What is Your Favorite Breed of Cattle?

[MurraysMutts]

Like so many others, Mutts fall under the "other" category.

I've been trying real hard to pick a favorite, but truth be told, they are almost all my favorite.

 

[Silver]

I like good cattle where I see 'em.

 

[Dave]

Ones that make me money. That leaves some out. But opinions will differ depending on what part of the world you are in.

 

[50/50Farms]

What qualifies for favorite? Most profitable in my experience? What I think is coolest? What I would raise cow-calf if money were the same for everything? Easiest to keep and handle? All?

I don't even know how much I can comment across the board, around 50% of my experience is Simmental bulls over brangus, simm-brangus, and a few other types of cross cows. I've worked around brahma cross and brahma cross F1s of various flavors a good bit. I've worked with rodeo stock a good bit. Most people that have hired me to work with cattle I didn't own have hired me to work over commercial mutt herds. If we're just listing what we really like, I really like anything with ear. I love char-brays, I really like brangus and sim-brahs, I like jersey x brahma, I love anything brahma x. I genuinely believe that they're better than anything purebred across the entire southern range and the deep south. I don't mind that they occasionally take a run at me, good cows are like women in that the best ones are a little standoffish if the issue really matters to them. I believe that intelligence is what makes eared cattle "harder" to work than non-eared cattle. They aren't "crazy" or "mean" they're just smart enough to want to get away from someone who excessively yells, shocks, hits, etc.

I guess I really like longhorns, but I'd never keep a pasture full of pure bred ones.

I uh... I really like beefmasters.

 

[Hoser]

Pretty sure the only breeds I'll be using are:
1. Angus
2. Hereford
3. Charolais
4. Simmental

 

[crossbreed]

I'm curious as to the low rating on most lists for the char's? Fast growing, heavy muscle and fairly docile. I cross char and brangus at our place with good results so far

 

[Travlr]

I'm curious as to the low rating on most lists for the char's? Fast growing, heavy muscle and fairly docile. I cross char and brangus at our place with good results so far

I've got eight on my list and wish I'd included Shorthorn.

But the degrees of my appreciation between the breeds is much less than any full point spread. Any individual of any breed can be better than the average of any of the other breeds,

My major criteria are productivity, weight at weaning, docility, and the very important consistent appearance in their progeny. Every breed can perform in these criteria as long as you match them with the right bull.

I will say this. Of all the breeds I consider Char to be the ones most likely to have a cat-like personality. It's hard to put a finger on exactly how that manifests, but if any breed of bovine reminds me of a cat... it is Charolais.

 

[alacowman1]

Beefmaster have a lot of variation. I've had some that looked like Gerts, and others that looked like brockle faced Herefords. Some have excess skin and others are tight skinned. I don't know what Lasater runs, but if I was building a herd of BM in Colorado, especially north or at higher elevation, I'd be very careful of the skin issue.

One of the reasons BM is not even on my list. Too much inconsistency.

most of that came from the breeding up programs...

 

[u4411clb]

1. Chiangus
2. Brangus
3. Beefmaster
4. Gert
5. Simbrah
6. Angus
7. Hereford
8. Limflex
9. Charbay
10. Braford

 

[Warren Allison]

I'm curious as to the low rating on most lists for the char's? Fast growing, heavy muscle and fairly docile. I cross char and brangus at our place with good results so far

I dunno, unless it is a bias left over from the cow-killer days . I sell hay to a man that has about 30 Char cows that he breeds with Red Brangus bulls, He raises some damned good calves, with a consistent kinda orange color. that you can dang near sit on the porch and watch them grow daily. The cows are pb but not registered, but he buys the best registered Red Angus bulls he can find. I have never heard of him having to pull one, even from a 1st calf heifer. He trailer weans them at 6 mos old, and about 600 lbs. If he gets "docked" for color, you woundn't know it. They usually top the sale in their weight class when he carries them.

 

[Ky hills]

I'm curious as to the low rating on most lists for the char's? Fast growing, heavy muscle and fairly docile. I cross char and brangus at our place with good results so far

I think it's a combination of things like @Warren Allison said they had bad reputation years ago for being hard calving and crazy. Combine that with the present docking for for non black calves and unlike red cattle that dilution sometimes takes a few generations to breed out.
Honestly they are one of my favorites, IF they are good calving and have milk. Some lines used to not and some would milk as good as the best of any other beef breed. I've always said that if the calving is good, then they will put out a good calf out of about any cross.

 

[andybob]

I can't tell you much about alcohol, so I have no idea there. As far as the cattle breed with whatever name they have, I've not seen enough of them to know what the correct name is. Scotch Highland is what they call them on the rare occasion one comes through the ring, maybe a regional thing I don't know.

They are just called "Highlands" in the UK, the Scottish connection is a given.

 

[50/50Farms]

I've heard old timers talk about Charolais being crazy, when was this a common trait in the breed? The ones I've worked with or around weren't so bad, other than not wanting to be touched much.

 

[Logan52]

Were it not for their tendency to bad udders, Red Poll cows crossed to a black Sim-Angus or good thick black Angus bull would be my favorite breed combination, at least here in central Kentucky.
I like the disposition and longevity of the cows. You really get a boost from the hybrid vigor as well. The cows milk well and are very fertile.
I like Charolais were it not for the tendency to throw gray calves for generations.
Red Angus would also rate high with me when crossed to a homo black bull.
Herefords crossed to a black bull are gentle easy handled cows that sure look nice in the field.

Way down the list are Highlands, Belties and Longhorns.
No experience with Brahmas or any eared cattle.

Not really a breed but my best success over many years was with dairy cross cows bred to a black bull. I go back to the old Baby Beef days and the market is changed from that time.

 

[cattleman99]

I'm curious as to the low rating on most lists for the char's? Fast growing, heavy muscle and fairly docile. I cross char and brangus at our place with good results so far

They are hard to find in the snow.

 

[Ky hills]

I've heard old timers talk about Charolais being crazy, when was this a common trait in the breed? The ones I've worked with or around weren't so bad, other than not wanting to be touched much.

I'm assuming it was early on around the times that they were first coming in. I've heard stories of bulls turning over Jeep's don't know if it's true but heard that more than once.
By the 80's the Charolais I had were for the most part a lot more docile than our Herefords are now. Most of my Charolais were literally pets, outside of a few.
Ever once in while I'd get a hold of one that would be flighty, but I think it had more to do with their previous owners management or lack of. I never did ever associate any particular bloodlines with poor dispositions, like I have been able to identify in Angus.
It's been nearly 30 yrs since I've fooled with any Charolais other than a few crossbred feeders so I don't know anything about the breed direction now.
I have noticed lately in being at the stockyards quite a bit, that a lot of the Charolais and CharX are pretty hot headed when they hit the ring.

 

[crossbreed]

Sounds like you just like cattle. I am real small and got smaller last year but have pb lh and Brahma along with brangus in the pasture. Lh by far easiest to work but their cross with anything are no fun to work and will get out of a goat fence.

What qualifies for favorite? Most profitable in my experience? What I think is coolest? What I would raise cow-calf if money were the same for everything? Easiest to keep and handle? All?

I don't even know how much I can comment across the board, around 50% of my experience is Simmental bulls over brangus, simm-brangus, and a few other types of cross cows. I've worked around brahma cross and brahma cross F1s of various flavors a good bit. I've worked with rodeo stock a good bit. Most people that have hired me to work with cattle I didn't own have hired me to work over commercial mutt herds. If we're just listing what we really like, I really like anything with ear. I love char-brays, I really like brangus and sim-brahs, I like jersey x brahma, I love anything brahma x. I genuinely believe that they're better than anything purebred across the entire southern range and the deep south. I don't mind that they occasionally take a run at me, good cows are like women in that the best ones are a little standoffish if the issue really matters to them. I believe that intelligence is what makes eared cattle "harder" to work than non-eared cattle. They aren't "crazy" or "mean" they're just smart enough to want to get away from someone who excessively yells, shocks, hits, etc.

I guess I really like longhorns, but I'd never keep a pasture full of pure bred ones.

I uh... I really like

 

[Ky hills]

They are hard to find in the snow.

That reminds me of back in a high school agriculture class, the teacher was showing something on a slide projector and it wasn't working right, just white screen. The teacher said that one is Charolais in a snow storm.

 

[50/50Farms]

I'm assuming it was early on around the times that they were first coming in. I've heard stories of bulls turning over Jeep's don't know if it's true but heard that more than once.
By the 80's the Charolais I had were for the most part a lot more docile than our Herefords are now. Most of my Charolais were literally pets, outside of a few.
Ever once in while I'd get a hold of one that would be flighty, but I think it had more to do with their previous owners management or lack of. I never did ever associate any particular bloodlines with poor dispositions, like I have been able to identify in Angus.
It's been nearly 30 yrs since I've fooled with any Charolais other than a few crossbred feeders so I don't know anything about the breed direction now.
I have noticed lately in being at the stockyards quite a bit, that a lot of the Charolais and CharX are pretty hot headed when they hit the ring.

I've heard similar, them hurting men and horses and etc. But you know, I heard the same thing about the first of everything that came to an area. I don't know how much is breed and how much is some kind of confirmation bias.

Sounds like you just like cattle. I am real small and got smaller last year but have pb lh and Brahma along with brangus in the pasture. Lh by far easiest to work but their cross with anything are no fun to work and will get out of a goat fence.

I do. It's a terrible addiction. I love all livestock. Even sheep. This picture was taken near the culmination of a hilarious story.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

This was a POLL by Cattlemen's Beef Board:
As of today:
1)
Vote Now for Your Favorite Breed of Cattle!
Angus 22.55% FIRST
Charolais 4.9%
Gelbvieh 9.8%
Hereford 10.78% THIRD
Holstein 8.82%
Limousin 5.88%
Longhorn 6.86%
Red Angus 6.86%
Simmental 11.76% SECOND
Other 11.76%

I will update if any major changes. I don't know when the poll closes.

Two out of three Officers on the Cattlemen's Beef Board run Angus cattle, the third Officer did not specify what breed(s) he runs.
I think we need a new poll