Black Dexters and the Sun - Bleached?

[Jamie]

Do black dexters get bleached a browny colour by the sun?

Thanks in advance,
Jamie

[redhill]

Jamie
Our Dexters just shine like little black beetles, I dont think Gloucestershire gets enough sun to bleach them . Having said that our Duns do get blonde highlights in their fringes during summer, and our blacks that carry the red gene do have a red tinge when they are loosing their winter coats. do you know if your Dexters are red carriers ? Best wishes Sue, Castlemears Dexters ...Forest of Dean

[Colin]

Yes I've noticed the black ones with a red gene have red tinges in the sun, the red coloured animals go a lighter colour. And the jet black ones (without the red gene) are a very shiny black.

Colin

[Jamie]

Is the bit of red on the black allowed in the show ring?

Thanks,
Jamie

[wagra]

Some black calves have a brown stage, but black cows that go brown, either down the legs or even further up can be evidence of copper deficiency in this region.
About 1/8th of a teaspoon of copper sulfate per head will have them gleaming black in no time, BUT....it is not a safe ingredient to overdose on.
Margaret.

[Inger]

We've had Red animals go orange during Summer, but the Black ones stay black and we get a lot of sun where we are in NZ. Once the Winter coat falls out, the Black animals are a lovely glossy black.

Yes Wagra, we've had heifers showing a brown tinge coming through and when a copper mineral block was put in their paddock, they devoured half of it within two weeks, before slowing down their consumption and gradually changing to a full black colour. The same doesn't happen to the cows as they have a mineral block in their paddock all the time.

[Broomcroft]

Some of my reds have gone orange and black cows going "brown". So I've just put a copper lick in the field where there aren't any sheep. See what happens in two weeks!



Edited By Broomcroft on 1215942904