Red Angus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Red Angus is a solid red, pigmented breed of cattle. This breed is bred for its beef, and is highly fertile.
Contents |
[edit] Origin
The breed of Red Angus originally began in Europe, and was introduced to England and Scotland from during raids. However, in Europe at this time, there was need for a heavier cow to be used for pulling draughts. English Longhorns, a large breed of cattle and red in colour were brought in and bred with the black polled breeds native to Scotland. This resulted in the red colouration of the Aberdeen Angus.
After the union of England and Scotland in 1707 a higher demand in beef cattle arose for farmers. In 1795, in the midst of the French Revolution the beef and grain prices went up higher still. Farmers found that finishing their own animals would definitely bring in more of a profit, so the native polled cattle of these regions in Europe were mainly meat animals.
Angus is the only breed of cattle in the world that started out bred exclusively for beef. This breed is a popular breed now in countries like Australia, and is famous for its beef.
As it was fashion in those times to have black cattle, red cattle were few. This could have gone either way. Red cattle, however, are just as strong and just as capable as black cattle. Since black is a dominant gene, most calves are black except when:
- both parents are red
- one parent is red, and the other is black, but carries a red gene
- both parents are black, but each carries a red gene.
However, it is a one in four chance that red calves will be born when both parents are black, carrying a red gene. Red Angus are now a popular breed of cattle, and was ranked 9th on the U.S. list of registered cattle in 1990.
[edit] Characteristics
Red Angus have all of the characteristics of Black Angus. The cows are hardy, and all grow quickly. They produce marbled meat like that of the Black Angus, and their meat is also highly desired in butchers, supermarkets, restaurants, and in the home.
[edit] Genes
As mentioned before, Angus can have a number of different coat colours. This has a lot to do with the colour of the parents and the genetics in both of the parents. Basically, both of the parents will have two genes that determine the colour of their genes. In the tables below, it shows the two genes a parent will have, and the 1 in 4 chances the calf will have a certain gene as well. The colour of the calf depends on the colours of both of the parents, as well as the recessive genes of both of the parents.
- When both parents are red, all calves will be red.
- When a black parent carrying a red gene is mated to a red, 50% of the calves will be black, and 50% will be red.
- When both parents are black, but carry a red gene, 75% of calves will be black (1/3 of these will be black non-carriers, 2/3 red carriers) and 25% will be red.
- When one black parent carrying the red gene is mated to a black parent, all of the calves will be black, but will carry the red gene.
In the tables below, r represents the recessive red with B being the dominant black gene.
| Parents: | Parent 1 gene 1: Red | Parent 1 gene 2: Red |
|---|---|---|
| Parent 2 gene 1: Red | r | r |
| Parent 2 gene 2: Red | r | r |
| Parents: | Parent 1 gene 1: Red | Parent 1 gene 2: Red |
|---|---|---|
| Parent 2 gene 1 : Black | Br | Br |
| Parent 2 gene 2: Red | r | r |
| Parents: | Parent 1 gene 1: Black | Parent 1 gene 2: Red |
|---|---|---|
| Parent 2 gene 1: Black | BB | Br |
| Parent 2 gene 2: Red | Br | rr |
| Parents: | Parent 1 gene 1: Black | Parent 1 gene 2: Red |
|---|---|---|
| Parent 2 gene 1: Black | BB | Br |
| Parent 2 gene 2: Black | BB | Br |
