4-H Steer; Which One?????

[I luv herfrds]

Daughter picked steer 237

I like my bum calf Tick

Which one do you guys like? Thoughts on them?

 

[Aaron]

I vote Tick.

 

[I luv herfrds]

I think carcaus wise he is just great. Good temperment too. He is taller then the other one.

 

[goddy]

So just asking and not trying to be a smart a** but is it your 4H project or your daughters ? Just womdering

 

[Aaron]

Are they some of Ace's genetics?

 

[3waycross]

Also not being a smarta$$ but will she be competitive with either one or will she get her but kicked by some little rich kid with a "CLUBBY" calf.

 

[Chris H]

Based on these pictures, I'd call it a toss-up. I'd go with the one you think will be the best finished at show time.

Just some info, we usually have a couple pens of 1-4 calves, from weaning up to a cow w/calf. A low bunk with a hay feeder on top will pay for itself in no time by saving that bright green hay from becoming bedding. A 4 ft bunk will accomodate 4 animals if they can eat from both sides. In another small pen that only holds up to 2 calves, we took enough boards off a pallet to make it a feed gate and tied it in a corner. Even if you have enough hay that you don't care if they sleep on it, you might be surprised how much more they'll eat if it's not soiled.

 

[chippie]

Can you tag both steers and then pick which one to show at fair time? It is a little more work halter breaking and training two, but having a back up can be useful. Both look good.

Happy that she has a project.

 

[glacierridge]

Can you tag both steers and then pick which one to show at fair time? It is a little more work halter breaking and training two, but having a back up can be useful. Both look good.

Happy that she has a project.

Our fair let's the kids weigh up to 4 calves at the beginning of the project and up to two at the end, on the fair grounds. Do you have a similar option? I also hope so. I took steers 8 years, most of the time I didn't have alternates available and wished I would have had some back up.
If you can start with both I highly encourage it. Will be a little more work in the beginning but a little work is good for kids growing up. never hurt me.

 

[suzorse]

I would also do both so she has a back up if something should happen to 1 of them,nothing more heartbreaking for a kid to put a lot into an animal and god forbid something happening to it before fair,she can go with the one that she likes best at fair time and sell the other on the rail or in the home freezer Suzanne

 

[NorfolkCattleCo]

Gonna have to go with Tick too.....seems to me as of the time of the pics that he's ahead in the growth race and hes pretty to boot lol :cowboy:

 

[I luv herfrds]

Aaron they both are out of Ace's stock. I bought Tick from a neighbor who buys bulls from Ace.

goddy it is her's but like 3Way says she is going up against kids that buy "clubby" calves. I know people that pay big bucks to these certain people to start their calves so they can win.
Only thing I do is buy her feed; with her money; and feed the calves in the morning. She got the halter on him and works with the calf every afternoon after school.
The one thing that really put a burr under my saddle this year is this one girl was entered as novice in the 4-H but has been in the show ring longer then any of the other kids and walked away with every trophy and award as a novice. Lot of ticked off parents once this came to light.
These are the people we are going up against.
This is the same girl I asked you guys about hitting your show animal in the nose with the show stick last year I believe.

I was just looking at Tick as a possible calf for her also just to compete against the clubbers.

Chris we have an old tire that has been turned to be a feeder. I just gotta get that in the pen.

Going to find out if it is too late to tag both or not. Got the tag for 237.

 

[glacierridge]

Keep us posted, I hope she has a good year.

 

[suzorse]

at their 1st weigh in the 4H office will tag the steers,that way they know they are not switched at fair, at least here they are Suzanne

 

[chippie]

at their 1st weigh in the 4H office will tag the steers,that way they know they are not switched at fair, at least here they are Suzanne

Same here at our fair. The steers are weighed and tagged on the same day as the kids enter the fair. Our fair has a best weight gain trophy too.

You all are doing it like we did with our kids. Some of the steers were home grown and a couple were bought at the weekly auction. The kids looked at the pens and picked out their calves. They didn't win and usually didn't make a sale, but they always enjoyed their projects, learned some life lessons and that is what counts.

Kudos to you and your daughter.

 

[goddy]

Aaron they both are out of Ace's stock. I bought Tick from a neighbor who buys bulls from Ace.

goddy it is her's but like 3Way says she is going up against kids that buy "clubby" calves. I know people that pay big bucks to these certain people to start their calves so they can win.
Only thing I do is buy her feed; with her money; and feed the calves in the morning. She got the halter on him and works with the calf every afternoon after school.
The one thing that really put a burr under my saddle this year is this one girl was entered as novice in the 4-H but has been in the show ring longer then any of the other kids and walked away with every trophy and award as a novice. Lot of ticked off parents once this came to light.
These are the people we are going up against.
This is the same girl I asked you guys about hitting your show animal in the nose with the show stick last year I believe.

I was just looking at Tick as a possible calf for her also just to compete against the clubbers.

Chris we have an old tire that has been turned to be a feeder. I just gotta get that in the pen.

Going to find out if it is too late to tag both or not. Got the tag for 237.

I hear what you are saying about kids with the " best projects money can buy" - I see it round here close hand with the market lambs ( I shear sheep among other things) - but for her sake I hope you can rise above it and go with her decision and concentrate on what 4H is supposed to be about. Kids are really much smarter than we give them credit for , I think, and they see clearly the hypocrisy that sometimes goes into "winning" and will come out the other side better for it.

Sorry about the ramble and all the best with whichever way you go.

 

[I luv herfrds]

I know what you are saying goddy. I just want her raising the best market animal she can. I know unless she forks out big bucks and buys a black hided animal she will never win a trophy or grand champion in our county.

She is enjoying the steer and dairy heifer more then she enjoyed the lambs.

Oh I have already hit up a few people I know about coming to the fair to look at her steer and maybe bid on him. Going to get the invite cards later this year and then take her around and have her give them to these people personally.
Funny part is one person is our neighbors who raise maine anjoun(?) cattle. They want her to buy a heifer and breed her and then they would buy it back from her.

 

[goddy]

A friend of mine in the sheep industry got so sick of the high priced bought in lambs winning everything that he and a friend put up money for a special class for lambs bred by the exhibitor. The irony was that the daughter of one of the biggest high priced lamb sellers
had a couple of sheep in her name so she qualified and won!
Good luck with getting plenty of bidders - thats a good way to win.

 

[glacierridge]

Yeah, even if you don't get top ribbon, if you get a nice sale price, you will feel like you did well for all the work.

 

[I luv herfrds]

So funny this morning.
We got to the barn and found that the door to the back pen had blown open so there was 237 and my milk cows calf both with her eating away at the feed bunk.

our corgis went wild they get to herd something. Got every body straightened out and put Tick out with them in the back pen.

Well my daughter looked at me and said that Tick would make a good 4-H steer too. She is now not 100% sure if she wants to show 237 or Tick.
Just going to see if we can get a tag for Tick