Red Angus
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Red Angus is a red coloured breed of beef cattle selected from the American population of Aberdeen Angus cattle.
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[edit] Origin
The Red Angus breed originated in Scotland. Scottish Aberdeen Angus cattle have always been a mixture of black and red animals. Although the black was more fashionable the recessive red gene still produced some red animals[1]. From the founding of the Aberdeen Angus herd book in 1862 red and black animals have been registered without distinction, and this is the case in most of the world. The American Aberdeen Angus Herdbook stopped registering red calves from 1917, leading to reds becoming very uncommon in the American population. Since 1945 some cattlemen have selected out the few red calves, believing them to have advantages of heat tolerance and the ability to cross with other red breeds without introducing the dominant black colour. In 1954 the Red Angus Association of America was founded, based in Sheridan, Wyoming. Registration was conditional on meeting performance targets to create a superior breed. This breed is now popular in countries like Australia, and is famous for its beef.
Red Angus are now a popular breed of cattle, and were 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.