Cattle color
Black
Solid black pigment. In birds often with a green or purple sheen; on skin, legs, beak, comb and tongue the dark pigment some standards call for.
16 Cattle breeds list Black. It is in a club standard for 10 breeds. At least one club disqualifies it in 1 breed.
Breeds whose standards accept Black
| Breed | AAA | PDCA | DEXTER CS UK | ADCA | HIGHLAND CS | AHCA | HOLSTEIN USA | BLCS | RAAA | AMERICAN WAGYU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angus | Standard (“black”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| AngusSkin and scales | Standard (“BLACK”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Brown SwissNose | No ruling | Standard (“black nose”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Brown SwissHooves | No ruling | Standard (“dark brown to black”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Dexter | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“Wholly black”) | Standard (“Solid black”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Highland | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“black”) | Standard (“black”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Holstein | No ruling | Standard (“black and white”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“black and white”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| JerseyNose | No ruling | Standard (“muzzle is black”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Limousin | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“black”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Wagyu | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“Black”) |
| Red Angus | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Alternate (“BLACK PIGMENT”) | No ruling |
Breeds where Black is disqualified or not accepted
| Breed | PDCA | AMSS |
|---|---|---|
| Milking Shorthorn | Not recognised (“no black markings allowed”) | Disqualifying (“No other base color is allowed”) |
| BrahmanSkin and scales | No ruling | No ruling |
| Gelbvieh | No ruling | No ruling |
| Simmental | No ruling | No ruling |
| Texas Longhorn | No ruling | No ruling |
Color changes
How Black can appear or change over an animal's life.
Greychanges toBlack
Coat · With age · males only
Blackchanges toGrey
Coat · With body condition · can change back