# Purebred vs. Fullblood



## Pheasant283 (Mar 24, 2010)

What is the difference between Purebred & Fullblood cattle?


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

no difference


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

purebred is 87.5% fullblood is 100% if you are talking angus.This one thing I don't like about them. they reg. everything.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

A breed association can set a standard for what can be registered as a pureblood. A full blood is 100%. That means that it's ancestry can be traced far back and they are all of the same breed of registered cattle.

In some associations, grade cattle are allowed. Crossing a fullblooded bull of the specified breed with a cow of another breed will yield a grade 5. Crossing a grade 5 cow with a fullblooded bull will then yield a grade 4. Each time a cow is crossed with a fullblooded bull, the offspring advance one grade. Once it reaches grade 1, it is allowed to be registered as a purebred. But never as a fullblood.

The US Dexter cattle registries accept only fullblood registrants. Dexter registries in other parts of the world accept purebloods. That makes US Dexters the purest seed stock. It's all up to the registry or association to set their standards.

It has no meaning for unregistered cattle. It's impossible to ascertain the degree of purity of them. Most of the cattle that pass through livestock auctions are like that. If it looks like an Angus, they call it an Angus, but it can be 1/2 something else. Or 6 other breeds, all mixed together, that produced the animal that looks like an Angus.

Why it matters is if you are breeding them. Fullblood parents are always expected to produce a calf just like the parents. Pureblood parents will usually produce a like calf. Grade cattle bred together? Your guess is as good as mine what kind of calf you'll get. It all depends upon what's hidden in the genes.


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