GENERAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION

A. General

The American Chianina Association (ACA) shall originate and maintain a complete set of cattle records, which shall be placed into a permanent file and properly indexed. The file shall be known as the ACA Registry. It shall contain applications for registration, certificates of registration, application for transfer of ownership, plus such other information records or documents relevant to the registration of Chianina cattle, Chianina based composite breeds, and Chianina influenced cattle (hereafter “ACA cattle” or “ACA animal”).

B. ACA Registry
The Chief Executive Officer of the ACA shall cause to be kept and preserved in the office of the ACA a full and complete record known as the ACA registry, containing a record of:

  1. The tattoo or brand (including herd prefix, year letter, and unique individual number within gender), name, color, whether the animal is horned, polled, or scurred, date of birth, sex, breeder, owner, sire and/or dam registration number (or genetic makeup of commercial cows) or every ACA animal accepted for entry in the ACA Registry in accordance with the rules and regulations governing entries herein; and
  2. All transfers of ownership of registered ACA cattle.

A. FULLBLOOD CHIANINA
Fullblood registration shall extend to and be available to all bulls and females having not less than 100% Chianina blood, if:

  1. The sire and dam are registered in the ACA Registry.
  2. Imported Chianina in other countries herdbook are registered with the respective breed association herdbook of the country of origin and the owner of the animal to be registered shall file a copy of the registration certificate of the country of origin with the ACA.

 B. PUREBRED (HIGH PERCENTAGE) CHIANINA

  1. Purebred registration shall extend to and be available to all bulls and females having not less than 7/8 (87.5%) Chianina blood, provided that the same requirements are set out in Rule A-1 & 2 are met.

 C. COMPOSITE BREEDS

  1. Chiangus/Red Chiangus – ACA cattle known as “Chiangus” are eligible for registration based upon any mating between Chianina, Chiangus, Red Chiangus, Angus or 1A Red Angus registered with the American Angus Association, Red Angus Association of American or the ACA, as a *Foundation “F” parent which results in a black or red (white is acceptable only from the naval back and contained to the underline) polled, or scurred offspring that contains no more than 6.25% of another breed may be registered as a Chiangus. Scurs or scur tissue cannot be altered or removed (surgically or otherwise) from Chiangus born after January 1, 1992 unless they have been genetically tested and found to be polled. Cattle showing as Chiangus or Red Chiangus that are determined to have heads that have been altered, must produce a DNA test whose results have found the animal to be polled, in order to show as a Chiangus.
  2. Chiford- ACA cattle known as “Chiford” are eligible for registration based upon any mating between Fullblood Chianina, Chiford, Hereford, or Polled Hereford, registered with the American Hereford Association or the ACA which results in an offspring whose color can range from a pale fawn or cream to a dark red with a range from typical Hereford red and white color pattern to solid red or reddish color. The resulting offspring may be polled, scurred or horned.
  3. Percentage Chianina – ACA cattle known as “Chianina” are eligible for registration based upon any mating resulting in cattle having Chianina genetics but do not qualify for registration in any of the afore mentioned composites.

**Breeding cattle born after January 1, 2012 must be 6.25% Chianina blood OR higher to show as a Chiangus, Chianina, or Chiford at the National Junior Chianina Heifer Show, the National Chianina or Chiangus Show, or any other show that requires it.

D. ANIMALS INELIGIBLE FOR REGISTRATION

  1. Date of birth issue. A natural calf born less than two hundred eighty-three (283) days after the birth of its dam’s previous calf shall not be eligible for registration.
  2. Uncertain or unknown parentage. Whenever the eligibility for registration of any Italian Fullblood, Chiangus or Chiford animal is in doubt because of uncertain or unknown parentage, DNA-marker-typing or blood-typing and parent verification by the Association shall be required. If through DNA-marker-typing or blood-typing parent verification is found to have incorrectly listed parentage, the animal will not be eligible for registration as an Italian Fullblood, Chiangus or a Chiford, respectively.
  3. Skin color. The skin color of all Italian Fullblood and Chiangus animals for which application for registration is made must be BLACK, except that animals having birthmarks or white hairs on black skin may be eligible for registration.  An animal with white skin above the underline, in front of the navel or on leg, foot, or tail, shall not be eligible for registration. In the event that a registered animal is discovered to have ineligible white skin, its registration shall be null and void, and the Certificate of Registration must be returned to the Association for cancellation.

Effective January 1, 1992, performance data of calving ease, birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, (and date(s) weighed) appropriately available for the age of the animal at the time of registration may be provided with the registration application. If not available at the time of registration, then the owner must provide data as soon as possible thereafter.

A. Ownership- The ownership of registered ACA cattle is unlimited, if the transfer of each interest to each “partial interest owner” is properly indicated on the transfer section on the application for registration or registration certificate. This includes syndicated cattle, semen interest, and embryo interest.

B. First owner originates application for registration. It is the responsibility of the first owner (owner at the time of birth) to properly identify (herd prefix and tattoo) and register an ACA animal. Upon sale, it is the responsibility of the first owner to transfer the ACA animal to the new owner.

C. Multiple Births- In the case of twins or multiple births, a separate application for registration must be submitted for each animal. When applying for registration of twins, or one member of twins, check the box on the registration application indicating the animal is registered as a twin.

D. Names of animals

  1. Subject to Item H, below, the names of animals being registered shall not exceed thirty (30) letters, numbers and spaces (characters). This includes prefix and punctuations.
  2. Names of imported cattle shall be the same as shown on the certificate of registry from the country or origin (providing the name does not exceed thirty (30) characters). See D1 above.
  3. The names of registered cattle, including imported cattle, can be changed with the written consent of the first owner of the animal providing the animal has no registered offspring in the ACA Registry and the proper fee is paid.

E. Correction of certificates. When certificates are received from the ACA, they should be checked immediately for accuracy. If an error is found, the certificate should be returned to the ACA for correction. Any writing on a certificate intended to falsify the records will invalidate the certificate and necessitate the issuance of a duplicate at a cost to the holder. No alterations of any kind can be made on a registration certificate. Errors made by the ACA will be corrected free of charge. For errors made by the owner, the regular correction fee will be charged.

F. Duplicate certificates. A duplicate certificate of registration can be obtained by contacting the ACA registrar.

G. Herd Prefixes

  1. Everyone registering cattle in the ACA Registry is required to have and use an ACA approved herd prefix. Prefixes assigned to members that remain non-active for ten (10) or more years are subject to reassignment by the ACA.
  2. Herd prefixes may be two (2), three (3) or four (4) letters and must be tattooed or branded on all ACA cattle and recorded with the ACA. See Appendix for Tattoo information.
  3. All herd prefixes are assigned by the ACA on a first come first served basis. Family members residing at the same address may use the same herd prefix.
  4. The ACA will only assign one (1) herd prefix per paid membership. Breeders wanting more than one (1) prefix must have a paid membership for each assigned prefix.

H. International year letter. All ACA cattle registered with the ACA must include as the last digit of every identification tattoo (see appendix for tattoo information) or brand, the year letter that corresponds to the year of birth of the animal. The letters I, O, Q and V (after 1987) are not used.

I. The application for registration. Application for registration on animals must be typed or printed on an approved Application for Registration form from the ACA and shall provide the following information:

  1. Name of Animal.
  2. Sex of Animal.
  3. Date of birth, month, day, year.
  4. Tattoo or brand of the animal including herd prefix, year letter, and an individual identification number that is unique to this animal. See appendix for tattoo information.
  5. Horned, polled or scurred status.
  6. Color.
  7. Breeder’s (and owner’s) ACA member number (if a member), name and address.
  8. ACA number and name of sire.
  9. ACA number and name of dam.
  10. Breed (s) of sire and dam if not registered in the ACA Registry.
  11. A foundation animal of another breed, if registered, must have the pedigree printed on the ACA certificate. The breeder must send the ACA a copy of the foundation animal’s pedigree.
  12. Owners must designate if the individual animal is a twin, clone or embryo transfer.

  1. Only bulls registered with the ACA are eligible for the program.
  2. The owner(s) of any eligible bull, not previously used via artificial insemination by other breeders (non-owners), may enroll the bull in the Voluntary Artificial Insemination Certificate Program. The owner(s) must submit to the ACA the completed form. Every owner of the bull enrolled in the program must sign the form. The enrollment fee is $100 per bull.
  3. The owner(s) of a bull enrolled in the program may obtain artificial insemination certificates for said bull from the ACA at a cost of ten ($10) per certificate. Every certificate will be numbered and will carry the name of the bull to which one progeny per certificate can be registered with the ACA. Certificates are not redeemable.
  4. Only the ACA will provide artificial insemination certificates for bulls enrolled in the program.
  5. Progeny born after January 1, 1999, which are sired by a bull enrolled in the program, will be registered to non-owners of the bull only if the appropriate artificial insemination certificate signed by the owner of the bull accompanies the application for registration.
  6. A recorded owner or an individual who was a recorded owner of the enrolled bull at the time of conception to produce the progeny may register progeny of an enrolled bull without an artificial insemination certificate.
  7. The owner(s) of any bull previously used for artificial insemination may enroll the bull in the program by:
    1. (a) Completing and signing the appropriate application form and paying the enrollment fee of $100.
    2. (b) Purchasing from the ACA artificial insemination certificates and agreeing to provide such certificates to any applicants for registration of progeny of the bull where the progeny were conceived by artificial insemination using semen from the bull that was purchased or acquired prior to enrollment to the bull in the program.
  8. When ownership of bull is transferred, all unused AI certificates will be transferred to the new owner(s).
  9. There are no expiration dates on the AI certificates. Certificates are issued to the named bull and are not transferable to another bull.
  10. A.I. certificates are not valid unless signed by the authorized owner of the bull.

A. Embryo Transplants

  1. Cattle resulting from embryo transfer procedures are registered the same as all other ACA cattle. Blood typing and or DNA testing samples are required for the sire prior to semen collection and dam prior to embryo collection.
  2. The owner of the donor dam at time of embryo collection will be listed as the breeder of the resulting offspring.


B. Non-Transgenic Clones

  1. Only replication cell-cloned animals shall be eligible for registration with the ACA. Genetically modified animals will not be eligible for registration.
  2. The cell-donor animal must be DNA tested and be registered with the ACA.
  3. For registration purposes, the owner of the resultant animal will be designated as the first owner and will be responsible for the registration and DNA testing of the individual.
  4. Clones conceived after the death of the cell-donor animals will be eligible for registration.
  5. The owner of record of the cell-donor, on the date of biopsy removal, will be identified as the breeder.
  6. Registration of cell-cloned transplants shall be made on a normal application for registration and the owner must designate the animal is a clone. All cell-cloned animals will be charged regular registration and transfer fees with an additional charge of $75.00 for handling fees per animal.
  7. Registration certificates for cell-clones will be designated with the word CLONE in bold lettering across it.
  8. DNA marker typing of cell-cloned animals or recipient dams may be required by the ACA.
  9. Upon sale and transfer of all animals within the ACA, disclosure of any retained genetic material which could be used for possible future production of a clone is required. If not disclosed at time of sale, resulting clones will be deemed non-registerable without the signature of the owner of the founder animal. Resulting clone may be registered once signature has been obtained.

The ACA reserves the right to require additional testing of genetic material at the owner’s expense of all clones if technological advances are made where differences in actual clones can be determined.

A. All bulls used in a naturally mated multi-sire group must be registered with the ACA and have blood or DNA samples on file. Breeders should contact the ACA office for blood or DNA kits.

B. Breeders will be allowed to use multi-sire groups, however to qualify for registration, resulting offspring must be DNA tested to determine their actual sire. Under certain scenarios, the breeder may be required to DNA test both the sire and dam of the offspring for parental verification.

C. Upon sale of a female mated within a multi-sire group, it is the responsibility of the buyer to DNA test resulting calf before registration.

D. Breeder/seller will be responsible for DNA testing of all calves sold at side of dam or sold as an individual before that calf can be registered with the ACA.

All sires intended for use with artificial insemination (A.I.) must be blood typed or DNA tested before semen is distributed.

A. DNA Testing on AI Sires and Donor Females 

  1. All AI sires and donor dams must be DNA parent verified before calves will be registered.
  2. All ACA registered AI sires will be required to be tested for genetic abnormalities recognized as monitor status by the ACA based on breed make up before calves will be registered in herds outside that of the current owner, unless they are Expected Free by Pedigree. If the AI Sire is not a registered ACA sire but is registered with another association, the sire’s status for breed relevant genetic abnormalities must be known per their breed makeup. If AI sire is “commercial”, it must be tested for all genetic abnormalities the ACA monitors.
  3. Embryo donor dams currently registered in the ACA herd book will only be required to be tested for genetic abnormalities of which they have been identified as being a suspect. Donor dams registered with another association must meet those association’s requirements. Unregistered (Commercial) donor dams must be tested for all genetic abnormalities regardless of breed makeup.

B. All embryo donor cows must be blood typed or DNA tested.
When parentage is questioned, blood typing or DNA testing will be required and the questioning party shall bear all the cost. For blood typing or DNA testing materials you must contact the ACA office for instructions or referral to a laboratory approved by the ACA.

C. DNA on All Herd Sires

  1. ALL AI ACA registered bulls born after January 1, 2017 must be DNA parent verified before their progeny can be registered.

A. Certificates for cattle to be transferred shall be properly completed and signed by the owner listed on the registration certificate and submitted to the ACA for processing.
B. Certificates for cattle to be transferred must give the printed name and address of the new owner(s), the date of sale, and if a female, whether open or bred, and if bred, the date(s) bred, and the name and registration number of the service sire; and any other information necessary for such transfer.
C. Partial interest, semen interest and embryo interest transfers shall be treated the same as a regular transfer. In the event of multiple owners, transfer fees must be paid for each person receiving a registration certificate on the animal being transferred.

The official publication of the ACA is the American Chianina Journal (ACJ) that is owned and operated by the ACA.

A. Definition of Parent Animals Not Registered in the ACA Registry

  1. *Foundation Parent: Any parent entered in the ACA Registry that was accompanied with a registration documentation from another breed association prior to 5/01/01. Foundation parents are designated with the appropriate breed code on ACA registration certificates.
  2. *Commercial “C” parents: Any parent entered the ACA herd book that was not accompanied with registration documentation from another recognized breed association as of 5/01/01. These parents are designated with a letter “C” on the ACA registration certificates.

B. Definition of Generations of ACA Registry Composite & Purebred Breeds.

CHIANGUS

  1. Any mating between two parents registered in the ACA Registry which results in offspring that meet the ACA Registry requirements under Rule II, Section C, Article 1. CAX x any Chiangus results in a Chiangus if mating results in an offspring who has 6.249% or less of any breed, Commercial, or “Other”, besides Chianina or Angus.
  2. PCA (Purebred Chiangus): Any mating between two parents registered in the ACA registry which results in offspring that meet the ACA Registry requirements under Rule II, Section C, Article 1, and has a minimum of two consecutive generations Chiangus on both sides of their pedigree (beginning with their sire and dam) and has a minimum of 12.5% Chianina.

CHIFORD

  1. Any mating between two parents registered in the ACA Registry which results in offspring that meet the ACA Registry requirements under Rule II, Section C, Article 2. Hereford or Polled Hereford x CAX, Chianina or Chiford results in a Chiford if mating results in an offspring who has 6.249% or less of any breed, Commercial, or “Other”, besides Chianina or Hereford. 
  2. PCF (Purebred Chiford): Any mating between two parents registered in the ACA Registry which result in offspring that meet the ACA Registry requirements under Rule II, Section C, Article 2, and have a minimum of three (3) consecutive generations Chiford on both sides of their pedigree (beginning with their sire and dam) and has a minimum of 12.5% Chianina.

 TATTOO or BRAND
All cattle submitted for registration in the ACA Registry must be identified with a permanent tattoo placed in the animal’s ear or brand placed on their body. An acceptable ACA tattoo must contain the owners herd prefix, international year letter, and an individual identification number that is unique to that individual animal. Owners may not use the same identification number within the same birth year on animals of the same sex.

SCURS
Scurs or scur tissue may not be removed or altered from cattle registered in the ACA Registry as Chiangus or Red Chiangus, unless they have been genetically tested and found to be polled.  Surgically altering scurs and/or pasting with caustic paste, grinding, sanding, or shelling off the scurs without a genetic test identifying the animal as polled will cause the animal to be removed from the Chiangus or Red Chiangus Herd Book and placed in the Chianina Herd Book.  Cattle showing as Chiangus or Red Chiangus that are determined to have heads that have been altered must produce a DNA test whose results have found the animal to be polled and parent verified in order to show as a Chiangus.