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Greater Profits With Black Baldy Cattle

By Eugenia Dickerson


Cattle ranchers around the world know that their profit margin is too small to withstand annual losses caused by infertility, slow maturity, and short life in their breeding stock. Black Baldy cattle are showing great returns for their owners by eliminating many of these and other problems with their hybrid vigor and superior performance. Ranchers who have seen as much as 20% greater performance ratings are spreading the word that this type of animal is worth investigating.

Black Baldy is the name given to white-faced, sable-bodied cattle that are produced by breeding a Hereford bull to an Aberdeen Angus cow. The white-face gene of the Hereford and the sable-color gene of the Angus are dominant, so the color of the hybrid crosses is remarkable consistent.

Breeding an Angus bull to a Hereford cow has been a common practice for cattlemen, since purebred Hereford calves can be large enough to cause difficulties for first births in heifers. The hybrid calves have a lower birth rate and a smaller head, making delivery easier. The results of this cross-breeding is vigorous animals that do well in feed lot situations or on the open range.

Baldies are becoming known for their docility, their fertility, and their longevity. They are also prized for their thriftiness, or the ability to thrive and grow under range conditions and to gain more weight on less feed in the fattening pens. They make excellent mothers, having ample milk for their calves and taking good care of them. All of these characteristics are valuable when raising beef animals for profit.

These results are part of what is called 'hybrid vigor'. Crossbreeding in any species usually brings the good characteristics of both breeds into prominence and eliminates the tendencies to genetic problems that show with greater frequency in every purebred generation. Both Hereford and Angus are sound animals with many good traits, and imparting new blood resurrects qualities that have been in decline in purebred herds.

In addition, Herefords are an especially strong breed. There are in fact more Herefords in the world than any other type of cow, experts say. This is partly due to the breed's docility and hardiness; these cattle thrive in almost any climate. It may also trace back to the British Empire, when these British cattle were shipped to many countries where the British were in control. Aberdeen Angus is another fine breed, especially noted for a gentle nature and the excellent taste of their meat.

Black Baldies, known as Black Herefords in the American northwest, have an advantage in areas where the sun is hot. Their dark skin resists sunburn, which can be a problem for cows with white udders. The great ranches of Australia, New Zealand, and the American plains are home to free-ranging herds that endure every extreme of weather, and the hardy Baldies are holding their own. Their weight gain to feed conversion ratio in the feedlot is another winning point for the crossbreds.

Black Baldy Cattle have raised profits in many herds by as much as 20%. Go online to see the results of studies and performance reviews and to find out where the crossbred animals can be found.




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