red sheen to a black hide??

[SteveO]

I have looked all over for the answer to this. Some of my angus have a bit of a red tint to the end of the their black hair. I seem to remember it is a lack of a mineral but can't for the life of me find out which one it is.
Help please
Steve

[BlackWillowFarm]

In goats it's a copper deficiency. Don't know about cows.

[agmantoo]

Red sheen on the topside from shoulders and back a ways is indicative of copper deficiency in black hided cattle. Unsure about the tail part. A good loose mineral supplement fed free choice is the corrective measure.

[InvalidID]

Magnisium or fescue toxicity if I recall correctly..

[SteveO]

Thanks
It is probably the fescue as it got ahead of them for a while. They do have minerals but seem to eat very little? Not sure wht that is either?
Steve

[mamahen]

If your water is high in iron, that takes some of the copper away!

[springvalley]

And here I thought it was just sun faded black hair. GO figure. > Thanks Marc

[65284]

That happens too, Marc. I keep my black Dexters on an adequate mineral program and their backs fade to a reddish color in the summer sun. When they shed off their summer hair coat in the fall the red tinge goes with it.

[Ronney]

Steve, you may find this thread helpful:

Copper supplement?

Copper deficiency is not something I take lightly and don't throw mineral blocks at them in the hope that it will right the problem. Copper deficiency can lead to unthrifty cattle despite adequate feed, infertility, loss of milk production, diarrhoea, and fragile bones in calves and yearlings.

Marc, moulting and sun fading can look very similar to copper deficiency which can make it very hard to pin point which is which. The fading around the eyes can often be a dead giveaway to copper deficiency and if the animal is unthrifty as well, it can be almost guaranteed.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[PaulNKS]

It's not fescue toxicity. Most likely a lack of mineral. Feed a good quality free choice mineral year round.

[DJ in WA]

If you really want to spend some money to know, you could have a blood sample sent in.

If you have decent mineral out, and they are in general good health, and reproducing like they should, personally I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm not sure if the hair on black angus is supposed to be perfectly black. My Jersey/angus cow was black with red tinge and I assumed the reddishness was due to the Jersey mix. Angus used to include both blacks and reds, so who knows what's in the mix.

[sassafras manor]

Ronnie - what would be your suggestion to correct a suspected copper defeciency if you already have the best available loose mineral available? We use Purina Wind & Rain and have a calf that falls under your description and at this point think this might be the problem.
Thanks - Matt

[Ronney]

Matt, when I suspected copper deficiency I got the vet out to do a blood panel on a mixed aged cross section of all my cattle - weaned calves, yearlings, heifers, older cows. All showed a very marked copper and selenium deficiency despite my land not being copper deficient.

I inject copper, usually annually, and this ensures that each animal gets a dose - mineral blocks or free choice minerals, apart from not supplying the amount of copper required in truely copper deficient animals, are also only as good as what each animal will take and are too hit and miss. Copper can be toxic to stock which are not deficient therefore blocks or free choice are never going to have sufficient copper (or other minerals that can be toxic) in them to correct a deficiency.

Once I started injecting the condition of my stock improved out of sight.

You mention a calf although not it's age. Have you considered BVD? which will show similar symptoms in cattle under 24 months of age - diarrhoea and unthriftiness.

Vets here are not cheap either but I think we probably tend to use them more and in the long term in pays off to know what the health status of your stock is if you have problems that seem to have no reason. Through using vets I know I have a copper and selenium deficiency and supplement them with the result that my stock are in better health, better producing, and grow well. I know I have Neospora in my herd so don't keep any replacement calves from Neospora cows, they get fattened and sent to the works. I know I don't have BVD so only buy in replacement cows or bulls that are certified BVD clear.

Probably a bit more information than you wanted but hope it helps or gives you something to think about.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[grammajudy]

We used to have a red angus; she was a darker red than a jersey. Maybe there is a little red angus in that black angus.

[Awnry Abe]

Could a heavy worm load contribute to the appearance of red tint? I am not suggesting that it is, but my neighbor made that observation about one of his and suggested that it was.