Cross breeding

[Anonymous]

I have full blood? Limousin heifers/cows...some black, some red. I prefer the red Limousin...however... I am thinking that I want to start throwing in another breed to enhance the beef animal that I am trying to produce. I don't want to breed them to Angus... their next calves will be their second (If I survive the first calving without killing them with kindness and too much food)... I want the red calf, if I can get them... but red Angus to me is a bastardization of a breed, just like the blacks are to the Limousin (my personal opinion, of course)... any suggestions of a compatible breed that will enhance my herd? My idea would be to breed the black Limousines with something else and breed the red ones to a red sire. When the cross breeds are ready to breed up, I would breed them back to the Limousine... alternating the generations (am I getting too confusing?)... trying to keep the strong Limousine line, but adding that little extra another breed can bring to the mix. Omak

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[Anonymous]

Before you quit reading, read the whole response. Red Angus is the way to go. If you study the history of the breed you will realize that Red Angus have existed since the beginning of the breed. It was arbitralily decided that black was the correct color many years ago. In Canada Reds and blacks are registered in the same pure breed registry.

dunmovin farms

> I have full blood? Limousin
> heifers/cows...some black, some
> red. I prefer the red
> Limousin...however... I am
> thinking that I want to start
> throwing in another breed to
> enhance the beef animal that I am
> trying to produce. I don't want to
> breed them to Angus... their next
> calves will be their second (If I
> survive the first calving without
> killing them with kindness and too
> much food)... I want the red calf,
> if I can get them... but red Angus
> to me is a bastardization of a
> breed, just like the blacks are to
> the Limousin (my personal opinion,
> of course)... any suggestions of a
> compatible breed that will enhance
> my herd? My idea would be to breed
> the black Limousines with
> something else and breed the red
> ones to a red sire. When the cross
> breeds are ready to breed up, I
> would breed them back to the
> Limousine... alternating the
> generations (am I getting too
> confusing?)... trying to keep the
> strong Limousine line, but adding
> that little extra another breed
> can bring to the mix. Omak

Red Angus History

 

[Anonymous]

Isn't that just about the way of it? Don't mind bowing to a wiser mind... In perusing the list, I was seeing the Brahman influence... what do you think? Will think long and hard on the Red Angus thing. Omak

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[Anonymous]

Unless you are in the floor of the valley of eastern washington the Brahman influence isn't required or probably even desired. Good red cattle that are acclimated to the heat/dry/cold would be a better bet. Gee, that sounds like the reasons we went to Red Angus and Red Angus F1s. Easy calving, good milk, easy keeping, pleasent disposition, etc.. Of course you can find those traits in every breed, and the opposites in Red Angus. I happen to like red. These are only my opinions on the subject, since you didn't ask. Shorthorns, I love'em, but, with the roan color tendency or white spotting you get killed around here. Also, not adequate affordable proven bulls, other then show types, available for AI. Herefords, love them too, easy dispostion good moms, but have a few breed flaws that can crop up unexpectly, prolapse, cancer eye. That about sums up the red cattle. So much has been made of black that there are even black Charolais now.

dunmovin farms

> Isn't that just about the way of
> it? Don't mind bowing to a wiser
> mind... In perusing the list, I
> was seeing the Brahman
> influence... what do you think?
> Will think long and hard on the
> Red Angus thing. Omak

 

[Anonymous]

Does Ellensburg still have the big feedlot slaughter house?

dunmovin farms

> I have full blood? Limousin
> heifers/cows...some black, some
> red. I prefer the red
> Limousin...however... I am
> thinking that I want to start
> throwing in another breed to
> enhance the beef animal that I am
> trying to produce. I don't want to
> breed them to Angus... their next
> calves will be their second (If I
> survive the first calving without
> killing them with kindness and too
> much food)... I want the red calf,
> if I can get them... but red Angus
> to me is a bastardization of a
> breed, just like the blacks are to
> the Limousin (my personal opinion,
> of course)... any suggestions of a
> compatible breed that will enhance
> my herd? My idea would be to breed
> the black Limousines with
> something else and breed the red
> ones to a red sire. When the cross
> breeds are ready to breed up, I
> would breed them back to the
> Limousine... alternating the
> generations (am I getting too
> confusing?)... trying to keep the
> strong Limousine line, but adding
> that little extra another breed
> can bring to the mix. Omak

 

[Anonymous]

Not that I am aware of. I have been east of the mountains almost twelve years and have watched most beef head out somewhere other than this area for butchering. I am located about thirty miles from a sales yard...and surrounded by lots of feed lots for commercial beef..

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[Anonymous]

OH! Say it isn't so! BLACK charlois???? I was out working the fence this morning before I read your post, and thought: A black Limousine...next someone will be telling me that they are breeding black charlois...and here you are! Have you heard about one of the grand national winners down in Denver? He brought five or seven top of the breed BLACK bovine.... and when you stood them next to each other, you couldn't tell one from the other... I think my brother said something about composite breeds... but am not following what that is too well.

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[Anonymous]

I appreciate your opinion. WE have a connection with the west side through a son-in-law's work, so we were figuring on selling direct to consumer. Hide is not a factor. I was approached at the AI school by a shorthorn breeder, and our daughter thought the different colors would be "interesting"... but to tell you the truth: There is something REAL satisfying about looking out in all this sage brush and sand and seeing RED. ALmost like Christmas. Incidentally, the last calf born on this place is a heifer (on SUnday) and she is the most beautiful, dark red I have seen in years from our family herds.

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[Anonymous]

I thought back, and it was 81 the last time I was there. Even then the relocated people from other areas were making a stink, pardon the pun, about the odor from the stock yards.

dunmovin farms

> Not that I am aware of. I have
> been east of the mountains almost
> twelve years and have watched most
> beef head out somewhere other than
> this area for butchering. I am
> located about thirty miles from a
> sales yard...and surrounded by
> lots of feed lots for commercial
> beef..

 

[Anonymous]

What did you breed your Limousin heifers to for their first calf? Color aside, the Limousin Assn has started a program called LimPlus. If members are crossbreeding their Limousin cattle, the association is encouraging them to cross with Angus, Red or black. I think I've attached a link. If not the address is: <A HREF="http://www.nalf.org/questions&answers.htm">www.nalf.org/questions&answers.htm</A>

LimPlus
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[Anonymous]

that several of the continental breed associations are promoting what commercial producers have been doing for years. Going back to british for carcass traits.

dunmovin farms

> What did you breed your Limousin
> heifers to for their first calf?
> Color aside, the Limousin Assn has
> started a program called LimPlus.
> If members are crossbreeding their
> Limousin cattle, the association
> is encouraging them to cross with
> Angus, Red or black. I think I've
> attached a link. If not the
> address is:
> <A HREF="http://www.nalf.org/questions&answers.htm">www.nalf.org/questions&answers.htm</A>

 

[Anonymous]

I bred my first calf heifers with a Limousin bull. I object to the black Limousins ( perhaps a personal defect, but.....) I used to raise rabbits, and found that purebreds had a tendancy to start diminishing in production of progeny quality. If I would throw in an odd fellow once in awhile, then my fryers got better. As I have watched the progession of my herd, which originated on my dad's ranch, the red color has diminished. Right now, I have a full blood Limousin heifer that looks more like a line-backed dun in color than any kind of Limousin. (Black mother, red father). and, I have to admit that I like shaking up the status quo once in awhile, just to keep my blood pumping.

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[Anonymous]

What is a continental breed, what is that other thing, and what in the world is a composite breed????? I like the Limousin really well. Right now, I had a heifer born from one of my dad's old cows, from a new Limousin bull that he got last year, and her color is fantastic! I haven't seen anything like it for years! Am talking to my mother about having the sperm taken from her bull to use on our crop for year after next. He still has three calves waiting to be born, so we shall see how strong his color is. I am seriously considering the red angus that you recommended. I want my RED HIDE!!!! LOL

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[Anonymous]

The first time we drove by a feedlot around here, we had our five year old grandson with us. We got downwind of it, and the boy says, "OH, YUCK!" I told him, "That, son, is where we get our food from." He objected to getting meat from the backend of a cow, but I explained that it wasn't the backend I was referring to. That smell just meant that we were in a place where we would be eating good, because I have NEVER been hungry among farmers and ranchers. That smell is gold for this land that is so deficient in nitrogen and nurtrients in the soil. The boy wasn't convinced, but now, two years later, he is shoveling manure like a champ and the smell no longer bothers him. Unfortunately, so few people understand where their food comes from... they think Ellensberg came into existence because Safeway opened up a store, NOT because ranchers and farmers started working the land and a city grew from those roots. They like their perfumes and air fresheners, thinking they are soooo sophisticated and cultivated... little do they know. And, then you have the horsey crowd whose manure draws more flies than cows and slaughter houses ever thought of drawing, but people don't think in terms like that.... silly things....

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[Anonymous]

British breeds are those derived from Great Britain-the British Isles. Including but not limited to, Angus, Shorthorn, Hereford, Devon, Galloway, etc. Continental breeds are those from the European continent, i.e. Charolais, Saler, Braunvieh, Simmenthal, limousine, Chianina, etc. It;s in "the book". Composites are those derived from several pure breeds but not considered a breed themselves, i.e. Red AngusXGelbvieh, etc. American breeds are those that were developed in the US and have been standardized as a breed, i.e. Brangus, Santa Gertrudis, etc. All British and Continental breeds are Bos Taurus, humped or Brahman type breeds are Bos Indicus, Zebu, Nelore, Gyr, etc. I know, more then you wanted to know.

dunmovin farms

> What is a continental breed, what
> is that other thing, and what in
> the world is a composite
> breed????? I like the Limousin
> really well. Right now, I had a
> heifer born from one of my dad's
> old cows, from a new Limousin bull
> that he got last year, and her
> color is fantastic! I haven't seen
> anything like it for years! Am
> talking to my mother about having
> the sperm taken from her bull to
> use on our crop for year after
> next. He still has three calves
> waiting to be born, so we shall
> see how strong his color is. I am
> seriously considering the red
> angus that you recommended. I want
> my RED HIDE!!!! LOL

 

[Anonymous]

Excellent, excellent post!

If you don't already subscribe to Agri-News out of Billings, MT, send an email to the editor, Linda Grosskopf, with your USPS mailing address and a request for a free 6 month subscription. It's a wonderful weekly ag newspaper!

Also, if your father happens to be 80 or older, he qualifies for a free lifetime subscription for the asking.

Rafter L Murray Greys

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the refresher. I wanted to "ditto" that writer who encouraged you to keep doing what you do. I never miss your posts. Thank you for catching me up on it..... still thinking MORE heavily about that Red Angus cross with my Limousins. Mom asked me "why?" I told her that I sort of like messing with a one-horse parade.

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[Anonymous]

You can email Linda Grosskopf at: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A>

Sorry, I forgot to include her email addy in my last post.

> Excellent, excellent post!

> If you don't already subscribe to
> Agri-News out of Billings, MT,
> send an email to the editor, Linda
> Grosskopf, with your USPS mailing
> address and a request for a free 6
> month subscription. It's a
> wonderful weekly ag newspaper!

> Also, if your father happens to be
> 80 or older, he qualifies for a
> free lifetime subscription for the
> asking.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Dun, They shut down the feed yard and slaugther house there a few years ago. Environmental concerns about the creek the ran through the feedlot and the river that ran right behind it, or so the story was. There is only two good sized kill plants left in Wqshingotn that I know of, IBP in Pasco and the old Washington Beef plant in Toppenish. Dave