Black Baldy is a type of crossbred beef cattle produced by crossing Hereford

Hereford (cattle)

Hereford cattle are a beef cattle breed, widely used both in intemperate areas and temperate areas, mainly for meat production.Originally from Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom, more than five million pedigree Hereford Cattle now exist in over 50 countries...

 cattle with a solid black breed, usually Aberdeen Angus. Angus bulls are also used on Hereford heifer

Heifer

Heifer may refer to:*A young cow before she has had her first calf*Red Heifer, in Judaism is a heifer that is sacrificed and whose ashes are used for the ritual purification*Heifer International, a charitable organization...

s in an attempt to produce smaller calves and reduce dystocia

Dystocia

Dystocia is an abnormal or difficult childbirth or labour. Approximately one fifth of human labours have dystocia.Dystocia may arise due to incoordinate uterine activity, abnormal fetal lie or presentation, absolute or relative cephalopelvic disproportion, or a massive fetal tumor such as a...

. The term is particularly used in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. In North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, the term "Black Whiteface" is also used in some regions.

It is characterized by a white face similar to the Hereford, but the red body color of the Hereford is replaced by black from the Angus. This is because both the allele

Allele

An allele is one of two or more forms of a gene or a genetic locus . "Allel" is an abbreviation of allelomorph. Sometimes, different alleles can result in different observable phenotypic traits, such as different pigmentation...

s for white faces and black coat color are both genetically dominant in cattle.

Black Baldy cows are noted for their good mothering abilities. In addition to general hybrid vigor expected with a crossbred, the cross also produces black skin, which in sunny climates reduces the prevalence of sunburn on bare skin, such as the udder

Udder

An udder is an organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, especially ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer. The udder is a single mass hanging beneath the animal, consisting of pairs of mammary glands...

 of the cow.

The prevalence of Black Baldies significantly increases wherever cattle breeders switch from the traditional Hereford herds to the Aberdeen Angus breed.

A cross of Hereford cattle on predominantly black-colored dairy breeds results in a similarly-marked crossbred called the Black Hereford in the British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

.