Cattle Evaluation Scale

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In Your Opinion, What is the ONE MOST Important Cattle Item?

  • Weaning and/or Yearling Weight

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Straight Topline and/or Quality Navel Area Flap

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Pedigree

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Temperament

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Feminine Face (females) or "Bully Face" for Bulls

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Balanced Conformation (The "Triangle" Rule)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Easy Calving

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Disease Resistance

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Foraging Ability and/or Forage Conversion

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Maternal Instinct (females) or Libido (bulls)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .

Running Arrow Bill

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Ok...here's another one of my "infamous" polls... ;-)

Now, word of caution...lol. I have purposefully left out choices of "Some of the above" and "all of the above." The results of this survey will be computed to arrive at a rank order scale.

So...will apreciate any and all help y'all can provide!

I know...this is a "forced choice" survey...however, try to pick the one MOST important item for your program. :)
 
Dang, that's hard to choose..................

Kinda like asking if a car is important because it will get you there, or is it just to save time?
 
I voted, but I think the choices should be "grouped" where you could select between more closely associated choices. For instance conformation vs top line.

I think the votes will be skewed by "where people are today", for instance if the cows scared the Mrs today then folks will vote for temperament and if grass is scarce then foraging will be on the voter's mind.

Anyway good luck with the poll and feel free to tell us what the results mean.

Cuz
 
My thinking is close to Caustic. Only I voted maternal instinct and libido. If you have bulls without libido, well,...
Reproduction is the single most important thing.

I am surprised at how many voted temperment. Could this be the hobby farmers I have heard about?
 
Caustic Burno":2ojvg5j2 said:
It has to be easy calving can't sell a dead calf all the other traits are worthless if the cow can't deliver a life healthy calf.

True, but many times "Management" plays a big part in lost calves. Or lack of...............................

One example:

In my personal observations, a smaller calf will have more "abnormal" presentations than a larger calf at birth.

They have more room to around move inside the womb in the later gestation period when the calf is more active.

Just my own theory, so don't get bent out of shape.......... :lol:
 
I'm the "Pedigree" vote. The pedigree can tell you a lot about many of these individual traits: weights, calving ease, maternal instincts, fertility. It's not exact, but I think it's the best individual indicator of this list.

Longhorn breeders probably look at pedigree for indicator of horn length.
 
Caustic Burno":1fkxa0m7 said:
It has to be easy calving can't sell a dead calf all the other traits are worthless if the cow can't deliver a life healthy calf.

You're dead on again CB. That is the way I voted anyway.
 
Ryder":1oam5jr5 said:
My thinking is close to Caustic. Only I voted maternal instinct and libido. If you have bulls without libido, well,...
Reproduction is the single most important thing.

I am surprised at how many voted temperment. Could this be the hobby farmers I have heard about?

I agree... I voted that too. With out male and female traits you got nothing.
 
I voted for temperment, If im out in the middle of the night checking cows, i dont need some cow chasing me down trying to kill me. I agree the other things are important to, I just thought temperment was a little more important. If our cows have a bad temperment they go down the road. Bad tempermented cows have got me because they felt like it, there was no calf or anything. Its different if they are protecting a calf, but than agin i give the calfs a shot and tag them around 24 hours old or i try to, and i dont need a mad mommy tring to kill me. You also cant work with a tepermental cow like you can with the other ones, im not saying they should be pets. Im just saying you should be able to walk amongst them and handle them when need be with out putting your life in serious danger.JMO

Katy
 
Ok, there are several important ones! I'm one for weights. The reason being is that in order to get the weight, a live calf was delivered (hitting on calving and fertility). Typically if our cows don't wean a calf, they don't stay and right now we all still sell (not sale :D ) them by the pound. We track which cows are producing and which aren't producing as well (and will ratio/% that with cow weight). We will send them to town if they aren't producing as well as the others and hopefully replace them with one that will. Yes, I love spreadsheets and could probably be said to have a "nerd herd" - we engineer our cattle matings to try and produce the best outcomes and track all kinds of data (some probably useless), but weights are important to us. Temperament is also a "biggie".
 
Canadian_Cowgirl":1ut08ntn said:
I voted for temperment, If im out in the middle of the night checking cows, i dont need some cow chasing me down trying to kill me. I agree the other things are important to, I just thought temperment was a little more important. If our cows have a bad temperment they go down the road. Bad tempermented cows have got me because they felt like it, there was no calf or anything. Its different if they are protecting a calf, but than agin i give the calfs a shot and tag them around 24 hours old or i try to, and i dont need a mad mommy tring to kill me. You also cant work with a tepermental cow like you can with the other ones, im not saying they should be pets. Im just saying you should be able to walk amongst them and handle them when need be with out putting your life in serious danger.JMO

Katy

I will take a cow with bad temperment over one who can't have a calf any day.... :D
 
Brute 23":et7c3ero said:
Canadian_Cowgirl":et7c3ero said:
I voted for temperment, If im out in the middle of the night checking cows, i dont need some cow chasing me down trying to kill me. I agree the other things are important to, I just thought temperment was a little more important. If our cows have a bad temperment they go down the road. Bad tempermented cows have got me because they felt like it, there was no calf or anything. Its different if they are protecting a calf, but than agin i give the calfs a shot and tag them around 24 hours old or i try to, and i dont need a mad mommy tring to kill me. You also cant work with a tepermental cow like you can with the other ones, im not saying they should be pets. Im just saying you should be able to walk amongst them and handle them when need be with out putting your life in serious danger.JMO

Katy

I will take a cow with bad temperment over one who can't have a calf any day.... :D

Well your probally also alot bigger than i am! and i didnt say we would keep ones that have bad calves. I just think personal safety is more important than a good calf, whats a good calf gunna do when your dead?? or seriously injured?

Katy
 
Canadian_Cowgirl":2x01y1x0 said:
I voted for temperment, If im out in the middle of the night checking cows, i dont need some cow chasing me down trying to kill me. I agree the other things are important to, I just thought temperment was a little more important. If our cows have a bad temperment they go down the road. Bad tempermented cows have got me because they felt like it, there was no calf or anything. Its different if they are protecting a calf, but than agin i give the calfs a shot and tag them around 24 hours old or i try to, and i dont need a mad mommy tring to kill me. You also cant work with a tepermental cow like you can with the other ones, im not saying they should be pets. Im just saying you should be able to walk amongst them and handle them when need be with out putting your life in serious danger.JMO

Katy

I completely agree. I've had too much bad experience with chasing after nut-case steers to want to mess with a nutter cow.

My other choice would be calving ease. That and fertility.
 
I voted for temperament although I would never keep a cow that only had temperament going for her. If she didn't have a good calf she would be gone. A cow with a bad disposition wouldn't get a chance to prove herself with me though.
I am with Katy, my safety comes first. If we are talking commercial calves then $700. is not worth me risking my life for. If we are talking purebreds then the dam of a bull shoud have a good disposition. I don't need to be breeding idiots. Part of being a responsible breeder of bulls and replacement heifers is selling animals that won't kill their owners.
 

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