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Post by bffarms1 on Sept 8, 2014 16:54:07 GMT
I am finally getting ready to test our first round of calves. What tests do you all recommend? Being newer to the breed, and brand new to testing I'm looking for opinions on what tests to have done. I am thinking we need to have all of the tests done with the exception of polled vs. horned.
With the color tests do you recommend doing both the dun and the red/black extension on each animal?
Thanks in advance for answering my newbie questions!!! |
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Post by lakeportfarms on Sept 8, 2014 17:38:25 GMT
Yes, for your first tests it helps to have it all done. Better yet if you can test the sire and dam of your calves, because that can help you determine if you have any obligates such as chondro, PHA, or A2 milk, which may make it redundant to test your calves if you already know some of the results of the parents. Then genotyping and the obligate test results from Legacy will save you money on your calf tests you need to perform.
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Post by jamshundred on Sept 8, 2014 18:26:50 GMT
If you test with Legacy, your calf is automatically registered in the Legacy genotype registry. If the sire is tested elsewhere. . . Legacy will transfer his genotype to UCD so you can do parentage. I am guessing your bull is already tested . . at a minimum for genotype and PHA? I would first test the dam of the calf so you can have her parentage confirmed. I imagine the Dam is also a non-carrier of PHA. If both parents are tested non-carriers of PHA, Legacy offers a very nice obligate report. PAUSE ! ! All of this gets complicated to explain to a new owner and I don't want to confuse you. If you send me an email ( legacydatabase@aol.com) with the names of the parents of your calf I will look them up and then I can tell you how to test for the least money and the maximum information. Short of that, I would agree with Hans. I have a frugal side that dislikes watching owners pay for unnecessary testing so I always look for ways to help them save money! Here is the Legacy obligate report for PHA. They are also available for Chondro and A2. ( AND . . . . . Legacy honors the test results of other labs). obligate-PHA-LEG1372-Legacy Jams Binola.pdf (46.4 KB) |
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Post by bffarms1 on Sept 8, 2014 20:04:49 GMT
Thanks, Judy and everyone else for the responses!! I did send that e-mail off to you Judy and I really appreciate your help in this!!!
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Post by bffarms1 on Sept 8, 2014 20:08:32 GMT
Hans, I have 2 that I'm positive are chondro though no testing has been done that I know of. One is a bull and the other is a cow. I have 2 others that I am on the fence about whether they are chondro or not...will have to wait and see on that. Though I keep telling my husband the one is positive as she is the mother to the bull!! But we will see.
Thank you for your advice!!!
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Post by jamshundred on Sept 9, 2014 16:46:37 GMT
All of the foundation cows are traditional lines and all but one is genotyped and in the Legacy registry. If I were to guess on the chondro - based on the pedigree only - I would pick the cow whose name starts with S and the one with C. They both have chondro in the bloodlines. It would have to come off the dam side of the pedigree.
I get very excited that more and more breeders are discovering that carrier cattle ARE the Dexter breed and are adding them to their breeding programs. And. . . when I see breeders ( especially newer breeders) who make very disparaging comments about the carriers or question why anyone would own them. . . . I know they never have!
Judy
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Post by bffarms1 on Sept 9, 2014 18:15:00 GMT
Thanks for your help Judy!! I'm sure both S and C are....C especially since our one bull came from her and I have no doubt that he is a chondro carrier. I absolutely was like some of the newbies, there was no way we were having chondro carriers as I was scared to deal with it, especially when you see all the pictures of bulldogs and read about the "lethal" genes.
However, after visiting with Shaun and meeting our little bull (he was barely 1 month old) I fell in love. I went armed with questions, and Shaun helped me to understand that having a chondro carrier is not a bad thing. That little guy helped to. When we left that day neither he nor his mother were on our list of animals purchased...much to my dismay!!! But within a few months I had convinced the others that we needed him, and for all of us it is a love affair. He is sweet, gentle and loves to play.
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Post by bffarms1 on Sept 30, 2014 12:27:47 GMT
I finally have my first test results. Boy it was like opening a christmas present when I got the e-mails. A surprise inside!!
With Judy's help we have been working on finishing the tests of our foundation herd before starting on this years calves. Judy called the two cows right, both Saraid and Corey tested as chondro carriers...which I was sure they would, and I am very excited about that. Also Saraid tested for Black carries dun, which I did not expect, and was pleasantly surprised.
Now, as soon as I get home I'm going to go pull more tails hairs so I can get started on the rest. I have 2 more I think are carriers (1 bull, and 1 cow), and I am wondering on two of our calves born this year as well.
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Post by lakeportfarms on Sept 30, 2014 12:45:23 GMT
It is rather fun to get the e mail isn't it? As contrasted to Texas, where you have to wait for the mail to arrive several weeks after sending in the hairs. Congratulations on your results so far, it gives you a good start on determining other tests you'll want to run on the remaining ones in your herd. You got off to a great start with nice foundation Dexters too!
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