Cattle photos for critical evaluation.

[Dylan Biggs]

The old man TKRA 61P red carrier this spring before he went to Minburn Angus.

Three of his purebred bull calves.

Bull calf,TKRA 58X, born 20 of May, photo taken 4 of June.

Red bull calf TKRA 32X born 16 of May, photo taken the 4 of June

Just hours old.

Three year old daughter TKRA 159T with calf TKRA 20X, from daughter sire mating.

A commercial Angus 2 year old.

The following are some of our Angus Gelbvieh cross cows.

A six year old.

A 3 year old.

A 4 year old.

A 13 year old.

A 3 year old Red Angus, Gelbvieh cross bull. Forage developed.

Critical evaluation welcome.

 

[tlmcr]

Real nice cattle, the old bull looks pretty complete. I love the udders on the cows, tight with small teats. The RA/GLV bull is well made but could stand a little more capacity in his heart area and wider chest floor.

 

[alexfarms]

nice looking cattle.

 

[iowa hawkeyes]

nice cattle. How big are your cows? They look like they have a little size to them.Looks like the father/daughter mating was good linebreeding.

 

[Julian]

Dylan,
Do you have a link to the pedigree for your sire TKRA 61P?

 

[3waycross]

Nice lookin cows . I second the thought on the udders. Lots of capacity.

My only complaint is what happened to those purty Gelbvieh heads and big ears.

 

[hillsdown]

Nice lookin cows . I second the thought on the udders. Lots of capacity.

My only complaint is what happened to those purty Gelbvieh heads and big ears.

I have to agree with that as well 3WC. Also the bulls look fabulous until you get to about 3/4's down to the backside, the GV/X and the PB Angus. I know that is something that we are really working on as GV breeders and have come a long ways thus far to follow through from front to end.

The front end of your bulls Dylan are extreme power houses, I bet the earth moves when they walk.. ;-) Nice looking cattle for sure..

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Thanks for the kind comments everyone much appreciated.

tlmcr, I agree. Iwould also like to add a bit more heart girth to the cross bred bull.
As for udders we have a ways to go yet, we still have some udders that are on the big side. We haven't shied away from milk real hard and so some of the cows bags still have more volume than they need.
Regarding cow size 1250 to 1300 would get the vast majority this time of year. The last time we weighed all the mature cows they averaged 1175 but that was in the fall when they were more thin. That little 13 yr old cow 41G would be no more than 1100 even now.
She has been a real little trooper.

As for those purty Gelbvieh heads and big ears, most of our cattle with Gelbvieh influence are probably 3/8's at most so even if we were using some of the bulls we used in the 70's we still probably wouldn't be showing it much. That being said I will snap some shots of our current Gelbvieh influence bulls and you can see they still show some of the traditional Gelbvieh type head.
Calving troubles is something I don't miss from some of the bulls we used in the 70's and 80's. And that IMO has to do with reducing head size.

It is interesting though going back through semen directories from the 70's and seeing the range of type that was imported. And seeing which bulls were used and which were not. One line that has worked for us is the Hochrien line through Polled Hockeye. They were neater headed cattle to start with. The Boo Boo bull from ABS has worked for us also when crossing them with our Angus base.

Dylan Biggs

 

[Jake]

Quality set of cows. I could sit here and tear them apart but they look like they get the job done. I really like the udder strength in the group even the 13 year old still has a very acceptable udder for her age. ( I think all women start to sag eventually ) The bulls aren't the type and kind that I prefer but they are still quite acceptable animals if they are helping you to turn a profit and put you towards your goals then good.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Dylan,
Do you have a link to the pedigree for your sire TKRA 61P?

Julian try this link then click on view pedigree.


http://abri.une.edu.au/online/cgi-bin/i ... 9=5A5F5C5C

 

[Dylan Biggs]

One of our Gelbvieh forage raised 2 year old that shows a bit more of the traditional Gelbvieh type head and dewlap.

 

[3waycross]

No funnel butts there.

Good lookin boys and great lookin country. :tiphat:

 

[Dylan Biggs]

3waycross Thanks.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Quality set of cows. I could sit here and tear them apart but they look like they get the job done. I really like the udder strength in the group even the 13 year old still has a very acceptable udder for her age. ( I think all women start to sag eventually ) The bulls aren't the type and kind that I prefer but they are still quite acceptable animals if they are helping you to turn a profit and put you towards your goals then good.

Very well put. I agree

 

[Australian]

Good functional looking cattle. The Angus bull looks more and old fashioned type beef animal that I like. He's sirey unlike a lot of the feminine looking Angus bulls around these days.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Thanks Australian.

How ya going in Australia.
I always figure that ultimately beauty is as beauty does.
You are right about my type preference of the more traditional moderate framed Angus.

 

[Australian]

I do really appreciate cattle of all breeds. They all have their place. It would be a boring old cattle world if there were just a couple of breeds. I can remember in the early 70's when Charolais first came to the showrings of our country how they were a novelty so to speak. The first showring Charolais that I saw cost $25,000, she took of in the showring and caused more havoc than any escaping Brahman has ever done. Things are going ok here in our part of the country. We are having a very mild winter so far ( as is most of Australia) We have had about 12 or so frosts so far ( by this time in a cold year it could be up to 30 or more by now with sleet etc) We still have an amount of green grass and the clover is starting to come through. It will be about another 6 weeks before our main sires go out ( Brahman,Hereford,South Devon,South Brahvon) Our Angus bull will go out a month earlier with a string of a mix of Hereford, Black Baldy, South Devon and Brahman cross heifers.Our cows started calving about 3 weeks or so ago. The Herefords are always first then the South Devons and then comes the Brahmans a little later. Love seeing other peopl's cattle and the country they are grazed on.
Thanks for posting the pictures.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Australian, I agree! It would be a boring cattle world without breed variety.
My fascination with different breeds is one of my weaknesses. South Brahvon, that a new one on me! That would be neat to see some photos.

Counting days of frost, that would be a real novelty, for a guy from the the frozen north.

Is your breed calving schedule intentional an expression of breed difference?

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Nice lookin cows . I second the thought on the udders. Lots of capacity.

My only complaint is what happened to those purty Gelbvieh heads and big ears.

This might strike you as a bit more purty.

 

[3waycross]

Nice lookin cows . I second the thought on the udders. Lots of capacity.

My only complaint is what happened to those purty Gelbvieh heads and big ears.

This might strike you as a bit more purty.

Love that Dewlap. :tiphat: Thanks!