This does not seem to be the same genetic variation that is seen with frosting.Ĭolor in Highland cattle is something that, if so inclined, you can select. They will also sometimes demonstrate lighter colored stockings, usually more evident on the rear legs. Highland cattle will often show wisps of hair on their topline, tail switch, or poll, that is a lighter color than that of their body, for example, red with blondish tips.

Frosting appears to be different from what I will call Highlights.

If that hypothesis is correct, at least one parent must be frosted and pass the frosted allele to see this in the offspring. It appears to be caused by a single dominant allele, but at what gene and locus is presently unknown. I have seen frosted cattle in red, yellow, black and dun. As the calves age into maturity, they tend to lose much of the frosting, but the tip of the tail always stays, and generally the poll will retain evidence of frosting. Frosting is most commonly associated with a very dark, mahogany red that may appear to be brindled, with the points of frosting being a startling white. These cattle are usually born apparently solid-colored, but as they become older calves they develop frosting: the top of their head and the tip of their tail always seems to show evidence of frosting, and some of the more dramatic examples will have a ridge of frosting along their topline, and even a heavy overcoat of white hair. Such an example is what is most commonly called Frosted cattle. The color patterns apparently are on top of the base color of the animal. Some colors patterns are not specifically identified, and the cattle are generally registered as one of the six solid colors or brindle. Red cattle carrying two copies of the Abr allele may well be responsible for those cattle carrying very distinct and dramatic brindling while those with a single copy may be less dramatic and even difficult to determine as brindle, particularly in a long haircoat. Black, dun and silver totally mask the alleles necessary to produce brindle. Any cattle carrying a single dominant black gene ED cannot be brindle, even though they may carry the necessary other alleles and may pass those on to their offspring. The two alleles confirmed at this location in Highland cattle are A and Abr The Abr allele is required to produce brindle cattle but will only manifest itself if those red colored cattle carry the wild-type allele E+. To confuse the issue, the A locus (agouti locus) may affect those animals that appear red. Charolais cattle have a different mutation on the PMEL gene that produces Charolais white and Shorthorn white occurs due to a mutation in a totally different gene. White in other breeds is not always due to the same combination of alleles. The gene controlling the deletion or dilution of color is the PMEL or SILV gene. The gene controlling black/red color is the MC1R gene (melanocortin 1 receptor), at locus E (extension). Each locus has a name, each gene has a name and each allele has a specific designation. So, a chromosome will have a multitude of genes within it each gene may have a number of variations (alleles) of which usually only two can be found on the normal chromosome at one time, and the locus is the location on the chromosome where the specific gene is found. An allele is a variant or mutation of the gene that effects the same function but with a different result (black vs red for example). A gene is the part of a chromosome that is responsible for producing some specific function, (in this case, coat color) in the organism. At this time parti-color females are not permitted to be shown in any AHCA sanctioned show and parti-color males may not be registered in the American herdbook.Ī chromosome is a bundle of DNA found within the cell that codes for a multitude of genetic traits. Parti-color is accepted for registration of females only and is really only a designation of excessive spots of a color on a base of a different color, and does not address what those base colors may be (such as white spots on black, white spots on red, etc. Those are black, dun, silver, red, yellow, white and brindle. Presently there are 7 colors accepted for registration in the American Highland Cattle Association. Color in cattle can be a very confusing subject if you don’t have a feel for genetics and you don’t know what colors are “normal” or accepted for the Highland breed.

Black highland cow