Angus

[Anonymous]

I am looking for any registered angus heffers and bulls and about 100-300 acers of pasture land for lease to start a registered black angus busness in texas. :cboy:

 

[Anonymous]

Not to discourage you pal but ask your Daddy or the bank for money..see who is willing to whip out thousands of dollars to buy your Reg. Angus stock... Angus seedstock are too fanatic about their precious black hides and will make your fat wallet to a skinny one in a single shot. Once you get these cattle, it will be tough to get a good reputation since the competition for Reg. Angus are fierce and numerous. If you want to start Reg. cattle, start with a lesser known breed like Charolais (I know lots of ranchers are on the hunt for good bulls and replacement heifers....to crossbreed with their Angus to whatever black breed they got).
If you are starting out....the best investment is to start small and wisely. Buy some commerical cattle....lease or rent about 50 acres to start off and keep your town job for at least a good ten years then start going bigger as you go.. I hate to see you go broke instantly and be discourage from the great world of livestock! Goodluck to you!

 

[A. delaGarza]

nice quote, and the worst thing is that you are saying the truth, if anyone wants to start in the world of livestock he should start with good commercial cows and buy a pair of good bulls.... after time he should consider to mantain commercial or enter the registered stuff. or both.

Not to discourage you pal but ask your Daddy or the bank for money..see who is willing to whip out thousands of dollars to buy your Reg. Angus stock... Angus seedstock are too fanatic about their precious black hides and will make your fat wallet to a skinny one in a single shot. Once you get these cattle, it will be tough to get a good reputation since the competition for Reg. Angus are fierce and numerous. If you want to start Reg. cattle, start with a lesser known breed like Charolais (I know lots of ranchers are on the hunt for good bulls and replacement heifers....to crossbreed with their Angus to whatever black breed they got).
If you are starting out....the best investment is to start small and wisely. Buy some commerical cattle....lease or rent about 50 acres to start off and keep your town job for at least a good ten years then start going bigger as you go.. I hate to see you go broke instantly and be discourage from the great world of livestock! Goodluck to you!

 

[Frankie]

I am looking for any registered angus heffers and bulls and about 100-300 acers of pasture land for lease to start a registered black angus busness in texas. :cboy:

Check the "Classifieds" here at Cattle Today for cattle for sale. The Texas Angus Association has a website at texasangus.com (no www). Look at the regional association links there and see if there's one in your part of Texas. Most of them, Mid-Texas, ALOT, East Texas, O K & T, have several sales a year where you can buy good genetics at reasonable prices. The Stars of Texas sale is coming up at Fort Worth later this month. There'll be some good cows, but prices will be high. If you study genetics you can buy equally well bred cows at the regional sales much cheaper. Or contact some Texas members and see about private treaty sales. Don't get caught up in the idea that if you pay big bucks for a cow you will get big bucks for her calf. Marketing is important. Attend some sales and pay attention to how certain bloodlines look and how they sell. Your Extension Office might be able to help you find property to rent. Good luck....

 

[Anonymous]

I second what frankie said about price. Marketing plays a big part in the price of cattle. I would look for local breeders who can help you with questions and any concerns you have after the sale. If you are new to cattle I would buy bred cows versus heifers, this should reduce potential calving problems the first year. Buy the females first and then worry about getting a bull. In my area a better deal can usually be had private treaty than at auction.

pat

 

[txag]

Buy the females first and then worry about getting a bull.
pat

better yet, don't worry about a bull at all...........use a.i.

 

[A. delaGarza]

:idea: :idea: the best yet if he is a beganer better not to began, that way he won't worry at all of EPD's, color preference, what breed to raise etc..., :lol: But remember he wants to began so the easiest way is a couple of Cows and a Bull :cboy:

Buy the females first and then worry about getting a bull.
pat

better yet, don't worry about a bull at all...........use a.i.

 

[txag]

:idea: :idea: the best yet if he is a beganer better not to began, that way he won't worry at all of EPD's, color preference, what breed to raise etc..., :lol: But remember he wants to began so the easiest way is a couple of Cows and a Bull :cboy:

Buy the females first and then worry about getting a bull.
pat

better yet, don't worry about a bull at all...........use a.i.

BUT.......he asked about registered angus. he doesn't have to do the a.i.'ing himself. unless he has unlimited funds to buy the best bulls around, he (or an a.i. technician) can a.i. to those same bulls at a much lower cost.

 

[eric]

not to get too far off the subject here, but wouldnt ai'ing be more difficult for a beginner? I am a beginner also, and I considered the a i route, but I have no idea when a cow is in heat, how to get a i straws, how to keep them, who in my area would insert the straws, nitrogen tanks etc.....!
I would really like to learn the a i process, but it seems easier for me to just bring a bull over and let him run with my cows for a couple of months. Is there anywhere , i.e. websites, where I could read up on what it would take to learn the process? We only have one large animal vet left in the D/FW area, and he doesn't do any a i'ing whatsoever! So I am completely lost on this subject.
It probably seems simple to you guys who have been around cows all your life, but this is all new to me and I am learning on the fly.

 

[txag]

not to get too far off the subject here, but wouldnt ai'ing be more difficult for as beginner? I am a beginner also, and I considered the a i route, but I have no idea when a cow is in heat, how to get a i straws, how to keep them, who in my area would insert the straws, nitrogen tanks etc.....!
I would really like to learn the a i process, but it seems easier for me to just bring a bull over and let him run with my cows for a couple of months. Is there anywhere , i.e. websites, where I could read up on what it would take to learn the process? We only have one large animal vet left in the D/FW area, and he doesn't do any a i'ing whatsoever! So I am completely lost on this subject.
It probably seems simple to you guys who have been around cows all your life, but this is all new to me and I am learning on the fly.

if you're just running commercial cows & you're not there full-time, bringing a bull over might be the easiest thing to do. i mentioned a.i. in the previous post because he wanted registered angus. you have access to many good, registered bulls w/a.i. that you may not be able to afford otherwise.

reading up on a.i. probably won't do it for you.....there are various schools that offer a.i. classes. you can contact texas a&m at animalscience.tamu.edu or (979) 845-3579 for a complete list of clinics. there is one in stephenville in march. these clinics are usually a combination palpation/a.i. where you can choose both or either/or. the a.i. class will teach you everything from detecting heat, to straw storage & thawing, to the actual a.i.'ing.

other possibilities would be to not learn the technique yourself but to find a rancher or technician nearby who would be willing to a.i. for you. i have a.i.'d for others & even stored their straws in my tank (some i've charged & some i've done for free)

 

[eric]

oh no, I would never try to do it myself! I just want to learn to tell when they come in heat so I would be able to call someone to do the insertion. But as stated earlier, no one around here even does that, and no one even knows anyone around here who a i's. I am pretty much in the city, but I have a couple of feed stores close by with whom I have established a business relationship with. Actually, it's more of me whipping 'em with questions until they get tired of me, and then I buy something from them to make it worth their while. Kind of an educational investment the way I look at it.

 

[txag]

I just want to learn to tell when they come in heat so I would be able to call someone to do the insertion.

probably the easiest way to detect heat is by observing the cows mounting & riding each other. the cow that stands when mounted (doesn't try to run out from under the other one) is in heat. a.i. is 12 hours after a "standing heat".

 

[eric]

they come in heat every 21 days right?...I got these cows the day after Chrismas, 2 mamas with month old calves, 1 bred cow due any day now (we think) and 1 14 mo old heifer. They should of come in heat already shouldnt they? I have had them 28 days now. I havent noticed any riding or different behavior out of them since I've had them. I spend quite a bit of time with them in the afternoons, feeding/watering/observing them while I am in my shop, di dI just miss the heat or is there a chance it hasn't occured yet?

 

[txag]

they come in heat every 21 days right?...I got these cows the day after Chrismas, 2 mamas with month old calves, 1 bred cow due any day now (we think) and 1 14 mo old heifer. They should of come in heat already shouldnt they? I have had them 28 days now. I havent noticed any riding or different behavior out of them since I've had them. I spend quite a bit of time with them in the afternoons, feeding/watering/observing them while I am in my shop, di dI just miss the heat or is there a chance it hasn't occured yet?

there's a good chance they haven't come in heat yet since the calves would be just two months old now. if they haven't, they probably should within the next month or so. the 14 month old heifer should probably be cycling as well. & yes, every 21 days.

 

[dun]

The range for heat is really 17-21 days. That's considered "normal". Are there any dairys in your area? They probably have an AI technician. Alos, the main AI studs, ABS, Selelct Sires, etc may have a route saleperson in your area then could breed for you or maybe put you in touch with somebody around there that does it.

dun

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

not to get too far off the subject here, but wouldnt ai'ing be more difficult for a beginner? I am a beginner also, and I considered the a i route, but I have no idea when a cow is in heat, how to get a i straws, how to keep them, who in my area would insert the straws, nitrogen tanks etc.....!
I would really like to learn the a i process, but it seems easier for me to just bring a bull over and let him run with my cows for a couple of months. Is there anywhere , i.e. websites, where I could read up on what it would take to learn the process? We only have one large animal vet left in the D/FW area, and he doesn't do any a i'ing whatsoever! So I am completely lost on this subject.
It probably seems simple to you guys who have been around cows all your life, but this is all new to me and I am learning on the fly.

AI'ing isn't that big of a deal. You can either take a class yourself or contact one of the major semen companies and get in touch with their local rep to make arrangements to have your cows done.
AI'ing a bunch of range cattle isn't as hard as it sounds, they can be synchronized so they they all come into heat within 3 days of each other. I took the class a year ago, then AI'd several beef herds last spring. We shot them with Lutalyse, then 14 days later shot them again, then bred once daily at mid-morning for the next 3 days. All the animals cycled and we got 87% conception on the herds that I heat detected. The one herd that the owner heat detected we got 70%. They've already indicated that they want to do it again this year.

Ann B

 

[eric]

Dun, there are lots of dairy distributors in Dallas/FtWorth area, but I don't know of any actual dairy farms locally. Seems these plants just truck the milk in and process it and package it and then ship it outto the stores. Oak Farms and Borden, both of which are in downtown Dallas, ar eprobably the largest around here.
I used to do some work for the Associated Milk Producers plant in Stephenville yrs ago, but I only worked with the maintenance guys, never saw any cows around where we were working.
If you were going to look in the yellow pages for someone to do this, where would you start. I asked the large animal vet who is going to vacinate my cows and he didnt have any idea who would be doing that (ai'ing) in my area.

 

[Anonymous]

Eric, I think there are many actual dairy farms in Erath county. I think that's in north Texas (generally speaking) and might not be too far from where you are in Flower Mound. Don't have a map handy but you can check it out. Good luck, Arnold Z.

 

[dun]

If your large animal vet works with more then just a couple of herds, he/she/it would know , or at least should know, who does AI around there. One thing about AI schools that folks don't think about is the value of knwoing what you're seeing when you're seeing your cows do it. It seems like you just get a better eye for cow behaviour. Mybe it's a side affect of heat detection, I don;t know. A good AI school can be well worth the money. The best way to do it is to start breeding cows as soon as you can after taking the school. Too many people take the school after breeding season then don't get around to actaully breeding for almost a year. Another thing is, not everyone can learn to AI. For those of us that do it, it's hard to comprehend how anyone couldn't. But after dealing with a lot of folks that have had schools and couldn't get the knack I know it happens. It's like bowling or golf. Some folks have the knack and it's easy to get a good score, others have to really work at it to be passable, others can't get a decent score no matter what they do. Nothing wrong with it, just the way things are.

dun

Dun, there are lots of dairy distributors in Dallas/FtWorth area, but I don't know of any actual dairy farms locally. Seems these plants just truck the milk in and process it and package it and then ship it outto the stores. Oak Farms and Borden, both of which are in downtown Dallas, ar eprobably the largest around here.
I used to do some work for the Associated Milk Producers plant in Stephenville yrs ago, but I only worked with the maintenance guys, never saw any cows around where we were working.
If you were going to look in the yellow pages for someone to do this, where would you start. I asked the large animal vet who is going to vacinate my cows and he didnt have any idea who would be doing that (ai'ing) in my area.

 

[A. delaGarza]

you're right but for a beganer it will be easier to buy some comercial cows and a Bull and years past then decide what he really wants to do, to be in the registered market making $$$ for a beganer it will be hard but it will be his choice and his money, that's only my personal thoughts

:idea: :idea: the best yet if he is a beganer better not to began, that way he won't worry at all of EPD's, color preference, what breed to raise etc..., :lol: But remember he wants to began so the easiest way is a couple of Cows and a Bull :cboy:

Buy the females first and then worry about getting a bull.
pat

better yet, don't worry about a bull at all...........use a.i.

BUT.......he asked about registered angus. he doesn't have to do the a.i.'ing himself. unless he has unlimited funds to buy the best bulls around, he (or an a.i. technician) can a.i. to those same bulls at a much lower cost.