COLOUR IN CATTLE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 19, 15 October 1937, Page 43 (Supplement)

COLOUR IN CATTLE

Breeder's Task with Markings

"TT is difficult for cattle breeders * to maintain correct colouring and markings," says'Mr A. J. Tanner, in "The Australasian." One of the hardest things breeders have to contend with is maintaining colouring and markings in cattle. Of course, from a butchqr's point of view this is not a very serious point, provided the beef is of first quality; but for the stud breeder it becomes a more difficult proposition every year, with the competitiou in the show ring becoftiing keener. " * It is remarkable how easy it is to ruin a herd through trying to follow colour only, and there is. no question that we in Australia are far more particular in our show rings with regard to colour and markings than any other country in the world. This does vnot apply more to any one breed than another. .To most cattle breeders Aberdeen Angus are black, which is quite true, but a very black animal is about the worst -one can have in. the herd. and this is the result of breeding without any thought of watehing for running out. Many will disewrd a femaie or a bull beeause of the little white underneath or brown in the undercoat, iurgetting that the cattle of this breed a few years ago bad white bellies and that many wero duns, browns, " aiid sometimes reds— in fact, there are quite a number of red herds in exist- . ence to-day. Too. Much of One Colour. Breeding from too much black has exactly the same result as breeding from any two whole colours. If one eontinues to mate white \vith White, the cattle very soon become so hard. an'd thin-skinned that they are unable to stand up to the climatic conditions. If red is bred to red for many gpnerations the cattle become bard-loOking and shallow in the flesh. Tbe same applies to Aberdeen Angus. Every studmaster who has watched his breeders carefully will tell one that Aberdeen' Angus cows showing white on the udder or a bit of white in front are not only the bes^ doers, but -the best mothers, and this also applies to brown ' showing in the undercoat; bfcrt. unfortunately young breeders often think that animals showing these 4aaUtfes are not purebred. White Sires Valued Let us take a lesson from . the Scottish Shofthorn breeders. They do not diseard a bull beeause he is white — in fact, he is often iooked upon - as a blessingc— a blender or colour-corrector — and is used judiciously with matrons which possibly are producing stock showing signs of hardness if mated with reds. Of course the Hereford is one of the hardest breeds of cattle m which to keep the colour right, and the white and red markings must be kept in the coirect place. White outcrops on the backs probably appear more frequently than most of the other incorrect markings ; possibly this is a throwback to the old Teeswater cattle or Longhorns, many of which had a long white splash of white down the middle of' th« back from the neck to the tail, and exactly the same marking is seen on many run-out scrub cattle in Queensland, with the colour of the other parts of the body practically the Same as that of the Longhcrns of England. Yet not one of the breed has been imported into Austraiia. However, eurprises in the colours of cattle are no more remarkable than those in other live stock. How often do we see black and piebald lambs in flocks of sheep which have been very carefully bred for many generations, and without black ever being introduced since they first came to this country. Consequently it is not sur-

prising that we get Inisfits in the way of markings in Hereford cattle, A red spot will appear on the cheek of an animal, which, of course, will debaar it from winning in the show ring in good company, and it would be risky to use a bull with this marking in a stud, although if a really good bull otherwisc, he might giet only a few calves with the blemish and improve many herds, perhaps getting excellent steers;' but in most cases buyers would pass him over for a bull not half as good from a; conformation point oi, view, but jcorrectly marked. Accidents of Birth. Where the black m Hereford eomes from it is very hard to understaud, apart from |he black in the horn and in the nose. Not many years ago the lattter was Iooked upon as a virtua and not a fault, as it was considered a eign of cofistitution but how black spots or patches come out the way they do occasionally, it is difficult to fathom. I Animals which have produeed % numher of winners have been condemned for little spots of this kind, there being no sigp of the blemish in 'the progeny, and Hereford calves have been faorn as black as Aberdeen Angtm with all the pther markings as white and true as.puye Hereford, but have failed to show trace from whai branch of the family it has come. As a matter of fact, some cows. will continue to throw . badly-marked calves, whatever bull they are mated with. The same applies to some bulls which are of wonderful colour and markings, but give one a great ehoek when one sees the results of their mating with cows which may neveg havp thrown badly-marked calves. Texturs of Hajr. Just as much, if not more, importance should bq attached to the texture of the hair as to the slight blemishes in colour and markings-— -it ifl generally ..the bost indication of the qttality of the llesh. Directly the coat •begins to get short, harsb, or bristly in' the slightest degree, that is/ when the others start to creep in, ana that is when we lose the quality for which we are strivingi. A black spot appears to me more like a birth-mark than anything else, especially if it is on a beast with a soft, curly coat, and showing no signs anywhere ejse. It is a very different thihg to black up the tail, with a bristly feel undei the hand and a harsh coat, or black running down into the hoof , accompanied by harsh hair, which is definitely dangerous," and to b'e avoided at all costs ; but unf ortunately to-day many of these minor marking faults are ysed in such a way that the cattle not only lose prizes, but we lose quitt a number of valuable animals that are used purely for the production oi steers for the market, but which, i! used for herd purpqses, would improve many of our herds.' If many of the sires which are mosl Iooked for in the pedigrees pf our hesl cattle were in the show ring to-day, they very probably wonld be among the first to put out owing to these colour blemishes about which we are so f addy. Quite a number in practically every beef breed could he mentiom ed, but in former years the breedcri were looking for- beef qualities and conformation before all other poii$*s: and it is possible we in Australia wil be doing the same in tbe not very di» tant future.