The price of feeder calves in today's market is influenced by their color. This is a result of the perception that color is related to performance and carcass value. This is a misconception as color alone is not even a good indication of breed in crossbred cattle. As a result of previous selection, however, most of the breeds of cattle are characterized by a basic body color or color pattern, such as spotted, solid color, blaze face or white face. It does behoove the cattle producer to understand the inheritance of color, enabling him to predict with some accuracy the color pattern of his calf crop and know how to change it.
Color in beef cattle is a qualitative trait that is influenced by only a few pairs of genes; unlike the growth traits which are quantitative and are influenced by a number of pairs of genes. It is therefore easier to breed for particular color patterns in cattle than it is to change performance traits.
Each animal has two genes for basic color, one received from the dam in the egg and one received from the sire in sperm. If you know what genes the sire and dam have you can predict what genes the calf will have.
All cattle basically possess one of three basic colors; black, red or white. The two genes each animal has for color can result in six possible genetic combinations. The gene for black is dominant to the gene for red; therefore, cattle with one gene for black and one gene for red (heterozygous) will be black. There is an incomplete dominance between the gene for black and the gene for white, resulting in cattle with one gene for black and one gene for white being a black-roan color. There is also an incomplete dominance between the gene for red and the gene for white, resulting in cattle with one gene for red and one gene for white, being a red-roan color. The gene for white is recessive, resulting in only cattle with two white genes (homozygous) being a true white color.
Another pair of genes determines if the color is diluted or not diluted. The gene for dilution is dominant to the gene for non-dilution. Cattle that have one gene for dilution and one gene for non-dilution or two genes for dilution will have a diluted color. Cattle with two genes for non-dilution will not have a diluted color. The dilution gene causes black to be diluted to gray and red to be diluted to yellow. Diluted white will still be white.