Composite longhorn crossbreeds

[Southernflinthills]

I looking for info, pictures and input from breeders and ranchers who are using longhorn cattle in their composite or cross-breeding breeding program. I am particularly interested in the use of the breed for maternal traits but also want to know what crosses produce the best beef! Challenge!: who can produce the best beef animal with the highest percentage longhorn genetics in their composite? TIA!

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

I have several cows that are 50% LH 50% Angus. We put an Angus bull back on the crosses with good results. I'm looking for a char bull to use this year, and expect bigger calves with that cross. The half and 3/4 crosses finish a hundred or two lighter in the same time, but eat less. Purebred LH beef has excellent marbling and is excellent beef. I'd rather have LH, Jersey, or Holstein in the freezer than CAB. The heifer in the picture is a half breed at about 60 days of age. Her dam is the horn cow in the background.

 

[Bestoutwest]

We started with LH's, 100% purebred. When we did, we bought a weaned bull who ended up being sterile (we have the best of luck). I AI'd to the Angus sire Rampage. We got a bull out of that cross. We slaughtered him at 16 months, with very minimal grain to keep him enticed to get on the trailer if he got out, etc and only given hay as main source of food. I don't creep feed, none of that. He had a hanging weight of 570 lbs. 3+ y/o LH cows slaughtered out with an average of 540 lbs. Yes, you can get them cheap, but they don't produce meat well. If I had known then what I know now, I would have done less animals, higher quality. It hasn't panned out and I'm having to start over. Another thing is that I'm not a fat eater, I cut if off the steaks, but LH meat is so lean that it doesn't stay together when making patties. If that's your jam, that's fine, but I like at least a little fat to keep things together. Also, they're a pain to work b/c of the horns.

 

[Brute 23]

I look at some longhorn X Char across the fence all the time. Some show some tanish spots but most are solid white. Not my cup of tea but not bad looking animals. If you take those cross cows back to Char again no one would probably ever know.

 

[Muddy]

It seems that you get more beef out of 1/2 longhorns or low percentage longhorns than the high percentage longhorns. Charolais, Belgian Blues, Piedmontese and Beefmaster will produce good cross with the longhorns. I see no advantage with breeding the longhorn crosses back to longhorn again.

 

[Southernflinthills]

It's my observation and experience that charolais and longhorns grow about the same and look about the same with similar stretchy frame until +yearling phase. The feedlot is where the charolais and charxlonghorn really out perform the longhorn but this doesn't really help the calf producer or the stocker necessarily. That coupled with the fact that charolais being carriers for horns, there's really only one benefit to crossing char bulls on longhorn cows for the cow man ; char knocks the spots off. But can't anything with a white-grey coat do this? There are beefmaster bulls with grey, charolais colored coats out there. I'm currently using Aberdeen Angus moderator bulls who retain a light coated phenotype from a 1/8 & 1/16 char. I love the calves, but due to the char influence they are not all polled . Murray Grey seems like they could be the most suitable cross on longhorn cows for removing spots, adding beef, sqauring frame size, increasing growth, reducing finishing time, and polling calves. I've heard there are producers with this cross in Texas, but I have not been able to find them. I plan on A.I.ing a few select longhorn cows to MG bulls, but it will be awhile before I have the results..

 

[Nesikep]

Backbone ranch here has beautiful murray grays, in Texas I believe

Here's one with strong LH influence, Momma is 3/4 LH I believe with 1/4 black angus (some Corriente in there too), dad is 1/2 Gelbvieh, 1/4 shorthorn, my current bull (this was at his previous home)

 

[Muddy]

Murrey greys did not knock spots off. Backbone Ranch did a cross between a dairy cow and a murrey grey and he ended up with a spotted grey calf.

I didn't have much faith in beefmasters to knock spots off since some beefmasters tend to throws crazy colors.

If I remember correctly, the Charolais' dilution gene is quite different from dun beefmasters, dun galloways/dexters and Murray Greys.

 

[Nesikep]

Chars probably dilute the color so spots just aren't noticeable.. Fine for a terminal cross but if you bred that animal to something darker you'd probably end up with spots again.

 

[jehosofat]

I bred a Beefmaster bull to 14 head of Longhorn and LH/Corriente crossed cows this year, none of them have hit the ground yet, but should be dropping some any day now. Results pending.

 

[Muddy]

Chars probably dilute the color so spots just aren't noticeable.. Fine for a terminal cross but if you bred that animal to something darker you'd probably end up with spots again.

He's right. Charolais is the popular breed to crossbreeding with the colorful breeds to masking or dilute the colors down. Murray Greys are dark animals and it will makes spot noticeable.

 

[OzssieDave19]

I always find it funny when we take a less desired breed and "improve it" with a better breed . Sometimes I wonder if it's not diluting the better breed.

Angus x Hereford = improving two good breeds.
Angus x Jersey = a worse Angus mongrel.

 

[Muddy]

I always find it funny when we take a less desired breed and "improve it" with a better breed . Sometimes I wonder if it's not diluting the better breed.

Angus x Hereford = improving two good breeds.
Angus x Jersey = a worse Angus mongrel.

To be honest Angus x Jersey females are pretty good momma...steers not much. Nothing's wrong with add more meat in less desired breeds. Funny that Black Angus do need other breeds to improve Angus cattle...

 

[Southernflinthills]

I always find it funny when we take a less desired breed and "improve it" with a better breed . Sometimes I wonder if it's not diluting the better breed.

Angus x Hereford = improving two good breeds.
Angus x Jersey = a worse Angus mongrel.

Yes, I wonder if we should be trying to "improve" upon the longhorn cow at all? She really is the ultimate cow in so many ways.. just have to get a marketable calf out of her though

 

[andybob]

See if there are still any Salorn breeders - http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/salorn/index.html/

 

[jehosofat]

Discussion about it from last year.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=112145

 

[Muddy]

See if there are still any Salorn breeders - http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/salorn/index.html/

It seems that Salorns, Texons, Geltex and ALL cattle are disappeared or no longer exists.

 

[DCA farm]

I personally know a older man he breeds longhorn cows to Charolais bulls and long horn cows to grey brahma bulls ever year.

And there's a pasture full of longhorn cows with angus bulls on them down the road from my house. People gotta be making something off them to keep breeding em that way. Every sale I've been to you can buy a bred longhorn for $250-$400 I bought a spring calf bred longhorn myself last month 6 year old for $330 i shall see how the calf she raised turns out. She's very calm natured what I like.
My dad always said it don't matter if they are black red brown yellow grey white or spotted as long as you buy em for a good price ,they eat grass, have a calf you won't go broke or hungry.

 

[MOcowboy]

I have been crossing my full blood Longhorns with Angus, Beefmasters and Limousines the last 5 years and I have really liked the calves/heifers I have raised so far the red Limousine has done the best about taking color out for me and the calves are nice and stalky. I have not tried a Charolias bull yet but all the longhorn guys I know use them and claim that's the best cross out there. I will be using a Red Beefmaster bull this fall I really like the replacement heifers I have been holding back out of the Beefmaster cross.

 

[Muddy]

I have been crossing my full blood Longhorns with Angus, Beefmasters and Limousines the last 5 years and I have really liked the calves/heifers I have raised so far the red Limousine has done the best about taking color out for me and the calves are nice and stalky. I have not tried a Charolias bull yet but all the longhorn guys I know use them and claim that's the best cross out there. I will be using a Red Beefmaster bull this fall I really like the replacement heifers I have been holding back out of the Beefmaster cross.

I've heard of good things about beefmaster x longhorn crosses as well. The steers do well at the feedlots and the heifers just look like a plain beefmaster more than a longhorn.

I recently met a longhorn guy who is doing A.I on his longhorn cows with Moto Moto (Galloway) semen and the resulting calves are very chunky and wide. Most calves are solid black.