Mahoney Pursley Ranch
Well-known member
Thanks for all the varied replies. I respect each and every one of them. :cboy:
Caustic probably hasn't seen many modern Charolais cattle. I've got some polled Char bulls that have heads much like Angus heads. They just slip right out of a cow. I've pulled a couple of Brangus calves this year. Haven't pulled a Char calf all year. Biggest ones are in the 90-95 pound range. Some are even down in the 50's. Not rattails, either. Average is probably 80 pounds or so.Caustic Burno":3ls3bj3l said:Mahoney Pursley Ranch":3ls3bj3l said:What do yall think of a Charolais bull on a commercial cow herd?
Great if you want pallet head cattle.
Bull Honky":1gtzf1w6 said:Texan, What do you mean by rattail? Is that generally bad, and why?
Thanks
Well - here we go again - running into our old friend "Semantics (the meaning of language or words).Mahoney Pursley Ranch":axzbk5a7 said:What do yall think of a Charolais bull on a commercial cow herd?
Absolutely Correct! No argument on that point!MikeC":3befm10c said:I have no argument with Frankie. I respect ALL cattle breeders who do a good job. It takes all kind of cattle to meet the market needs now and I wish them all well.
Having said that, remember, the ONLY FREE RIDE we will ever get in the cattle business is "Heterosis". Taking full advantage of it will put $'s in the pocket if done correctly. Have a great day!
houstoncutter":2ch5mm6t said:hmmm frilly French cattle, thats interesting, they may not grade choice, but they will probably put 100 pounds more calf to sell at weaning.... than your studly english bulls. Last time I looked most people are selling calves by the pound. I think that is the main reason these cattle got a chance to come across the pond a breed. Commercial cattlemen were tired the straight linebred english mutts
Farmhand":1530smn3 said:Caustic - I agree with you about not using Char bull. My question is - what do you think about Char cow being bred to Angus bull? Around here it seems that a Char looking calf with a black hide does real well. Both in performance and in price. I like the looks of these calves. Too afraid of having bad pulls if using Char bull. Am interested in your opinion.
Caustic, you know what you're talking about...We Bought a Hereford bull not long ago, and have several Charolais cows, they have good dispositions, and I can't wait to see what their calves will look like.Calves last year were out of our Beefmaster Bull, and talk about color combinations, you're liable to get anything..Caustic Burno":ac960zsc said:Farmhand":ac960zsc said:Caustic - I agree with you about not using Char bull. My question is - what do you think about Char cow being bred to Angus bull? Around here it seems that a Char looking calf with a black hide does real well. Both in performance and in price. I like the looks of these calves. Too afraid of having bad pulls if using Char bull. Am interested in your opinion.
Chars are good cattle with great growth, the pallet heads of the seventies have pretty much disappeared. The Char people have made some big improvements over the last thirty years. The char crosses sell extremely well here they love those smoky colored calves. The bigest problem I have with Char bulls today is disposition. Farmhand it wouldn't upset me a bit to have a pasture full of Chars with a good Hereford or Angus bull on them.
Laugh if ya will. I'll be laughing on my way to the bank!DOC HARRIS":30v4och8 said:Well - here we go again - running into our old friend "Semantics (the meaning of language or words).Mahoney Pursley Ranch":30v4och8 said:What do yall think of a Charolais bull on a commercial cow herd?
What do you mean by saying "- - -a commercial cow herd"? Of what is this 'commercial cow herd" composed? A Duke's mixture of Hereford, Angus, Jersey, Holstein, Simmental, Limousin, Gelpvieh, - - - -Gosh - maybe even a bit of Watusi thrown in there for a "Front Pasture" picture of HORNS - - (which should be an interesting show when they are run through a squeeze chute for ear tagging and other good Herd Management Practices)! What is the average Birth EPD's of your 'commercial' cow herd? Or, more importantly, what percentage of your commercial cows can successfully calve, unassisted, bred to " a Charolais bull"? Just ANY Charolais bull? Or one with a desirable birth EPD which will help guarantee a live calf crop?? Or are we back to playing "Guessing Games" again? :roll: If you breed your 'unknown quality' commercial cows to some bull because he is 'down the road a piece" you are liable to end up out in left field somewhere. My suggestion to you would be - determine what you wish to accomplish in the Beef BUSINESS (because it is a BUSINESS), set your goals toward that end, and THEN establish your breeding plans to fit those goals. Just some thoughts.
Caustic Burno":30nu86x0 said:The bigest problem I have with Char bulls today is disposition.
Maybe he does sometimes, Crowder. Maybe even most of the time. But not in this case. I've got a Hereford cow that has a lot worse disposition than any Charolais bull I've got. I don't really have a dog in this fight. I don't care if anybody every buys a Charolais bull. In fact, the less demand there is for 'em, the cheaper they will be for me. But we need to be honest with people here about them.Crowderfarms":30nu86x0 said:Caustic, you know what you're talking about...
I don't see why anyone would want to do it your way. Why would you recommend that someone use a larger, less efficient cow when they have to feed 30 or 40 of those for every bull? Year around. In my opinion, efficiency in a cowherd is where profits (or losses) are determined. There are plenty of moderate-framed cows that can have an 80 or 90 pound calf like I get from Charolais bulls. If your Herefords can't do that, maybe you've got the wrong cows, not the wrong bulls.rwtherefords":30nu86x0 said:I would recommend the larger frame cow(s) i.e. Charolais, limo, etc., be purchased. Then use an Angus or Hereford bull for your cross. The cows won't have any problem delivering a calf from a smaller BW producing bull. You get the same outcome without the calving risk.
I don't see why anyone would want to do it the other way around.