5 Hereford Females for Comparison

[vontrapp1]

I just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on the following 5 Hereford females. The first three are coming 4 year olds. The last two are two year olds getting ready to drop their first calves.

I am interested in hearing comments on what you like or don't like about each one.

Thanks for your comments in advance.
Sorry about the 5th picture which is somewhat out of focus. Hard to get the camera to cooperate that day.

 

[FB-Maines94]

The 3rd one is easily my favorite. That's what I call thickness! I also like the last one. They all look good though.

 

[Alan]

All are good looking cows/heifers but 3 is hands down the best but 2 is good also. Bottom line I wish I had all in my herd. Nice hip on 3, good depth on 2.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I like 3 the best then probably 5, but i would be happy to have any of them, they are all fine herefords imo. What are they bred to?

 

[Deepsouth]

I like 3 the best but I agree with Alan I would take them all.

 

[Herefords.US]

3 is definitely a dandy!

 

[Schaardt_Herefords]

I like 3 she is a brood deep looking cow, with a nice hip. Two is alright the others would be better in a commercial herd IMO. They just aren't fit for a purebred operation.

 

[ABrauny]

Are they commercial or purebred? What genetics are they out of?

 

[Herefords.US]

I like 3 she is a brood deep looking cow, with a nice hip. Two is alright the others would be better in a commercial herd IMO. They just aren't fit for a purebred operation.

I couldn't disagree with you more about the two heifers.

 

[JHH]

3 is definitely a dandy!

Sure is. Need to try and replicate that one if you can.

 

[vontrapp1]

Thanks everyone for your comments and opinions. I will try to answer all the questions asked in this one post.

There is little argument in that the third female is the best. I guess it would depend on what you like, but for depth, thickness, and structure she is hard to beat. I have not seen a cow quite like her in a while. She is wide across the top and carries her weight even down low on her body. Some might like her to be a little more feminine through the front and neck, but I appreciate her beefiness. The first cow has a few structural issues through the backend that I would like to change. She has had one daughter so far and that calf shows real improvement in that direction. The 2nd cow is a good cow and in some ways shows many of the same good qualities as the 3rd but she is not as easy fleshing and she does not carry as much low on her quarter. The last two heifers are younger and I think will develop a bit more in time. You can see it in the pictures that the fifth is better in my opinion than the 4th as she is touch deeper and carries more weight lower in the quarter. Both of the last two need a touch more thickness through the backend which you really can't see in the picture. Overall however all 5 should be useful females and are a marked improvement in body composition compared to their Mothers. I do hope to get many heifers out of the 3rd cow in the fullness of time.

All 5 are registered stock. Some might not like them as part of a purebred herd, but I believe that you start where you are and work to make them better. You can't cull everything you have or make them commercial until you have enough to replace them. Continuing to purchasing registered females after your initial purchase is a good way to go broke in my opinion. At some point you make a stand where you are at and move forward with bull choice.

All 5 of these cows are 50% L1 and 50% Anxiety breeding. The last two are bred to a 50% L1/ 50% Anxiety 4th bull. The first three are bred back to an Anxiety 4th bull. The effort here is to breed moderate easy keeping Herefords that can finish on grass/forage. I have been pleased with the improvement so far. However, I will continue to tweak over time.

Again thanks for the comments.

 

[Schaardt_Herefords]

See and your market for Hereford cattle and what you want is different than what I want. I look for deep, showy, and broody type cows. I sell more like a show quality Hereford cow. I like your cows and the more I look at it the 5th cow is starting to look a lot nicer. I didn't mean to offend you or anything. Just gave my opinion. You sound like you are just beginning and good luck to ya.

 

[Herefords.US]

It'll be interesting to see what consistency that you get with the 50/50 bull crossed back on the 50/50 heifers. The results from the first cross look good to me, and I was a real skeptic, as you know! :tiphat:

 

[vontrapp1]

See and your market for Hereford cattle and what you want is different than what I want. I look for deep, showy, and broody type cows. I sell more like a show quality Hereford cow. I like your cows and the more I look at it the 5th cow is starting to look a lot nicer. I didn't mean to offend you or anything. Just gave my opinion. You sound like you are just beginning and good luck to ya.

No worries I was not offended at all. After reading many of these threads over the years I have found that everyone has there own situation, environment, and goals. This leads to all kinds of opinions that are just that. Show cattle these are not. The show scene is not me. In a show situation you might also do a lot of ET and base a herd off of one or two elite cows. For me that is also out of the question. I only wanted to propose a logical reason why a little guy might wchoose to not cull just yet. That said all good breeders have to learn to cull at some point. Thanks for your comment.

 

[vontrapp1]

It'll be interesting to see what consistency that you get with the 50/50 bull crossed back on the 50/50 heifers. The results from the first cross look good to me, and I was a real skeptic, as you know! :tiphat:

I love the experiment of it all. You it is great to be in a business where you can always sell or eat the mistakes. Wins are all the more sweet. You are right the 50/50 match up will be interesting. I also have a heifer calf out of a straight L1 cow sired by the 50/50 bull which looks promising. Only time will tell.

DG

 

[JHH]

Oh wait this is where someone says they are to small and the wrong color.

I like them very well. I was wondering how they were bred but you answered some of my question. Next part is what is the Anxiety bull out of?

 

[vontrapp1]

Oh wait this is where someone says they are to small and the wrong color.

I like them very well. I was wondering how they were bred but you answered some of my question. Next part is what is the Anxiety bull out of?

The Sire of all 5 females is a Lents Anxiety 4th bull. Which means he is a linebred Imperial Lamplighter bull.

DG