Our calf was finally born last night. She is lovely, but I am not at all sure what colour she is. She is not black, but has black pigment to her nose and eyes. She is by a red bull out of a black cow whose parents were one black, one red.
I have tried to include a photo, but I['m not sure if I have done it right!
Helen
She is a gorgeous little black thing, Helen.
We have a heifer by a red bull, the same colour as yours since New Year.
I hadn't seen her for a week, until I went for a walk to take a look today. My grand-daughter said that Eve had gone pitch black, and apart from a tuft of remnant brown under her arm-pits, she is pitch black and woolly in her new winter coat.
Margaret.
I would register that calf as black, it may retain the red tinge for some time, one of mine by a Dun bull out of a Red cow took nearly a year to go black, but once adult she is every bit as black as my other black ones.
From the same combination of parents you have 50:50 chance of black:red.
Duncan
Duncan MacIntyre
Burnside Dexters 00316
Burnside
Ascog
Isle of Bute
Hi Helen,
red will always have a pink nose and feet. If nose and feet are black the animal will turn black. I have had a few like this as I had a red bull, they always turn black.
As a newcomer to Dexterworld, I registered 2 of last years calves as red, because they were born bright red. Then they turned black, now at 9 months they have started to turn red again. And one of my black calves has quite red cheeks!. I've discussed this with DCS and they say not to worry, colour is regarded as a lesser characteristic and the registration card can always be changed. The important thing is to register in the first place.
The calf pictured I would just call black. But on the matter of reds turing black, what is the difference between a red which turns black and a brindle? I would have thought they are the same thing?
Thanks everyone for your answers.
This is only our second calf and our first was born jet black, hence our confusion.
I have registered her as black now.
Thanks,
Helen
our main stock bull jordeth apple is black, but he throws both colours, his dad was vatch hercules who was a red. i wonder if this is why certain calves are tinted when born! Jean jordeth
A lack of copper can bring about that brownish colour SteveM. A few years ago, I had to give our 1 year old heifers a copper salt block, as they all had a brown tinge to their coat. They turned shiny black in time and their conception rates were fine. Making sure your stock has access to a good multimineral lick, will give you healthier stock. Its done wonders for the general health of our herd.
We periodically get calves that carry red, being born with black noses and a red coat. They do change to a black coat, but in some seasons they can look redder than black. Almost like the black colour is incompletely dominant.
