April Fool - red gene

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:36 am

Clive, the red heifer that you sold may well have turned out black, as did a mahogany coloured Outlaw steer of ours, years ago. He was out of a black cow, just as your heifer obviously had a black parent.
But.....please tell me, what was I doing looking for evidence that black-skinned red 'Wagra Bonfire' might be turning black, when both her parents are red? Pale skinned red, at that! Talk about feeling as though I had been April fooled, two weeks early. Thank goodness no-one was watching!!
Margaret.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:25 pm

Oops, I won't tell anyone. The dam of the calf that turned black is the one looking straight at you on the heading of the welcome page of Dexter Beef Online, Yes, she is black.

Clive

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:17 pm

Interesting photo. Interesting site. Hope you don't mind if I suggest that you change the wording to smallest Bos Taurus rather than smallest breed of cattle, because it isn't. Sorry if you think I am nit-picking, but yours is too good a concept to have it left open to criticism from the Nadudana society.
Margaret

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:30 pm

Thanks Margaret. I've changed it to "The Dexter is the smallest British cattle breed", which is off the DCS site.

Clive

Kirk- Cascade Herd US · Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:24 pm

Concerning the smallest breed of cattle, would it be even more accurate to say the smallest breed of European cattle rather than just British breeds? Of all the European breeds (Bos Taurus) including British breeds, is there a smaller breed?

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:01 am

We are made aware of just how small our breed is when we have to crawl through mobs of 1200 road cattle, and look out the car window at their underbellies. Every colour, huge European drafts, & huge humpy Indicus crosses.
Wonderful, beautiful creatures, but thank goodness they are that side of the state border, two minutes away from pushing on our fences, trying to get to our cows' grazing, and our cows' round bales! Some things we shouldn't have to be generous with.