I wouldn't say that you're wrong but I would think that of all the native breeds, there was most scope in the AA to develop more terminal sire orientated lines. Would it be the case that one copy of the gene would be OK but look out if the calf carries two copies?
My understanding is that Shorthorns were used to improve the then Belgium Pied cattle, later Double muscled Angus cattel werer added. The Shorthorn used to be called 'The Great Improver'
Yeah, should have stated a single copy is allowed and put over dairy cattle should have no problems, beef hefiers are a whole different ballgame. I just feel it is being chased for the bonus in the factory (and why not, more money is always welcome) but if a farmer has a problem due to a single bull it will sometimes put him off an entire breed for life.
I've only ever heard the Whitebred SH bring referred to as the great improver.
not sure what the basis in fact of that is, though
I don't know. I'm guessing a lot of cattle in the past has plenty of scope for improvement.
And you know that because.........?
Have an Angus bull here who leaves great calves and easily enough calved to most cows. However, we have learned from bad experience that we can't use him on BB cross cows as the calving problems were terrible and the calves we do get are almost the shape of pure BBs and pretty growth less too. That double gene theory probably is the reason.
I've got a box of old research papers in the shed, complete with B/W photos!!!! B/M Angus bulls were studied at in Aberdeen, but abandoned because the bulls had short scrotums and were poorly fertile, one of the researchers was from Belgium so the bulls were taken to Belguim and mated to the Belgium pied Dairy cows (which were also being crossed with SH bulls), selection on scrotal length removed the fertility problems and the end result is what we now know as the Belgium Blue. I'll try and find the paper but given that there are about 20 boxes of books and paper work I'm nae sure when.
Apparently he isn’t a double muscle gene carrier.
Elysium isn't the sort of bull I'd ever want to use, looks like he'd leave really hard keeping cows that took a lot of feeding, but maybe it's just a bad photo.
That Piedmontese combo will be unusual. I heard of research done in the US which indicated that the eating quality of round muscle i.e. double muscling, was much less than 'straight' muscle. So think of the difference between the hindquarters of a BB and a Shorthorn. Told to me by someone that had spoken directly to the professor , who was based in Kentucky IIRC.
Yes that is correct, more muscle = less eating quality as a rule (actual the true relationship is Less fat = less eating quality and more muscle = less fat). The DM gene in Piedmontese is unique because it increases muscle, decreases fat and increases eating quality .
