cow/calf":3c9lbahp said:
I was looking at our small commercial beef herd this morning and noticed a beautiful 5-month-old bull calf.
Long legs, beautifully muscled body, and straight-back.... Father= Black Angus, mother= Holstein,
The bull calf is black and no signs of horns. If he is mated to a black Angus what would his offspring look like?
Angus x Holstein calves make decent feeder cattle.
When young, under 400 lbs they can fool many into thinking they are more than 1/2 angus.
As they age their frame becomes more apparent and they grow taller and narrower than true beef cattle.
In the feedlot their feed efficiency is a big improvement compared to pure holsteins, but will still lag angus.
As fed cattle they never ring the bell, but they do bring a premium over holsteins.
If you use him on black angus cows, 3/4 angus 1/4 holstein calves will be big, black, polled and fast growing, especially if you creep feed. At 500 lbs many will be tricked into thinking they are really going to perform in the feedlot. You will do well selling them as feeders, but the buyers will be scratching their heads when they reach 900 lbs and their expectations are lowered. IF you keep replacements you will be happy with them as first calf heifers raising big calves, but as they age they will be mostly hard doers, if you keep good records you'll see your herd lagging and bigger feed bills.
In my opinion: do yourself a favor, spend the money on a new bull and stick with buying a purebred beef bull of your choice based on achieving whatever goals you may have.