Testing for genetic defects in show cattle

leanbeef · Jan 7, 2012

I'm planning to test a heifer for TH / PHA and want to be smart about spending the $ to do it. I've heard some talk that carriers of TH / PHA have more hair / more muscle / more bone, etc...
Can somebody help me out and tell me more about which phenotypic traits might suggest a certain genetic defect status? Thanks!

kfacres · Jan 7, 2012

the best pheno traits, and the only way to know for sure without risking it... is to draw blood on all that have carrier parents...

Typically more bone/ hair leads to THC..

From what I have found, thicker, stouter big assed ones are PHAC..

All the "great" ones, are double dirty...

leanbeef · Jan 7, 2012

Thanks...That's the kind of information I was looking for. I plan to test for both if she's clean for the first, but don't want to pay for both tests if she's dirty for the first. I was hoping I could guess which one she might be more likely to be a carrier for if there was any way to guess...I'm going with the big assed PHAC.

DL · Jan 7, 2012

leanbeef said:
I'm planning to test a heifer for TH / PHA and want to be smart about spending the $ to do it. I've heard some talk that carriers of TH / PHA have more hair / more muscle / more bone, etc...
Can somebody help me out and tell me more about which phenotypic traits might suggest a certain genetic defect status? Thanks!

OK I am not sure what you are saying makes a lot of sense to me but here goes IMHO
-if this is a heifer that you are going to breed it would be good to know if she is a carrier or free of TH and PHA
-if you test for both at the same time it is generally cheaper per test than if you test one and then test the other
-cattle heterozygous for TH are generally thought to be straighter and have more hair - although no one knows genetically why there is more hair
-there is no real evidence that PHAC calves are "stouter" but people seem to believe they are
-cut the BS has it backwards more bone/hair doesn't --> THC, THC seems to --> straighter and more hair
-people seem to believe that double carriers are the 'great" ones - guess that depends on what you believe is great
-people are still surprised that they get TH or PHA calves - imagine that - breed a carrier bull to a an untested cow
-if you want to know for sure get the heifer tested

HAB · Jan 7, 2012

Pfizer only charges $30 for the combined test. That is pretty cheap to find out.

leanbeef · Jan 12, 2012

Well, maybe I should have done a little more research on different companies before I sent it in. I've been using Igenity, and the tests are $26 each, so my thinking was test for one and find out if she's a carrier for that...if she's clean, then test for the other. I'm not a "club calf guy" but I knew there was at least the perception of some correlation between TA and PHA and some other traits that are actually selected for, so I was playing the guessing game...hoping that if she's dirty for one, I might test for that first and find out before wasting money on the second test. If she's dirty for either one, she won't be staying around.

The heifer's mother is a Northern Improvement that was never tested, and that cow's mother was a Double Stuff and double dirty. Fingers crossed but not overly optimistic...

kfacres · Jan 12, 2012

leanbeef said:
Well, maybe I should have done a little more research on different companies before I sent it in. I've been using Igenity, and the tests are $26 each, so my thinking was test for one and find out if she's a carrier for that...if she's clean, then test for the other. I'm not a "club calf guy" but I knew there was at least the perception of some correlation between TA and PHA and some other traits that are actually selected for, so I was playing the guessing game...hoping that if she's dirty for one, I might test for that first and find out before wasting money on the second test. If she's dirty for either one, she won't be staying around.

The heifer's mother is a Northern Improvement that was never tested, and that cow's mother was a Double Stuff and double dirty. Fingers crossed but not overly optimistic...

guessing games kill cows and calves.

leanbeef · Jan 12, 2012

That's why I'm not guessing... I said I was testing the heifer. If she's positive she won't get bred.

I raised her mother and sold her before the whole TA/PHA thing ever came about. Not before they were discovered, obviously, but long before they were hot button issues and discovered to be rampant among popular, current bloodlines. The heifer I have I bought in a group of calves from the guy who bought his cows from me, and now that I know what I know, I'm testing her to see if she's a breeding heifer or a killing heifer.

Testing for genetic defects in show cattle

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