genetic advice

[cdl]

I have an angus cow that is a NH carrier. the question is, if i breed her to a clubby bull that is not a NH carrier will the calf be clean? Her last three calves have been angus. two nice hiefers and one bull calf that was born dead.

 

[Gargan]

there is a 50% chance the calf will be clean, and %50 chance it will be a carrier

 

[leanbeef]

Right...Regardless of the sire's breed, there's a 50/50 chance the cow will pass the gene for NH to the calf. Animals don't have to be purebred Angus in order to be carriers or to be affected. The chances of getting a clean or carrier calf will be 50% out of any NH-free sire of any breed.

 

[sizzler14]

my advice is put an egg in her and sleep good for 9 months

 

[BLSC]

So NH is a recessive disorder. If you breed her to a clean bull here are your chances: 50% carrier and 50% clean. No calves will "have" the disorder (the are simply carriers). Just like curly calf, th, pha, etc.

 

[Gargan]

Yes. If u breed a carrier to a carrier, u have a 25% chance of a clean offspring, %50 chance of a carrier offspring, and a 25% chance of a positive (affected) calf

 

[BadgerFan]

for example, I AI the "best" carrier cows and put eggs in the "just good cows".  Besides that, it's one strike against them.  If they screw up in any other way- breed late, look at me crosswise, raise a subpar calf, etc.- they are gone.  I'm down to only two left now.

 

[cdl]

Thanks for the help. I will consider all her offspring terminal as i don't want NH in my herd.

 

[RyanChandler]

Thanks for the help. I will consider all her offspring terminal as i don't want NH in my herd.

Honorable stand.

 

[BadgerFan]

Thanks for the help. I will consider all her offspring terminal as i don't want NH in my herd.

or test them...the clean ones need not be terminal.

 

[leanbeef]

It's a $26 test...if she isn't a pretty good cow, I'd consider shipping her. If she's worth keeping and using, then $26 shouldn't keep you from investing in the possibility that a nice baby out of her could be clean. I agree with the philisophy that it should be a strike against her...yes, it's manageable, but know the status of the cattle you consider keeping or bringing into the herd and manage that accordingly.

 

[BadgerFan]

It's a $26 test...if she isn't a pretty good cow, I'd consider shipping her. If she's worth keeping and using, then $26 shouldn't keep you from investing in the possibility that a nice baby out of her could be clean. I agree with the philisophy that it should be a strike against her...yes, it's manageable, but know the status of the cattle you consider keeping or bringing into the herd and manage that accordingly.

sounds like you're saying "use common sense".  I'll second that motion.

 

[leanbeef]

Well, if you wanna put it that way...lol

 

[RyanChandler]

are future mutations more likely from lines that have been known to previously carry the defect?

 

[leanbeef]

I wouldn't necessarily think so. It's not like every animal that carries a defect mutated into that situation. Most of them inherited it from a parent who inherited it from his/her parent. I don't think any of us know how many generations back that goes and where it originated. And I'm not sure there's proof that is was a mutation to begin with...or maybe it was. I'm not that schooled in the origin of any of those defects. When a bunch of defective calves started being born, they were traced to one carrier bull on both sides.

 

[RyanChandler]

I wouldn't necessarily think so. It's not like every animal that carries a defect mutated into that situation. Most of them inherited it from a parent who inherited it from his/her parent. I don't think any of us know how many generations back that goes and where it originated. And I'm not sure there's proof that is was a mutation to begin with...or maybe it was. I'm not that schooled in the origin of any of those defects. When a bunch of defective calves started being born, they were traced to one carrier bull on both sides.

Thanks for the reply.  I've pondered that question for a long time now.  I'm under the impression that while yes, most animals inherit the gene, the gene had to mutated at some point. Whether it was at that bull or even farther back in his pedigree I don't know.  I know logic doesn't necessarily apply here, but it seems logical to me that the likelyhood of a mutation is greater in lines that have previously carried it.  Perhaps this is silly thinking but maybe we can get someone more in the know than us to chime in. 

 

[cdl]

A google search revealed an article by dr. Beeler in which he says that the NH mutation originated in a bull called GAR Precision. He also stated that both parents of the bull tested clean of that defect. Every animal tested that resulted in a positive test traced back to that bull. It is an interesting article and worth reading if you are looking for more info on the disease.

 

[leanbeef]

XBAR...That's an interesting theory. I've never thought about that and never heard that theory before. I don't know if there's anything to that or not. I hope not!