Belgian blue cattle

[Chuckie]

I love the Blues as well, but I don't know of any at all around here. I was hard enough to find Pieds. I was glad to hear the butcher telling that cutting through the meat was like cutting butter. The meat is so so tender. The cholesterol is lower than chicken and turkey. It will allow you to eat beef all the time instead of once a week if your body is beginning to latch on to the cholesterol.
@Travlr, did you take any old pictures from back then? I often take a picture of an old photo with my camera and it does pretty good if you come across any. I would love to see them..

 

[Travlr]

I love the Blues as well, but I don't know of any at all around here. I was hard enough to find Pieds. I was glad to hear the butcher telling that cutting through the meat was like cutting butter. The meat is so so tender. The cholesterol is lower than chicken and turkey. It will allow you to eat beef all the time instead of once a week if your body is beginning to latch on to the cholesterol.
@Travlr, did you take any old pictures from back then? I often take a picture of an old photo with my camera and it does pretty good if you come across any. I would love to see them..

I probably have some pics but they are buried among thousands in shoe boxes under the bed. That's when we first had kids and we used the camera a lot, and of course now we don't have any of it on a computer. But if I'm going through the shoe boxes I'll be looking...

I had a pair of steers out of Limousin cows that I trained to the yoke. One cow was red and had a solid red calf, and the other cow was black and had a black and white piebald calf. Other than the color they looked identical and the HIPS on them were impressive. I sold them before they got to a thousand pounds, but I regret it. They were on track to be some monsters.

 

[moses388]

If you have cows with smooth muscle but carry the double muscle gene you can get some damn fine calves with little worry about calving problems.

https://issuu.com/t-bar-c/docs/supreme_complete24web
Is the double muscle gene (myostatin) the secret to Speckle Park cattle, as well? Breed carriers to non-carriers. ...So Speckled never caught on in the USA because they don't qualify for CAB and the USDA frowns on the double muscle gene?

 

[lithuanian farmer]

https://issuu.com/t-bar-c/docs/supreme_complete24web
Is the double muscle gene (myostatin) the secret to Speckle Park cattle, as well? Breed carriers to non-carriers. ...So Speckled never caught on in the USA because they don't qualify for CAB and the USDA frowns on the double muscle gene?

Yup, they can be carriers as well.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

She's going to be an interesting one. Just turned one month old. Hopefully she will have a better attitude than her dam, as that one really showed some new colours this year. No wonder why her last heifer is in the cull list. This one being a blue cross has higher chance of being easier to handle. Dam will get charolais for the next calf. No more blues for her!

 

[TexasRancher]

She's got that big meannie face. Show her who's boss before she gets too old.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Easy to guess that the sire wasn't charolais I'm almost certain that it's a heifer.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

We are going to want to see "her: dried off.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

We are going to want to see "her: dried off.

Certainly. Just tomorrow morning. She has thin bones, but lots of flesh. We had a calf from the same sire last year. A big bull calf with similar markings.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

The sire

And bull calf by the same sire, last year:

 

[farmerjan]

At least you know who the sire was.....

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Well, here she is! And heifer for sure.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

At least you know who the sire was.....

I was guessing he should be, but there always was a possibility that he might be not.

 

[redcowsrule33]

I've seen that you raise your calves to slaughter. What are your inputs to get them to that size?

 

[lithuanian farmer]

View attachment 42921
View attachment 42922
Well, here she is! And heifer for sure.

135,6lbs.... Quite alot heavier than I expected

 

[lithuanian farmer]

I've seen that you raise your calves to slaughter. What are your inputs to get them to that size?

Pretty simple ration. We used to push bulls more, when price of meal was lower. We used to give 20lbs/day of meal for 1200lbs bulls. Had on average 5,5lbs DWG then. Bulls were grazing in the fields though.
Currently we give way less meal, grazing as well. 18% protein meal currently. It takes abit more time to grow them until suitable size now.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Was abit stubborn at first, but she finally got hold of her most important current task


Next blue calf is due on the 26th of April, from 13years old limxcharx cow, which had blue calves before.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

8 days old already

 

[lithuanian farmer]

17days old. She's going to be a heavy weanling for sure.



Older heifer is doing well too.


Hopefully, soon will have an update on another blue newborn.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

I think you should test the fat content of your cows milk and report back .