RED AND BLACK

Brangus are solid coloured and either black or red in coat colour.  

Like their parent breed, Angus, these two coat colours (red and black) in the Brangus breed are the result of genetics passed from sire and dam. An additional coat colour (white) arises from the use of Brahman in the breed’s background and genetic combination  Stud breeders select their seedstock according to which coat colour (red or black) they wish to produce.

To understand the genomic explanation:

‘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… 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.’*

Red is a recessive gene, so animals that are red are most likely to have homozygous (double) red genes. Genetic tests^ now available will trace which combination of coat colour genes any animal is carrying:

>  ED/ED: Homozygous dominant black 

>  ED/e: Dominant black/recessive red  

>  ED/ E+: Dominant black/wildtype  

>  E+/e: Wildtype/recessive red  

>  E+/ E+: Homozygous wildtype  

>  e/e: Homozygous recessive red

Black Brangus cattle should display black coat colour, dark nose & hooves.
Red Brangus cattle should display red coat colour, with light/pink nose & hooves.

The Australian Brangus Cattle Association represents both black and red Brangus cattle breeders.

 
*Colors in Beef Cattle, BC Allison, NCSU,(link)

^ Neogen