A Cattleman's Thoughts

This is a collection of thoughts from Edward's experiences, ranging over 40 or so years of Brahman cattle breeding and study in livestock function. This is aimed at provoking thought and discussion between current breeders, new or long-standing within the breed. While this has been presented in sections, we hope that the reader starts to realise that that an animal is a complex system of inter-related functions, and this introduces the concept that trait such as growth, fertility and adaptability are not independent of each other.

Poll Genetics & Simple Inheritance Explained

The recent release of a gene marker test for the poll/horn trait in Bos indicus cattle has allowed us to distinguish animals which are homozygous for the polled gene (PP) i.e. those animals which do not carry the horn gene. This article aims to provide a background in simple trait inheritance, required for understanding poll/horn inheritance and predicting mating outcomes using different combinations of poll/horn genotype.