Angus or Limousin

[jgn]

I am getting ready to sell my current bull, a Black Angus. He's 4 years old and I've got some heifers I'm keeping and I'm worried he might be to big for them, not calf size just his. I'm considering on going to a Black Limousin as my next one. What would be everyones pros and cons on this. No arguing back and forth about how one breed is better than the other just some reasons why you think it would be good or bad. Cows are black angus, red angus and other crossbreeds. :?:

 

[Beefy]

The only pro i can see would be it might improve (?) weaning weights and carcass traits. calves should have marbling and a large ribeye area, etc.

At the last sale i attended buyers had caught on that some of the calves were black limousin and not black angus.

I've had more calving difficulty with the limousins ive had than any other breed ive dealt with. not all, but some. keep that in mind.

if you will be selling most or all calves i might consider the limousin.
If retaining any, i would go back with an angus. if it aint broke, dont break it.

 

[Wewild]

We run Limousin's and bred all our heifers to angus (red or black) or Red Polls.

I wouldn't bred heifers to a Limousin because of the breeding problems we had when we tried. We look to have a successful birth and raising for our heifers over the calves selling potential. I think they are great bulls on commercial cows.

 

[greenwillowherefords]

We run Limousin's and bred all our heifers to angus (red or black) or Red Polls.

I wouldn't bred heifers to a Limousin because of the breeding problems we had when we tried. We look to have a successful birth and raising for our heifers over the calves selling potential. I think they are great bulls on commercial cows.

In the 80's, my uncle put a limo on his commercial Hereford cows. It was a nightmare pulling those big round hips out of heifers.

 

[Tod Dague]

I am getting ready to sell my current bull, a Black Angus. He's 4 years old and I've got some heifers I'm keeping and I'm worried he might be to big for them, not calf size just his. I'm considering on going to a Black Limousin as my next one. What would be everyones pros and cons on this. No arguing back and forth about how one breed is better than the other just some reasons why you think it would be good or bad. Cows are black angus, red angus and other crossbreeds. :?:

I had decided a while back that if I were to go strictly commercial I wouldn't use continental at all. Continentals will give you more muscle, less fat, and less marb (as a general rule). The first two are not bad by any means but the last is very important also. Why not use a Hereford? Keep the calving ease, gain hybrid vigor, keep the maternal, moderate size, and your cattle have the ability to potentially meet requirements for more branded beef programs. You can rotate the two breeds in your bulls every few years and develop consistency while keeping most of the vigor.

 

[houstoncutter]

Your part of the country, go get you a good Limi bull. You get the hybrid kick and you will end up with heifers that can work in any program. Birth weights are not a problem usually. Sorry Hereford guys but many of the bulls in your sire summeries have large birth weights in relationship to their WW and YW. Its hard to beat a LimixAngus cross

 

[shorty]

I don't know much about limo, but if you're breeeding heifers just make sure you get an easy calving bull that doesn't throw a real big calf , I just got a simm x angus heifer last summer which was AId to an easy calving limo bull she calved with no problems at all .

 

[Scotty]

I would go with the Angus. How big is he? It takes alot of bull to be to big to mature breeding heifers. I like to breed them at 15 months but will hold them until they are at least 65 to 70 % mature weight.


Scotty

 

[Wewild]

We run Limousin's and bred all our heifers to angus (red or black) or Red Polls.

I wouldn't bred heifers to a Limousin because of the breeding problems we had when we tried. We look to have a successful birth and raising for our heifers over the calves selling potential. I think they are great bulls on commercial cows.

In the 80's, my uncle put a limo on his commercial Hereford cows. It was a nightmare pulling those big round hips out of heifers.

I meant "calving problems" instead of "breeding problems." How did the calves from the cows do?

 

[PATB]

What kind of handling facilities do you have? It has been my experience that limo cattle need higher and stronger handling facilities then other breeds. What are the buyers looking for in your area? If it is working why change it?

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

What kind of handling facilities do you have? It has been my experience that limo cattle need higher and stronger handling facilities then other breeds. What are the buyers looking for in your area? If it is working why change it?

I agree...stay with the Angus for disposition. :cboy:

 

[Wewild]

What kind of handling facilities do you have? It has been my experience that limo cattle need higher and stronger handling facilities then other breeds. What are the buyers looking for in your area? If it is working why change it?

I've stayed out of this for a time but........our fences couldn't be poorer than anyone's around here. I've been working on them and the corrals to make them better but some how we still make it to the sale and the cows stay up for the most part. Had a made for TV movie shoot a scene several years back with a hitchhiker in the 30's using our fence as a back drop with a sign "will work for food" (it was built in the 50's).

We've got 'em and had a closed herd for 20 years except for bulls. We've had a few nuts like everyone else.

 

[polledbull]

If you stay with the most recent pedigrees , say with in the last 10 yrs, most Limousin lines are about as docile as any other breed . I have run Limi bulls with not any problem with the bulls behavior. All most all the calves were average with any other breed as well. Most of the behavior problems went back to a few of the old lines , (747, Carnival , Primo lines ) and they are almost all gone now.As for the stories of limis destroying the farm , I dont believe most of them . Keep in Mind all breeds have problems. My neighboor was nearly killed by an angus bull at the bull test station in Nov. and required several surgeries .I also think that with a mostly angus herd of cows , I would defintly go with the limi bull for more hybrid vigor and heterosis .There is nothing you can do performance wise that will be as good as the hybrid vigor of a limiXangus cross calf . it is the only free performance in the cattle business. I think we as cattleman have tossed hybrid vigor out the window to chase all black calves .

 

[docgraybull]

There is nothing you can do performance wise that will be as good as the hybrid vigor of a limiXangus cross calf . it is the only free performance in the cattle business.

What do you mean by "the only free performance in the cattle business"?

 

[polledbull]

There is nothing you can do performance wise that will be as good as the hybrid vigor of a limiXangus cross calf . it is the only free performance in the cattle business.

What do you mean by "the only free performance in the cattle business"?

Heterosis and hybrid vigor dont cost a producer anything. it is simply the occuring result of crossbreeding cattle . It is a definite performance advantage that we should take advantage of. if you are producing calves for the terminal market the peformance and weight gain of cross bred calves usually is far better than that of straight bred calves. There is a good article this month in the BEEF Magazine about this .

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

After reading all the negative & the few positive attributes to Limousines, why not think about Simmental. They will give you the growth of Limo, but carcasses will grade better. They will increase your milk production if you keep the crosses for cows. You can go red or black with Simmental. Your choice.

Most important, is the quality & temperament of the bull you purchase - not the color or the breed. And will it give you the kind of calves that you can make money with in your area?

I personnally don't care if cattle are purple & polka-dotted - just so they are good. But in the real world of selling cattle (especially show cattle) they had to be solid black and/or with a blaze face. And, now solid reds are getting hot again. My herd is about 1/2 and 1/2.

 

[Angus Cattle Shower]

Angus.
Is limi crossed with a Black angus to be black?

 

[Frankie]

Angus.
Is limi crossed with a Black angus to be black?

Yes. That's also how Simmentals and Gelbvieh turned black. Some breeders have used Red Angus to keep the red color.

 

[tjones]

thought i would throw my two cents worth in ...as a black limo bull goes it can only be 92% . i have used limo bulls for years on commercial cows . now i am using a composite bull or what is called lim-flex which can be 1/2 limo and 1/2 angus or mine that is 5/8 limo and 3/8 angus which i think is getting the best of both worlds so to speak. they work well with about anythign you cross th em with...this is just my views of course but thought i would throw it in anyway.

 

[houstoncutter]

Yep those cows got black crossing em with an Angus, and those Angus suddenly got taller crossing em with a Holestein. Its downright amazing what you can do with a little crossbreeding