Brangus X Charolais

[Brute 23]

A while back the neighbor's Char bull got in with some of our Brangus cattle. No big deal. They throw some nice calves. Every one rants and raves about white or those grey calves.

Sure enough cows start calving. I have an Angus bull across them. Black, black, black, GREY, black, black... Good looking stout grey bull calf.

Last Friday I take a load of calves to sale and get 1.1 on this #550 bull calf vs 1.8 on simular calves. A wild heifer I culled that was #600 even brought 1.6.

I called the auction just to see what they would say. The guy said... grey bull calf, I'll pull you ticket but did it have some thing funny about its tail... yes sir... they docked you because thats a genetic defect from char x angus, we get them all the time. :shock:

That's just one more reason to hate those dang bulls. Why would some one breed animals that can do that. I don't care how much you get for char X calves.... a couple of those and your avg sucks.

I'm going to make it a point that our neighbor keeps that bull in. That's a big hit.

Learn some thing new every day. The auction barn guy even said... don't know why they dock them... I've never eaten cow tail... but they sure do it

 

[Muddy]

Brute, they will making excuses to dock you for just giggles. I can understand why the rattails got docked up north. But in south Texas? That doesn't make sense at all.

Shorthorns get docked all times here for absolutely no reason. Same with British Whites.

 

[Muddy]

It's funny thing that you just got ripped off by sale barn guys, therefore blamed on an entire breed.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I'm running a char bull over brangus cows. Only have 10 cows now. But the calves have made me a premium over the past 3 years. I also had a brangus bull. It was pretty easy to see who sired who. Grey steers seemed to fetch a little more than black. Heifers were opposite.

At the sale barn you need atleast two people who like your calves. They have to bid against one another and not be in cohorts. Order buyers are simply buying to specs and price. If their specs are black, you're out of luck.

 

[Rafter S]

My father had the same thing happen years ago. We were told that the rat tail was only one symptom of the genetic defect, and other health problems usually accompany it. That's why they pay less for them. It's not just about the tail.

 

[Muddy]

We don't know what the sale barn guy meant the funny looking tail. Could be anything. The rattails just do well in feedlots in the South, the problems just appeared when they gets too cold up north.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Call it what they may but..... It's mostly just an excuse to steal one from the farmer.

 

[TB521]

Call it what they may but..... It's mostly just an excuse to steal one from the farmer.

I bet the packers don't dock them for ears and tails

 

[1982vett]

I sold one that was 4 months old two weeks ago that topped the market in it's weight class. Was out of a black white faced cow.

Funny thing about my Charolais bull....Kind of a long story how he ended up where he is. Neighbor had a Beefmaster bull that pretty much roamed where he wanted. Neighbor finally got rid of him and replaced him with a young Angus........well, MY Angus Plus took it upon himself to be the "Wandering Romeo". I let it go on a little to long and he decided I didn't have enough cows for him to stay in my pasture and stopped coming to be let back in the pasture. Wouldn't even follow the bag of cubes. He would be home when I had a cow needing breeding but didn't stay and wouldn't pen. I said OK, "but you just wait till winter....I'll get your butt". Sure enough, come winter I had better pasture than my neighbor and I caught him. I had bought an 18 month old Charolais Bull in May to put on some heifers. :shock: So I switched places with them, brought that "Roaming Romeo" home and put him behind a nice, HOT, electric fence. . Well that created another vacuum. Within a week the neighbors Angus bull (now close to a 3 year old and a nice looking bull) was in my pasture. I figured I'd still be getting black calves but you know what.....nary a one has come out of him....makes me wonder if that black bull is shooting blanks.

 

[Brute 23]

My father had the same thing happen years ago. We were told that the rat tail was only one symptom of the genetic defect, and other health problems usually accompany it. That's why they pay less for them. It's not just about the tail.

That is the exact same thing the guy told me. It can be a sign of other health issues.

He was real nice and admitted it didn't make sense to him either. He suggested putting a bottom limit on it if I get another one. Like he said, for that money it would have made a good butcher calf.

 

[Brute 23]

It's funny thing that you just got ripped off by sale barn guys, therefore blamed on an entire breed.

I blamed the entire breed for not being able to stay in their own pasture. ;-)

I tell my neighbors all the same thing about their Char bulls. The first time I will let you know so you can come get him. The second time I will pen him and you can take him to the ring or I will and put it in your name. The third time you will come get your injured bull and wish you had taken my advice the second time.

Of all our properties, all our neighbors, by far we end up with more Char bulls on our properties than any other breed 10 to 1. Its ridiculous. At one point I pulled up and there were 3 Char bulls on one property. Two from one neighbor and one from another. I penned all 3 and called the neighbors. That's when I made up the 3 strike deal.

 

[Muddy]

Blame on their owners, not the breed.

 

[Brute 23]

I actually blame the drought because small places can not run the number of head it takes to keep a mature bull satasfied. When those bulls start getting 4 & 5+ yrs old it's hard to keep them on 10 or 15 cows.

 

[1982vett]

I actually blame the drought because small places can not run the number of head it takes to keep a mature bull satasfied. When those bulls start getting 4 & 5+ yrs old it's hard to keep them on 10 or 15 cows.

:nod:
Especially when all the watergaps are dry.....

 

[Stocker Steve]

Single char x calves are discounted here.
In a mixed group, char x are usually sold with the reds. Since they grow faster than funnel butts - - you then make more $ per calf..

 

[Muddy]

Here, any singles are discounted, even if its a black. In a mixed group, they're usually sold with blacks and reds here.

 

[hillbillyhammer]

Anybody know what specific health problems usually go along with the rat tail?

 

[Muddy]

Anybody know what specific health problems usually go along with the rat tail?

Less hair and slow growth, but most rattails grow just fine assuming they're in the south. Harsh winters can be hard on them, especially in MN and other northern states.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Anybody know what specific health problems usually go along with the rat tail?

Less hair and slow growth, but most rattails grow just fine assuming they're in the south. Harsh winters can be hard on them, especially in MN and other northern states.

That's the biggest reason is hair coat...do as good on moms as the others, but once on the feed lot they don't hair up like the others, and don't gain as well in the cold...

 

[Muddy]

Anybody know what specific health problems usually go along with the rat tail?

Less hair and slow growth, but most rattails grow just fine assuming they're in the south. Harsh winters can be hard on them, especially in MN and other northern states.

That's the biggest reason is hair coat...do as good on moms as the others, but once on the feed lot they don't hair up like the others, and don't gain as well in the cold...

Yup, but the studies showed that the rattails performed in feedlots just good as others. Obviously the studies took a place in the South or during summers.