Black Baldy is a type of
crossbred beef cattle produced by crossing
Hereford
Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a populatio ...
cattle with a solid black breed, usually
Aberdeen Angus
The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Angus in north-eastern Scotland. In 2018 the breed accounted for over 1 ...
. The term is particularly used in Australia and New Zealand. In North America, the term "Black Whiteface" is also used in some regions. They are becoming common in the upper Midwest US.
It is characterized by a white face similar to the Hereford, but the red body color of the Hereford is replaced by black from the Angus. This is because both the
allele
An allele (, ; ; modern formation from Greek ἄλλος ''állos'', "other") is a variation of the same sequence of nucleotides at the same place on a long DNA molecule, as described in leading textbooks on genetics and evolution.
::"The chro ...
s for white faces and black coat color are both
genetically dominant in cattle.
Black Baldy cows are noted for their good mothering abilities. In addition to general
hybrid vigor
Heterosis, hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. An offspring is heterotic if its traits are enhanced as a result of mixing the genetic contributions o ...
expected with a crossbred, the cross also produces black skin, which in sunny climates reduces the prevalence of sunburn on bare skin, such as the
udder
An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep. An udder is equivalent to the breast in primates and elephantine pachyderms. The udder is a single mass h ...
of the cow. Angus bulls are also mated with Hereford
heifer
Heifer may refer to:
* Heifer (cow)
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult femal ...
s in an attempt to produce smaller calves and reduce
dystocia
Obstructed labour, also known as labour dystocia, is the baby not exiting the pelvis because it is physically block during childbirth although the uterus contracts normally. Complications for the baby include not getting enough oxygen which ma ...
during birth.
The prevalence of Black Baldies significantly increases wherever cattle breeders switch from the traditional Hereford herds to the Aberdeen Angus breed.
A cross of Hereford cattle on predominantly black-colored dairy breeds results in a similarly marked crossbred called the
Black Hereford in Britain and Ireland.
Cattle crossbreeds
Hereford cattle
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