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Red Angus cattle have always been part of the Angus herd throughout the world. Angus cattle have both black and red coat colour variations. In some countries, red Angus outnumber their black Angus relatives. Canada, Brazil and South Africa have large proportions of red Angus in the Angus population.

Red Angus Characteristics
Red Angus cattle have all the attributes of Angus. Females are fertile and hardy females with good milking and foraging ability. They grow quickly and produce excellent carcases which marble at similar levels to Angus. They provide market flexibility and meat quality in straight bred and crossbred progeny.

Red Angus Demand
Apart from their straightbred value, red Angus have been popular in many crossbreeding situations. Crossed over cattle with red coat colour, the calves are red which helps produce even sale lines. Red Angus have been used widely with Santa Gertrudis, Droughtmaster, Brahman, Hereford and red European breed cows to breed polled cattle and increase fertility, meat quality and market flexibility.

Northern Australia pastoral giant, Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), used Red Angus to produce their "Gulf Composite". North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCO) used Red Angus to produce their "Kyuna Composite".

The Red Gene
Coat colour in Angus cattle is controlled by one pair of genes. The black colour is dominant and the red colour is recessive. For this reason, red animals only appear when two red genes are present.

A black animal may have only black genes or may carry one black and one red gene. Because the black gene dominates, animals with both genes appear black.

Red Angus cattle will always have red calves when mated to each other. Black cattle may have red calves. Red calves will only appear from black parents when both of the parents are carriers
of the red gene and an animal inherits a copy of the red gene from both parents. If two red gene carrier animals (black) are mated, then on average, 25%of the progeny are expected to be red, 25% black non carrier animals and 50% should be black carrier animals. If a red gene carrier (black) is mated to a red animal, then on average, 50% of the calves would be red and the other 50% red gene
carrier animals (black).

A DNA test is available to detect whether a black animal carries a copy of the red gene. Angus cattle tested as carriers of the red gene are identified by TC (tested carrier) at the end of their registered
name. Angus cattle tested to be free of the red gene are identified by TNC (tested non-carrier) at the end of their name.

Black Angus cattle that have not been tested but through their production of red progeny are known to carry the red gene are identified by RC (red carrier) at the end of their name. Red Angus animals have the separate word RED included either within their name, or in brackets at the end of their name.

Angus Australia

Angus Australia maintains pedigree and performance information on both black and red Angus cattle. Red Angus cattle that are progeny of Australian Herd Book animals or trace back to
imported animals from a recognised overseas Herd Book can be recorded in the Australian Angus Herd Book.

In addition, straightbred red Angus and red gene carriers can be recorded in the Red Angus Register or the Angus Performance register. Red Angus animals which are registered with Angus Australia are eligible for inclusion in Angus Group Breedplan. Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for red Angus animals are directly comparable to EBVs for black Angus animals. Angus GROUP BREEDPLAN incorporates related data from animals recorded with the American Red Angus Association and the Canadian Angus Association.

The Red Angus Society of Australia maintains a separate register of cattle and conducts a Breedplan analysis of its members' data. They produce a separate set of Red Angus EBVs that are not comparable to those of Angus Australia.