Couple old cows

[rocket2222]

@rocket2222 , where abouts up I-81 a half a days drive??? You might be closer to me than I thought..... We need to have a get together sometime when we are all not as busy with crops/calvings... there are quite a few VA members...

@rocket2222 , where abouts up I-81 a half a days drive??? You might be closer to me than I thought..... We need to have a get together sometime when we are all not as busy with crops/calvings... there are quite a few VA members....

Get on 211 at New Market go about 40 miles

 

[farmerjan]

I test a dairy in the northern end of Timberville... and another in Woodstock.... and used to go all the way up to Clearbrook to the jersey dairy before they sold out in Dec. In fact @dave_shelby says he is not too far from the dairy in Timberville.
I like your Herefords....

 

[kenny thomas]

Get on 211 at New Market go about 40 miles

40 miles east? I deliver trailers to Culpepper.

 

[dave_shelby]

@rocket2222 where did you get your Herefords? I bought 2 in 2018 at a sale in Culpeper I believe from a Mr Fox (?) who had health issues. I still have one old girl who is about 15-17 years old that is an outstanding cow with perfect udder.

 

[tex452]

Nice looking cattle for sure.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

@Ridgetop If you are talking showing STEERS, "generally" an Angus carcass will outperform a Hereford carcass, and all the judges know that. Also, a Hereford generally has to have more outside fat in order to put on enough marbling.
As far as LOOKS. I think the Hereford breed has surpassed the Angus now that they have allowed the Horned Hereford bloodlines to be used across the board on all Herefords. And "a lot of the Angus" breeders are looking at NUMBERS instead of looking at the fine bone and deer feet.
There are still some good Angus breeders that look at their animals, like Bill Conley. I love his Angus cattle - and Gizmom on this board. Great breeders! And I'm sure there are probably more GOOD breeders than bad, it's just so frustrating to see so many bad feet.

 

[rocket2222]

40 miles east? I deliver trailers to Culpepper.

You would be real close in Culpeper, around 23 miles from me.

 

[rocket2222]

@rocket2222 where did you get your Herefords? I bought 2 in 2018 at a sale in Culpeper I believe from a Mr Fox (?) who had health issues. I still have one old girl who is about 15-17 years old that is an outstanding cow with perfect udder.

Don't know a Mr. Fox, last cow/heifer I bought was back around 1995. All the cows here now are ones I raised. Do buy bulls though.

 

[rocket2222]

Sell any heifers? I have a 14 year old daughter insisting that she is going to show a Hereford next year.

Do that sometimes for a friends daughter. I will cull a couple old cows this year that aren't doing so good while prices are good so will probably keep some heifers for replacements if there's enough of them worth keeping.

 

[elkwc]

Had another look on the hard drive, still didn't find any pics with these cows, found some pics with some of my other cows with calves not quite weaning age but close enough and beings I just spent about an hour looking through old pics thought I'd post them anyway.
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Those are nice Herefords. The right kind. What bloodlines do you use. We have tried finding a polled bull for several years. He lasted a year. Have used a few horned bulls.

 

[rocket2222]

Those are nice Herefords. The right kind. What bloodlines do you use. We have tried finding a polled bull for several years. He lasted a year. Have used a few horned bulls

Most everything I use goes back to old Feltons breeding with some horned breeding mixed in to get what I'm looking for. I think best bulls I've used so far came out of an outfit in Montana, Churchill Cattle Co. The new bull I'm using dam is out of one of their bulls, also double bred to Churchill Sensation 28X a horned bull and the rest of his pedigree mostly goes back to Feltons, goes back to MSU Revolution 4R bull 3 times.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I don't have any old cow experience. My grandfather in law kept a Charlais cow untill she was 18 because she still had a calf every year.

The folks that lease our pastures put in about a dozen Sim cross cows in here. The most rolling fat cows I've ever seen. They are HUGE, not wearing their working clothes at all. I think they are keeping their old cull cows here as a sort bank account to be cashed in at any time. One of them that has a horrible udder had calf a few months ago. The owner was shocked because of her age. The calf has hardly grown any bigger and appears stunted. Need to wean it and put it on feed or it will be about worthless.

 

[elkwc]

Most everything I use goes back to old Feltons breeding with some horned breeding mixed in to get what I'm looking for. I think best bulls I've used so far came out of an outfit in Montana, Churchill Cattle Co. The new bull I'm using dam is out of one of their bulls, also double bred to Churchill Sensation 28X a horned bull and the rest of his pedigree mostly goes back to Feltons, goes back to MSU Revolution 4R bull 3 times.

Thanks for the reply. I have a polled cow that is sired by a son of Sensation out of Churchill Lady 002. She is a nice cow. Her mother is a daughter of a Holden L1 sire and out of a About Time bred cow. I have another polled cow and a scurried heifers. All have 70% or more horned blood. Also have a few linebred L1 horned cows. The scurried heifer is a grand daughter of Easy Money.

 

[rocket2222]

Thanks for the reply. I have a polled cow that is sired by a son of Sensation out of Churchill Lady 002. She is a nice cow. Her mother is a daughter of a Holden L1 sire and out of a About Time bred cow. I have another polled cow and a scurried heifers. All have 70% or more horned blood. Also have a few linebred L1 horned cows. The scurried heifer is a grand daughter of Easy Money.

Some of the same genetics, I'm heading in a different direction I think from reading some of your post. I don't want anymore of the big framey cows.

 

[farmerjan]

@rocket2222 thanks for putting in your general location here in VA.... I was wondering what part you were from.
I think you have been getting more of these rains than we have ....??

 

[rocket2222]

No, I wish. They just upgraded us from abnormally dry to moderate drought. One of the creeks that feeds one of the ponds is down to a trickle, not seen that in a long time.

 

[kenny thomas]

We have had over 6" of rain in August so far and its still showing.us in abnormally dry..

 

[rocket2222]

We had some big rains end July 3.5 inch out of one of them, then another one a few days later dumped a bunch of rain, thunder storms, washed out my driveway, knocked the power out made a puddle or two but mostly ran off to the creeks and disappeared.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

That's the problem with BIG rains. They end up in the ditches or creeks. Don't help the land as much as a nice soft rain.

 

[elkwc]

Some of the same genetics, I'm heading in a different direction I think from reading some of your post. I don't want anymore of the big framey cows.

We run our cows in a low input system. We figure one bale of hay per cow. In a normal year we will have some left. We creep very little except on fall calves. We expect a cow to raise an 700 lb steer at 6-7 months. On grass with limited inputs. We select for efficiency. We expect our cows to graze surplus grass in the winter. Our forages are of poor quality. So a cow needs to be a high volume cow that can consume enough of poor forage to raise a calf, breed back on time and maintain condition. Our market desires a 6.0 frame animal. Our goal is a 6.0 frame, 1,400-1,500 lb cow that is efficient and has enough milk to raise a 700 lb steer at 6-7 months with no creep. IMO a 6.0 frame cow isn't framey. It is hard too find a quality polled or Angus with a 6 frame and heavy muscle. I can find horned bulls that fit my criteria. Too many have went smaller than many commercial breeders and their market desires.