous for dominant traits will only pass the gene on to 50% of their offspring, so a white faced bull that has one solid parent won't throw all white faced calves.
 

CMesser14

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I agree and that is why the only way I have been able to insert color into any of my calves is with a hereford influenced bull or just a plain angus bull on black baldie cows. I just wonder if you have that gene how much white I will start getting on the body by using a bull like two tone.
 

leanbeef

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CMesser14 said:
I agree and that is why the only way I have been able to insert color into any of my calves is with a hereford influenced bull or just a plain angus bull on black baldie cows. I just wonder if you have that gene how much white I will start getting on the body by using a bull like two tone.

Neither Angus nor Hereford have the spotting genes like you'll find in Simmental & Maines. I would imagine you could get a little chrome out of Hereford cross cows using a bull that carries a spot gene, but I doubt you'll have many that have much more than some white on the faces, feet, bellies, flanks, and tails. The higher % Angus your cows are, the less likely you are to get excessive white. If you have used a Simmental bull that carries a spot gene like most any baldy bull or a bull like Lucky Dice, Lucky Strike, or Lucky Man, you could easily have some females that carry that recessive spot gene and don't express it. They could be practically solid colored and still transmit a lot of white when you mate them up with a bull that also carries a spot gene. I would be suspicious of any Simmental pedigrees or animals that have white on the face, belly, tail, or feet...those are probably spot carriers. But don't take that to mean that one with no white is NOT a carrier...that can happen, too!
 

CMesser14

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What about Lautner bulls? I've seen a lot of colored calves out of Lautner sires, but like leanbeef said I am guessing this gene comes from the dam in most cases.
 

CMesser14

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Has anybody seen or talked to Lautners about their 2013 bulls? Many of them seemed to have a lot of chrome and Dakota Gold reminded me of MAB in his color and frame.
 

CMesser14

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That true grit looks like a nice WA son! What does everybody think of the look of Springsteen and General Lee?
 

Barry Farms

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Jan 21, 2013
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General Lee looks really thick and stout in the videos. He is (I think) probobly homo black so IF that is the case he will not have red calves but could have smokes w/ char cows. I do not like to breed to carriers but he is really thick and has socks which I like so next year after he is available thru places like Cattle Visions I might try him. I only order from cattle visions because I am also in MO so I can get it shipped here easier and faster than it would be else where. I know what first day shipping is too.
 
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