Breeding Angus with Ankole Watusi

Producer Question from 2010

Q: If we breed pure Angus with a pure Ankole Watusi cattle, does the offspring retain the the gene for horns? (February 1, 2010)

A: Assuming that the presence of horns in Ankole Watusi are controlled by a single gene that is recessive in nature (i.e. must have two copies of the allele to have horns) then when mating them to homozygous polled Angus, the corresponding calves would be polled but carry the horned allele (i.e. heterozygous).

Dr. Matthew SpanglerDr. Matthew Spangler, Assistant Professor of Animal Science
Animal Science, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE