Q&A for How to Identify Black Angus Cattle

Yes, some of the purebred Angus bulls will have white, but they won't be true full-bloods like the original Aberdeen or Scottish lines that are pure black. According to the American Angus Association, any animal that has white on or before the navel (closer to the chest) cannot be registered.

Some do, some don't, it just depends on how they're selected and what genetic lines they come from. Some cows with their breeding can look like "gutless wonders" with seemingly longer legs, and other cows are massive barrels with a huge rumen that make them look like they have short legs.

Angus cattle have black or grey tongues that are pink underneath. They might appear blue or a smoky-blue in different lighting conditions.

To be registered as Angus, through the American Angus Association, you must have papers for both sire and dam of that calf, and verify that the sire and dam of that calf is Angus. So to be registered as purebred Angus, the ancestry of each generation must be legitimately Angus. However, it's been known that there has been some influence of other breeds in the Angus breed. There is no documentation about this, but it would have to take at least 5 or more generations for consistent breeding with registered Angus bulls for cattle to be registered as Angus. But, in the rule book, any parentage of a calf that is unknown makes it illegible for registration. Please be aware of that.

Angus cattle tend to have high quantities of intramuscular fat, making the meat quite tender. They are genetically prone to developing intramuscular fat, and will gain more if they eat higher quality feed. Tenderness also has to do with how the meat is prepared and where on the cow's body it comes from.

An Angus cow may only produce around 10 kg (22 lb, 10 L, or 2.64 gal.) of milk a day. That's a third to a quarter of what a Holstein cow typically produces daily.

She could be Jersey, if she's a big milker and has a black nose, black hooves, and deep brown eyes. She could be Guernsey too if she doesn't have the black on her hooves or nose and has a lot of white with the tan patches. It's hard to tell without any more details.

It's hard to know what kind of breed or even breeds were secretly used to create bigger cattle. It could partly just be due to the selection of bigger heifers and bull calves, sending the smaller ones off to slaughter since they were (or are) seen as "inferior" as far as $/lb is concerned. There is some suspicion that continental breeds like Limousin, Simmental, or possibly even Maine Anjou have been used to get bigger cows, but this is just rumor. Selection by producers is the biggest and most likely reason.

Yes. While there is some relation, it may not be so much as to cause any issues with genetic abnormalities in resulting calves. It's somewhat linebreeding, but not quite.

She'll leak milk if she's close to calving. She'll leak milk and lactate after calving. It just depends on her particular situation, which wasn't mentioned here.

Sounds like you came across an Angus cow (most likely cow, seeing as bulls are rarer). But she could've been a mutt too, since black cows aren't necessarily Angus; they can be a conglomeration of breeds including Angus, Limousin, Simmental, Maine Anjou, Brahman (if she had slightly longer-than-normal ears), etc. You didn't mention if she was horned or not, so I'm thinking she's predominantly Angus.

Definitely! It's nothing to worry about.

Likely it is a cross between a Black Angus bull and a Hereford cow, sometimes called a black baldy.

There's a 25% chance of occurring. Genetically this can only happen when both the bull and the cow are what is called "heterozygous" for the red color gene. Color genes act in pairs, with one dominant and one recessive (or two dominant; or two recessive). In cattle, the black color gene is dominant, the red is recessive. So if there's a black and red gene in the pair, the black color shows up. Red can only show up if there are two red genes paired together. That's why you got the red calf from that dam and sire.

Ideal slaughter weight will depend on the animal's frame size. Moderate-framed cattle are going to be targeted to have a slaughter weight of around 1200 to 1400 pounds. This is influenced by both dam and sire.

Often this is an indicator of copper deficiency. Black cattle tend be much better at showing this symptom of mineral deficiency than brown or even white cattle. Rarely is this brownish or reddish tinge genetic; that lasts even if the animal is not suffering from some sort of mineral deficiency.

No. Any breed or cross that is predominantly black have black tongues. This ranges from black Simmentals to predominantly black Holsteins.

You will need to talk to the breed association about this. I am more concerned about genetic abnormalities and the like with such a breeding program--especially since there's no papered animals--than anything.

No, this is more of an inside joke between cattlemen than anything else, especially if there's a Black Angus cow that's acting as a great surrogate mother to a Charolais calf (which is white).

Some weird genetic mutation caused your Angus heifer to get a pink tongue instead of black like most Angus calves. The other breeds that are not black all tend to have pink tongues. So, chalk it up to genetics!

As long as she's productive (raises a good calf every year), good to work with, and you still like her, there is no set time to when you have to send a cow to slaughter. That depends on you and your management scheme. If we're talking about a feeder steer, that also depends on your management. Grain-finishing generally takes them to be finished by around 2 years of age; grass-finishing takes them up to 3 years of age before slaughter.

Get a weigh scale or use weigh tape. Sometimes a keen eye from an experienced cattleman/woman helps, too. You get more accuracy when putting them on a weigh scale, though.

This isn't entirely true. Both breeds are determined by their genes, registration papers and herd book history. There are a lot of breeds out there that have the black hide, but Angus is still Angus, and is not just a skin color. Taste is much more to do with what the animals were fed and how the beef was cooked than breed. There is virtually no difference in taste or texture between two breeds that are genetically very similar.

This is a huge open question. Contact a beef nutritionist to know what to feed them to get good gains, based on what feeds you have available. Clean water needs to be accessible all times. Have a good mineral program (your nutritionist will help you with that) as well. Good fencing and adequate shelter are also important. Check regularly for any sick animals. Talk to some local farmers for more direct, specific questions you may have. Finally, your veterinarian is also a good resource to rely on in case of trouble.

Normally the eye color of Angus cattle is a deep brown to almost black. Very rarely do you find any blue-eyed cattle, Angus or not.

Bulls should naturally have a hump over their neck and shoulders. This is indicative of a healthy, mature, masculine bull. This is more to do with genetics than what you feed them. However, proper nutrition that allows bulls to build muscle is also important, and part of the "cause" for a bull's hump to exist.

Yes. There are some RA (Red Angus) cows and bulls that have what's called "black points" over the face, legs, and dorsal stripe down the back, and still, is genetically able to be registered as a purebred RA. This includes having a black nose! Such a colour pattern isn't common, but when it comes out, they sure make for some handsome head-turning cattle to see!

Newborn calves are usually reddish but turn darker (black) as they get older. This is totally normal for the Angus breed.

The "chocolate colour" is often a sign of copper deficiency. Cows (and bulls) that are copper deficient have reddish-tinged hair over their backs and sides. This is likely what you're seeing, and unfortunately, is common in Canada and the USA. Normally, though, Angus are always all black (some with some white before the navel).

Angus cattle do not have horns. They are genetically polled, which means they do not have the ability to grow horns.