Beefmaster vs braferd

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georgiabob

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I've got a decent group of mostly cross bred cows. Now i want to add a little brahman to produce the next brood cows. Is there any reason to pick one over the other for my next bull? I'm leaning toward beefmaster. I want calm, slick haired cows that can tolerate the heat. Most of my cows have angus, charolaise and hereford in them.
 
I keep looking for something else to run besides Beefmaster bulls but I always come up short. They just work for me. I do have a big calf or two every year but I haven't had to pull any in years although I have lost them regardless of the cow having it own her own. The docility and growth are just hard to beat IMO. They work easy, they're healthy, they handle the heat and cold both here just fine, and the bulls stay inside the fences. Taking the price dock at the sale barn every year for ear hurts a little bit but not enough to change to something else.

I bought a Judd Ranch Balancer a couple of years ago to breed to heifers only for small calves but the Angus in him just irritates me to no end. I've about put a bullet in him a couple of times now. Really don't like that bull. Going back to Crib Creek this fall and getting another Beefmaster.

Never had Braford but I do like some chrome in the herd. With our Beefmasters, solid dark reds and creams tend to be the most common colors.
 
I keep looking for something else to run besides Beefmaster bulls but I always come up short. They just work for me. I do have a big calf or two every year but I haven't had to pull any in years although I have lost them regardless of the cow having it own her own. The docility and growth are just hard to beat IMO. They work easy, they're healthy, they handle the heat and cold both here just fine, and the bulls stay inside the fences. Taking the price dock at the sale barn every year for ear hurts a little bit but not enough to change to something else.

I bought a Judd Ranch Balancer a couple of years ago to breed to heifers only for small calves but the Angus in him just irritates me to no end. I've about put a bullet in him a couple of times now. Really don't like that bull. Going back to Crib Creek this fall and getting another Beefmaster.

Never had Braford but I do like some chrome in the herd. With our Beefmasters, solid dark reds and creams tend to be the most common colors.
I'm trying to build a herd of brood cows. I can put a brangus over them down the road to make sale barn animals. Everything i read seems to point to beefmaster. There are a few breeders within 3 hours of me that i know of. One really close to me that has a nice young bull at a good price but it has horns and i'm trying to stay away from horns if at all possible.
 
georgiabob, would you share those breeders. The Lassiter and Casey lines of Beefmasters are mostly found in Texas and the High Plains. Beefmasters in the South became show animals with lots of undesirable characteristics. Those breeders mostly closed up shop some years ago. The Foundation Beefmasters are the kind of cattle you describe and are looking for. So am I. But I do not feel comfortable bringing cattle from west to east. I am taking a hard look at Adams Ranch Braford. They would be "going to a better home" coming from central Florida to South Georgia and should do well. Look forward to hearing from you.
 
georgiabob, would you share those breeders. The Lassiter and Casey lines of Beefmasters are mostly found in Texas and the High Plains. Beefmasters in the South became show animals with lots of undesirable characteristics. Those breeders mostly closed up shop some years ago. The Foundation Beefmasters are the kind of cattle you describe and are looking for. So am I. But I do not feel comfortable bringing cattle from west to east. I am taking a hard look at Adams Ranch Braford. They would be "going to a better home" coming from central Florida to South Georgia and should do well. Look forward to hearing from you.
Lingfelter is the name of one. Ithink they're around athens. There's another near macon and another guy has a couple of black bulls for sale but i'm not sure where he is exactly. The other two have cattle with a good deal of chrome.
 
I've got a decent group of mostly cross bred cows. Now i want to add a little brahman to produce the next brood cows. Is there any reason to pick one over the other for my next bull? I'm leaning toward beefmaster. I want calm, slick haired cows that can tolerate the heat. Most of my cows have angus, charolaise and hereford in them.
Braford/Beefmaster...damn near the same thing, the only thing missing is 25% Shorthorn.

If you held a gun to my head and made me pick...I would do Beefmaster any day over a Braford. Have never seen a purebred Braford (5/8 3/8) that looked good.
 
Not a lot of experience with either, but if I were choosing a bull i would likely choose Beefmaster. There are a few more of them around,
 
Braford/Beefmaster...damn near the same thing, the only thing missing is 25% Shorthorn.

If you held a gun to my head and made me pick...I would do Beefmaster any day over a Braford. Have never seen a purebred Braford (5/8 3/8) that looked good.
I've got a neighbor about a half mile from me that runs brafords and he has 4 bulls that are really impressive. Getting one from him would be convenient but i do think i'd rather find a beefmaster
 
Neither. I'd use Brangus.
If i was at the point of focusing on the terminal calves i would. Right now i'm more interested in retaining heifers and the brangus i have are way harder to handle than my hereford and charolais crosses.
 
You might consider a polled wagyu. F1 calves with wagyu genetics are highly sought after by feedlot buyers.
 
To answer the original question, I would definitely go with a Beefmaster bull. The longevity, hardiness and docility of a beefmaster is hard to match and they are great brood cows. Also take the small birth weight combined with the high growth rate of the calves and you will be making a little extra money when it is time to sell the calves. I raise red and black registered Beefmaster cattle in Kansas. I am a small breeder that started in 2017. I am still learning. I know several people that raise Beefmaster cattle around the United States if you need someone close to you. I focus on bulls for the commercial cattleman. I have a few Angus cows and every heifer they have, I have kept because they look so good. I have found ranches that have polled cattle do not want to purchase a horned bull. I am working on producing high quality polled registered Beefmaster heifers so I can produce high quality double polled bulls. There are not that many around. I AI as much as I can to get my higher quality genetics up. When any bull is missing something, I have a butcher program to put him in.
 
If you were picking between these two which would you go with? The lighter one is 10 months and the one with the chrome is just over 7 months.
 

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Bottom bull if only out of those two. I would personally not go with that much skin and paint on the top bull, or any bull.

Dont limit yourself to those two IMO. I try not to judge too hard of enet pictures but be sure the are for sure what you want. Especially if you want cow makers that could effect your herd for a long time.
 
Why not go with a Brangus bull? Same amount of Brahman and calves will be black hided. Chrome and mixed color calves will cost you at the sale barn verses an all black set.
I already answered this earlier. The brangus i have don't have the kind of attitude i want and i'm trying to build up a herd of cows, not make sale barn animals. When i'm ready to puke black hided sale barn calves i probably will breed the cows i'm trying to make now to a brangus. I think beefmaster have a little more brahman than brangus.
 
Bottom bull if only out of those two. I would personally not go with that much skin and paint on the top bull, or any bull.

Dont limit yourself to those two IMO. I try not to judge too hard of enet pictures but be sure the are for sure what you want. Especially if you want cow makers that could effect your herd for a long time.
I agree about the skin on the one but he is toting a lot of muscle for a weanling. What don't you like about the red one?
 

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