C Bar C Ranch
Member
Greetings!
I have recently come into control of the family ranch and its herd of approximately 70 mama cows. There have been no records kept, and heifers have historically been retained solely on their conformation with little selection on maternal characteristics beyond milk production. The herd has run with Brangus bulls for about 12 years, but an ill advised adventure with a herd bull out of a Charolais cross has resulted in several dilute cattle. They have historically been pampered through the winter with cubes when hay and supplement tubs would have sufficed. The bulls have traditionally run with the cows year round, which makes it difficult to discern the most fertile females from the slugabouts. The greatest underlying flaw I see with the herd is that their bags have a tendency to break down when they are about 7-8 years old and several have tits larger than I think they should be. Perhaps seconded by a slightly larger frame than I would like. There are definitely worse cattle in my area, (Western Arkansas, just south of Ft. Smith), and Conformation wise, they are decent cattle. But I want to turn them into much more efficient producers.
I'm running two Brangus bulls currently, a four year old and an eighteen month old. Both are solid bulls with good conformation, however, I have to turn this herd into a profitable venture instead of maintaining the simple tax write off that they were, and straightbred cows aren't the answer. The question is what to cross on them. I intend on retaining the heifers out of my best cows and slowly culling bad bags, slow breeders, dilutes, etc. My long term plan is to maintain two breeding programs. One herd of F1 Brangus x (X) mama cows bred to a terminal sire (Y), and another herd of about 30 straightbred Brangus females to produce F1 replacements.
I would like the F1 sire to produce thrifty mama cows of medium frame possessing tight bags, small tits, and the ability to produce consistent calves well into her life; I'm done retiring 7 year old cattle. I have contemplated several breeds, mainly: Gelbvieh (or Balancer), SimAngus, and Hereford. Gelbvieh offers a good blend of maternal and muscle, with the added kick of early onset puberty, high fertility, and the increased heterosis a Continental brings to a 5/8 English cowherd; the downside may be too much milk production. SimAngus holds many of the same virtues as does the Gelbvieh, but with an added bonus of carcass quality that I expect would really shine when you put a Charolais bull on the Brangus x SimAngus cows; however, the SimAngus may not be as thrifty as I would like with the larger frames coupled with the high milk production. Herefords are good hustlers, good mamas, easy fleshers, and a black baldy sells well in this area; the downside from my viewpoint is lack of Continental blood in the cowherd.
The terminal F2 sire is likely to be a Charolais or, perhaps, a Limousin.
Any feedback you can give will be most helpful! :cboy:
I have recently come into control of the family ranch and its herd of approximately 70 mama cows. There have been no records kept, and heifers have historically been retained solely on their conformation with little selection on maternal characteristics beyond milk production. The herd has run with Brangus bulls for about 12 years, but an ill advised adventure with a herd bull out of a Charolais cross has resulted in several dilute cattle. They have historically been pampered through the winter with cubes when hay and supplement tubs would have sufficed. The bulls have traditionally run with the cows year round, which makes it difficult to discern the most fertile females from the slugabouts. The greatest underlying flaw I see with the herd is that their bags have a tendency to break down when they are about 7-8 years old and several have tits larger than I think they should be. Perhaps seconded by a slightly larger frame than I would like. There are definitely worse cattle in my area, (Western Arkansas, just south of Ft. Smith), and Conformation wise, they are decent cattle. But I want to turn them into much more efficient producers.
I'm running two Brangus bulls currently, a four year old and an eighteen month old. Both are solid bulls with good conformation, however, I have to turn this herd into a profitable venture instead of maintaining the simple tax write off that they were, and straightbred cows aren't the answer. The question is what to cross on them. I intend on retaining the heifers out of my best cows and slowly culling bad bags, slow breeders, dilutes, etc. My long term plan is to maintain two breeding programs. One herd of F1 Brangus x (X) mama cows bred to a terminal sire (Y), and another herd of about 30 straightbred Brangus females to produce F1 replacements.
I would like the F1 sire to produce thrifty mama cows of medium frame possessing tight bags, small tits, and the ability to produce consistent calves well into her life; I'm done retiring 7 year old cattle. I have contemplated several breeds, mainly: Gelbvieh (or Balancer), SimAngus, and Hereford. Gelbvieh offers a good blend of maternal and muscle, with the added kick of early onset puberty, high fertility, and the increased heterosis a Continental brings to a 5/8 English cowherd; the downside may be too much milk production. SimAngus holds many of the same virtues as does the Gelbvieh, but with an added bonus of carcass quality that I expect would really shine when you put a Charolais bull on the Brangus x SimAngus cows; however, the SimAngus may not be as thrifty as I would like with the larger frames coupled with the high milk production. Herefords are good hustlers, good mamas, easy fleshers, and a black baldy sells well in this area; the downside from my viewpoint is lack of Continental blood in the cowherd.
The terminal F2 sire is likely to be a Charolais or, perhaps, a Limousin.
Any feedback you can give will be most helpful! :cboy:
