Advice pls - Stumpy tails

[Donlin Stud]

Hi

I just had an enquiry about someone's Dexter with a stumpy tail and did I know how this came about: is it genetic: is it a problem for breeding etc.

I have no idea so may I have your thoughts and opinions on this to pass on

[lonecowhand]

Hi Donna, I have to say it, can't help myself: are they letting the Woollies pasture with the Moos?

[Donlin Stud]

Mar 25, 2015 22:57:04 GMT lonecowhand said:

Hi Donna, I have to say it, can't help myself: are they letting the Woollies pasture with the Moos?

That's still funny after my morning coffee

More to your amusement

I cant repeat the response given by a work colleague who owns commercial mixed moos when I asked the same question while we were making coffee but let me just say there was a reference to our aussie stumpy tail cattle dog in a similar context.

Caught me totally off guard

[cascade]

A defective recessive Brachyury gene is likely the cause... it occurs in all sorts of animals including cows and results in short tails.  They are using the gene in dogs to create bob-tails without having to cut tails off of puppies.   One version of the gene in dogs and cats is a lethal gene.

www.researchgate/publication/8534381_Brachyury_in_German_Holstein_cattle

[Deleted]

what are we talking about here? is it just shorter than they think it should be or are we talking about just a stub? If it is really just a stub not something I would want to use for breeding unless they knew this was the result of some sort of injury.

[genebo]

Ditto what Mike said.

Tails are like horns: they have a definite purpose and cattle without them are at a disadvantage.

Imagine if someone took your fly-swatter away from you, then tossed you out among the flies.

Someone wrote about this not too long ago, about their cow that lost part of her tail. A search of back posts may turn that up.