Brahmans

[talldog]

Some of you that have knowledge of this breed, please tell us about them.

 

[blackgloves]

They deal with heat probably better than any other breed. And because of that people love to cross Brahman with other breeds

They are very tall. From my experiences they love to jump fences and fight other bulls. They can be hard cattle to work in pens because they're typically mean as fire. Ive seen Brahmans in auction rings stay in the ring for about 3-5 mins because they would charge anything that moved and didn't wanna do what the hands were trying to make them do

I for one would only own a brahman bull if I got a chance to raise him up from a young calf.

 

[Ryan]

Generally, later maturing, not as tender beef, fertile, great mommas, great for crossing, disease resistant, large framed, very heat and humidity tolerant, long ears, big crests/humps, bos indicus, an American-created breed, 1/2 the equation for the great tiger cows, not generally found in cold(er) climates, lots usefullness as a breed.

Ryan

 

[alacattleman]

They deal with heat probably better than any other breed. And because of that people love to cross Brahman with other breeds

They are very tall. From my experiences they love to jump fences and fight other bulls. They can be hard cattle to work in pens because they're typically mean as be nice. Ive seen Brahmans in auction rings stay in the ring for about 3-5 mins because they would charge anything that moved and didn't wanna do what the hands were trying to make them do

I for one would only own a brahman bull if I got a chance to raise him up from a young calf.

nope dont matter if you raise em from a calf or not they got their own personality,, plus their intelligent as heck .gotta be handled different in the pens, but mine was gentle as pups in the pasture

 

[farmwriter]

A guy near me raises them and his are some of the sweetest aniamls you'll ever see. In my part of the world at least, they seem less attractive to insects than most of the more traditional beef breeds. They do make great x-breed to increase heat tolerance, but in some areas, the brahman crosses get docked at the sale barn. As others have said, they are slower maturing, bulls take longer to reach good breading age in many cases, their beef doesn't have the best reputation, and they are often considered wild or hard to handle. But, big generalizations like that about any breed are specious in my book. Is there a breeder in your area you could visit?

 

[talldog]

A guy near me raises them and his are some of the sweetest aniamls you'll ever see. In my part of the world at least, they seem less attractive to insects than most of the more traditional beef breeds. They do make great x-breed to increase heat tolerance, but in some areas, the brahman crosses get docked at the sale barn. As others have said, they are slower maturing, bulls take longer to reach good breading age in many cases, their beef doesn't have the best reputation, and they are often considered wild or hard to handle. But, big generalizations like that about any breed are specious in my book. Is there a breeder in your area you could visit?

Fellow down the road has some cows for sale-- Some full--some breed to a Angus bull.

 

[alacattleman]

A guy near me raises them and his are some of the sweetest aniamls you'll ever see. In my part of the world at least, they seem less attractive to insects than most of the more traditional beef breeds. They do make great x-breed to increase heat tolerance, but in some areas, the brahman crosses get docked at the sale barn. As others have said, they are slower maturing, bulls take longer to reach good breading age in many cases, their beef doesn't have the best reputation, and they are often considered wild or hard to handle. But, big generalizations like that about any breed are specious in my book. Is there a breeder in your area you could visit?

alot of that bad rep came from cattleman who had raised british breeds for ever , and didnt know how too handle em,, ive known a few that would shoot one if they set foot on their place after owning em

 

[farmwriter]

Fellow down the road has some cows for sale-- Some full--some breed to a Angus bull.

Might be a good idea to visit if you're thinking of buying. See if he'll let u walk out in the pasture with them - might be a good way to gague temperment for yourself.

 

[TexasBred]

Fellow down the road has some cows for sale-- Some full--some breed to a Angus bull.

Might be a good idea to visit if you're thinking of buying. See if he'll let u walk out in the pasture with them - might be a good way to gague temperment for yourself.

Visit a top notch brahman operation, not some guy who just happens to own a few. Very true, you have to handle them differently, stay calm, work slow and respect them. More times than not they are a pretty good reflection of their owner. ;-)

Years ago we ran brahman bulls with the dairy cattle...gentle as dogs. The mexican boys would jump on them and ride them to the barn like big babies.....but the day you told the milk hands to cut them out of the barn so you could haul them off....seemed like they could read your mind and came out of the barn like a run away train.

 

[Australian]

Here goes I have been breeding Brahman cattle for the past almost 40 years. Have stuck with them through thick and thin, property changes marriage breakups etc etc. They are amongst the most universal breed to be used for crossing. The only other breeds to come close is the Angus and Hereford. I have never had a Brahman jump out of our yards over the past years. They are docile and highly intelligent.They have contributed more to our Beef industry than any other breed in our history. When I was growing up near the coast to my east it was a novelty to see a Brahman in a paddock. Now its the norm. Back in those days the only other breed was Hereford. Very few Angus were about. Hereford breeders converted over to Bos Indicus type breeds by way of firstly Braford,Santa Gertrudis and Droughtmaster, then realising there was not enough Brahman content have in a lot of cases moved into solely Brahman or high content Brahman derived breeds. Even in our high country region there used to be an abundance of Herefords but now a number of the traditional breeds have a touch of Brahman influence.I've often been told why don't you get rid of the Brahmans and just have South Devons. I say to them no way they have served me well over the hard climatic times.Seldom you will find the Brahman sire leave his herd of cows. I run Brahmans and Herefords or South Devons together at times and find each breed sticks together.
Colin

 

[farmwriter]

Visit a top notch brahman operation, not some guy who just happens to own a few. Very true, you have to handle them differently, stay calm, work slow and respect them. More times than not they are a pretty good reflection of their owner. ;-)

Agreed. I made the assumption these were the cattle that would be a possible purchase. Talldog didn't say that though, so not sure why I jumped to that conclusion.

 

[BRYANT]

They are very tall. From my experiences they love to jump fences and fight other bulls. They can be hard cattle to work in pens because they're typically mean as fire. Ive seen Brahmans in auction rings stay in the ring for about 3-5 mins because they would charge anything that moved and didn't wanna do what the hands were trying to make them do

This is not my experiences with them at all.and so you know I am not new at this my family has had brahman and brahman cross for at least 80 years
they are slower to reach breeding age but MOST will raise calves to a older age
they are as you would say " mean as fire " when they are teased just go to a sale barn and watch how many FOOLS come by and try to make them fight and yes if you tease then long enough they will " clean your plow for you" I have told some dumb kids, not always a kid ,more than once to stop teasing them at sale barns That said I have some turned out now that I can take a bag of cubes and they will follow me any place I want to take them and some of my fences are 60 year old patched up junk and they aint out fence jumping, now my neighbors black bull did break in the other day but no big deal thats part of haveing cattle reguardless of what kind they are. there is some bad points but last time I posted any thing about what I thought was bad with them it did not go over to good with some people so I'll just leave that off this time.they do seem to be more of a one person cow than other cattle I can pet my bull,full blood,if I am by myself but put someone with me that he does not know and he acts like he might fight them.

 

[novatech]

There is probably enough space but I don,t have enough time to write all that needs to be said about the differences between Brahman and other breeds of cattle. After spending most of my life with them I am still learning, since the early fifty's.
The American Brahman is a very young breed as compared to others. The Brahmans of old were salty. They were left to pastures not seen for a year at a time. They gained a reputation that is still with us today. As the breed developed in the US there was far better genetic selection made for temperament and is still being made today. Plus we spent a lot more time with them and have learned how to handle them. There are two things that effect the temperament. One is genetic the other is how they are handled. A trip to the vet can ruin a good gentle heifer/bull forever if they are mishandled in the process.
Improvements in the quality of beef produced by the Brahman are just now being developed.
I do not believe there is another breed that can compete with Brahman as to efficiency, as to the breed as a whole.
Artificial Insemination with Brahman is a subject that I am still learning about. I can tell you that anything you do out of the ordinary can disrupt the normal cycle of things and cause a failure in the process.
I have never had to pull a calf from a Brahman cow. Brahman cows have a trait that limits the birth weight.
The most gentle Brahman cow in the herd can change her attitude when she has a calf. You immediately become a threat to the new born calf. Not all are like that but most. After a few weeks the hormones change and they go back to normal.
Dehorning should be done as early a posible as it is tramatic. Brahmans have very good memories. It takes a long time for them to get over bad experiances. Some never do.
The very worst thing about raising Brahman is that it can be very dificult not letting them become a pet. They bond very easly once they know you are not out to hurt them.

 

[talldog]

Hey Novatech---They sorta sound like my Wife !!! :banana:

 

[novatech]

Hey Novatech---They sorta sound like my Wife !!! :banana:

You are exactly right. Soft gentle persuation even when you want to--You know.
And just like a wife they can remember everything you have done wrong and are just about as fogiving.

 

[Australian]

Your post above was a very sensible summation of the breed.
Thank You
Colin

 

[Wrencattleco]

i show brangus cattle and i have since i was in the 8th grade. most of it is in how you raise em ours are like 1500 lb dogs. i have one thats crazy but she is the only one. and they are easy to keep around especialy if its hot. all in all a good breed. i mean i love brangus

 

[Australian]

I lineup of sleek Brangus in the showring is very eye appealing.

 

[BC]

Hey Novatech---They sorta sound like my Wife !!! :banana:

You are exactly right. Soft gentle persuation even when you want to--You know.
And just like a wife they can remember everything you have done wrong and are just about as fogiving.

Amen