Angus Cattle Facts, Characteristics, and Profile
Table of Contents
Introduction of Angus Cattle:
Angus is a breed of beef cattle, originating in northeastern Scotland. It is commonly used in beef production. The Angus breed cattle are quite the popular choice in Ireland today, placing in the Top Three most common beef cattle breeds in the country. Another name of these cattle is Aberdeen Angus, the breed originates from Scotland in the regions of Angus and Aberdeenshire. The strains from the two countries were crossed and recrossed over time until a distinct breed, so it is called as Aberdeen-Angus. Its ancestry is obscure, though the breed appears directly related to the curly-coated Galloway, sometimes called the oldest breed in Britain. The Angus breed was improved and the present type of the cattle fixed early in the 19th century by a number of constructive breeders among whom Hugh Watson and William McCombie were the most famous.
Physical Characteristics of Angus Cattle:
The characteristic features of the Angus breed are black color, polled head, compact and low-set body, fine quality of flesh, and high dressing percentage. The Angus are naturally polled and black or solid red in color. The actual color of this breed is black, but more recently red colors have emerged. In the United States, red and black Angus are regarded as two separate breeds. But in the United Kingdom, these two breeds are registered in the similar herd book. Today, the Angus breed is available and raised in many countries throughout the world. The udder of these cows may be white. The Angus is relatively small in stature compared to other cattle breeds. The average market weight of this breed is 1000-1300 pounds. These cows weigh an average of 550 kg, while bulls can weigh about 850kg, with a high muscle content. Their frame is classed as average-sized. The Angus are usually of good behavior and they have relatively calm temperament. Both Angus bulls and cows are relatively very easy to care.
Read: Red Sindhi Cow.
History of Angus Cattle:
The Angus breed began in the northern regions of England. Originally both black and red cattle were equally selected for in attempts to get high quality traits wherever possible. In the later half of the 18th century, the cattle of the Aberdeen – Angus counties of northeast Scotland were being heavily used for the improvement of other regional cattle herds.
The very first Angus were imported into the United States in 1873. George Grant, a Kansas rancher wanted to develop the Angus cattle as his primary breed and introduce it to the region as an ideal beef option. At their first public appearance in the 1873 Missouri Exposition, the Angus cattle breed was negatively received. At this time polledness was not yet appreciated for its benefits within feedlot cattle breed, and the black color was too different from the common red coloration seen in the familiar cattle breed. Angus ranchers, however, were not dissuaded and continued to promote the Angus cattle and also began to crossbreed it with the hardy Texas Longhorn. The results were polled, very hardy black color calves – a very appealing cross to past critics. A heavy importation of the Angus cattle breed direct from Scotland followed, at its peak 1200 cattle were brought in from 1878 to 1883.
Angus Breed types:
- Black Angus: The Black Angus is a large polled breed of beef cattle with a solid black color, and a short, compact body. Black Angus beef is popular with ranchers due to their ease of keeping and large amount of meat produced. Numerous byproducts can also be made from the bone, hooves, hide and fatty acids. These byproducts include gelatin, baseball gloves, shampoo, cosmetics, and crayons. The Black Angus cattle breed originated in Scotland in the mid1800s. Producers are able to use 98% of the bodies of beef cattle breed, either for meat or other byproducts.
- Red Angus: The Red Angus breed has the exact similar origins of the Aberdeen Angus. The Red Angus cattle are similar in conformation to the Aberdeen Angus, medium in size with a beefy carcass. It is red in color with pigmented skin and naturally polled, when crossed the red coat color is passed on to the calves. Red Angus cattle females reach puberty at a young age are highly fertile and are renowned for their longevity in the herd. Red Angus females have excellent milk production and have a strong maternal instinct. Red Angus breeds are considered by breeders to be gentle natured and easy cattle to work. This breed produces a highly desired car case with the meat being of superb quality, this is due to the intramuscular marbling.
Temperament of Angus Breed:
Temperament varies extensively throughout the breed. In general, Angus has a reputation for being calm and good-natured, though perhaps not as much so as Herefords. The Angus is very popular breed cattle, however, and popularity tends to attract incautious and sometimes unscrupulous breeders. Therefore, some bloodlines have produced in the cattle that are unstable in temperament. In some parts of the continent, Angus (bulls, cows, and steers alike) has even earned the reputation for being wildly aggressive. On the whole, Low line Angus cattle are quiet, docile animals that should pose no temperament-related problems to new farmers and ranchers.
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Angus Breed profile:
Breed Name: Angus.
Other Name: Aberdeen Angus.
Breed Purpose: Meat.
Special Notes: Very hardy and strong, well adapted to cold climates.
Breed Size: Medium to large.
Weight: Bulls weigh around: 850 kg.
Cows weigh around 550 kg.
Climate Tolerance: All Climates.
Coat Color: Black or Red.
Milk Yield: Poor.
Country/Place of Origin: Scotland.
Cost of Angus Cattle:
The cost of the Angus Cattle per pound is about $4.80 and whole Cattle costs about $3780.
Health:
The Angus cattle breed is often touted as being extremely healthy and highly unlikely to get pink eye, sunburn, or cancer because of their pigmented skin. While this is typically (though not inevitably) the case, the cattle breed does have a number of genetic defects lurking in its heredity such as dwarfism, extra legs, excessive bone formation, neuropathic hydrocephalus, a condition in which the cranial cavity is filled with fluid.
Advantages of Angus Breed:
- Mothering ability
- Carcass quality
- Fertility
- Milking ability
- Moderate in size
Disadvantages of Angus Cattle:
- These Beef too heavily marbled for those who prefer lean meat.
- Bland flavor of the beef.
- Increased popularity means more animals are being raised have a high chance of being very poor quality cattle breed, but this differs from one cattleperson to another.
- Increase in popularity means far more selection of much bigger animals.
- Too many variations as far as rate of maturity, fertility and conformation are concerned due to a popular demand in this breed.
Read: HF Cow Facts.