Genetic Testing Questions

[arlen]

I decided to start doing some testing this year, and moving forward. There are a few things I'm confused about.

1) It seems that parent verification (Sire and Dam) are going to be requirements at some point in the near future. Does this mean I will have to get all my cows on file before I can register the calves? Or is this requirement going to be phased in over time?

2) It seems from researching on this site that the UCD lab is a better choice because you own the results and their lab may be more modern. Is that a fair assessment?

3) My bull was genotyped at TAMU. Would it be true to say that it would be better to just have him retyped at UCD rather than try and transfer?



OK, now for the samples themselves:



4) Everything makes reference to tail hairs. Would other hairs work, as long as they have follicles? My cows and bull are easy to get hairs off their head and back, but panic when I go for their tail. I was hoping to avoid hauling them to the vet and running them through the chute.

5) With regard to the polled test, Does it break things down to: hh, Ph, PP, or just PP= Yes or no? I thought it would be handy to know, just to get the calves registered and begin marketing them sooner without waiting a few months to see if horns sprout.

6) is there any point in doing color testing on reds?

[zephyrhillsusan]

arlen, you have lots of good questions!  I'll try to answer them to the best of my understanding.

1) I think the ADCA is moving toward PV, but I don't know the timing yet.  You are smart to be doing it, whether it's a requirement or not because there is definitely a grassroots movement toward people wanting to buy fully PV'd breeding stock.  Having yours done will put you ahead!  Here's where I would start, if I were you:

• Genotype the bull; don't worry about PVing him yet.
• Genotype your cows; don't worry about PVing them yet.
• Genotype the calves.  Put the sire's and dam's name on the form, and your calves will be automatically PV'd without it costing you any more money or trouble than typing in the parents' name.
• As time and money permit, you can work on PVing your bull and cow, if you want to.  Know that there will be cases where it isn't possible because their parents weren't ever genotyped and no tail hairs are on record.  I'm sure the ADCA is aware of that and will not "unregister" registered animals.  The important thing is to start where you are.

2) I personally prefer UCD (and redid my several animals there) because it's much easier to do everything online and be able to order tests, add tests, check results, etc. whenever I want.  However, that is just my personal opinion.  One thing to consider is that UCD uses several more markers than TAMU does, and TAMU occasionally rounds up numbers, which UCD does not do.  But either lab will work.  The absolute REQUIREMENT for PV is to have the results of sire and dam and calf all compared at the same lab at the same time, which means you need to have them on file at the same lab.

3) As far as your bull, yes, it's better to re-test him at UCD.  You can transfer results from TAMU and people have done it; I believe it costs $2 or $10 depending on how you do it.  However, since he will be half of every calf's genotype, it's worth the $15-$23 difference to have the genotype on file there and not have it labeled as "foreign" (or whatever term they use for imported ones).

4) I've never heard that you can use anything but tail hairs.  Here's my guess why that's so:  Other hairs are too short and fine to be able to grasp them and remove them without contaminating the follicle by touching them.  Also, the follicles are smaller, and you would need comparatively more to get the same amount of DNA material.  It really doesn't hurt them at all, so I'd just run them through the chute and surprise them by not doing anything upsetting. 

5) Here's an explanation on polled genetics.  And yes, it's good to know, because you can't tell hetero polled from homo polled without the test.

6) 

B. In order to register a Dexter as red, it must be DNA verified as red unless it is the offspring of a registered red sire and a registered red dam or if at least one parent has been verified as a non-carrier of dun by DNA test or by parentage.

There's your answer on red, straight from the ADCA horse's mouth.

Hope all this helps.  Holler if you have any questions; PV is a bit of a hobby of mine. 

[arlen]

Thank You very much Susan! I also received a phone call from another member here, and she was also very helpful in explaining everything. I probably won't worry about color since I have all reds. I will start collecting hair on everything going forward. I think I will do Polled, A2, Chrondo, PHA, and genotyping on everything.
I'm not thrilled about collecting from the adult cows though.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Good luck! I think you'll find it's a non-event getting tail hairs from the adults. Especially if you have a chute. You might try offering them a treat of something they love to eat while someone scratches their back and you pick up the tail. Just pull out 10 or so hairs at a time so it won't hurt. I use a needle nose pliers to grasp well and yank. Have a clean paper towel, folded in half, nearby and lay the hairs in it with the bulbs in the same direction. When you have enough, fold the paper towel closed and stick it in a ziplock baggie with that animal's name written in Sharpie. Wipe the pliers with alcohol, and go on to the next one. If the switch is dirty, you should clean it off first; you can brush if it's dry or if it's yucky, swish it in a bucket of water and dry it with a towel. You can sort out the hairs in relative ease when you get to the house. Just don't touch with your hands, and if you feel you'll need to in order to detangle them, put on disposable gloves. I prefer to go to a bit of extra work to make sure I don't have to do it over again.

[Pinevalleydexters]

Good advice Susan. I am also switching all of our animals over to UCDavis. We re pulled tail hair on all of animals, and it wasn't hard to do as our cows are friendly, and we did it while they were eatting hay. We use the pliers, paper towel method Susan mentioned. It's costing me money now, but in the long run I will save money and time. I like having all of our tests at one lab, and online. We even redid our bull and re genotyped him at UCDavis. It was far easier to do it this way.
We are raising a small Dexter herd and are doing everything we can to raise a nice breed of Dexter cattle. Being small we can put more one on one time with our animals. It's good to see other breeders doing the same thing.

[jamshundred]

Nine years. NINE LONG YEARS before ADCA leadership ( and then only through the efforts of yet another Legacy innovative idea ) approved the world-renowned VGL for ADCA required tests.
ADCA should be required to PAY for every test an owner has to transfer to UCD. EVERY ONE.

Judy