Easy Keepers

[Chuckie]

A farmer down the road has an aging herd of Angus cattle. Of course, the older they get, the more feed it takes to keep the weight on. Most of his cows are over eight years old, and out of the 13 cows, he has two that hold their weight all winter on hay. I want calves out of cows like these two. Less feed equals more profits. Without going by EPD's which line of cattle, sires and dams, do you find the easiest keepers?

 

[1848]

he has two that hold their weight all winter on hay. I want calves out of cows like these two

Perhaps these two were open and not having to supply nutrition to a growing fetus. I would ask first.

I think fleshing ability is an inherited trait, some have it some don't. Some breeds do better in the cold next to a hay bale, and some do better in the heat walking the pasture. Heavy milkers have trouble keeping their shape more than some, and the open cows usually will look good. Color can be decieving. A solid black cow looks good at a distance just because you can't differenciate lines, or have highlights.

Best way to determine good fleshers is to treat all your cattle the same, and keep them in contemporary groups so you have a measuring stick.

 

[Chuckie]

The two cattle that are holding their weight are very close to calving. They are beginning to bag up and he said they never missed a year having a calf. When I look at these cows, they have no ribs showing and no backbone protruding. Over the hips, the rump is round and smooth. They are not over fat, with collected fat around the tail head, but are in good shape. The other cows have bones showing over the rib area, back bone and hips. They are not starving but the age shows, along with how they process the food. All of the cattle are in the same pasture, eating the same hay. None have been seperated or treated differently. I have helped take care of the cattle this winter since the gentleman that owns them has trouble getting around.

 

[Jake]

A farmer down the road has an aging herd of Angus cattle. Of course, the older they get, the more feed it takes to keep the weight on. Most of his cows are over eight years old, and out of the 13 cows, he has two that hold their weight all winter on hay. I want calves out of cows like these two. Less feed equals more profits. Without going by EPD's which line of cattle, sires and dams, do you find the easiest keepers?

Traveler and EXT cattle seem to be easy keepers. If you want really fleshy well conformed cows talk to Tim Ohlde in Palmer Kansas. Some of the easiest fleshing cows around. A lot of it is just finding an operation in your area that has good easy fleshing cattle and buy a bull or some cows from them and breed it into your herd.

 

[dun]

he has two that hold their weight all winter on hay. I want calves out of cows like these two

I think fleshing ability is an inherited trait, some have it some don't.

We have one "contemporary group", everything is fed or rustles for the same groceries. That include replacement heifers from last springs calf crop.
Fleshing ability is definitaly a heritable trait. We have family lines that are alwasy in good shape and raise a heavy calf, others that are in good shape and raise lousey calves. I think we only have one of those left to depart, depends on her calf this year. It was hard to tell her potential since her calf was so early last year. We have others that milk to skin and bones but put condition back on as soon as their calves are weaned. My prefernce is for those in the fist group.

dun

 

[Jake]

The two cattle that are holding their weight are very close to calving. They are beginning to bag up and he said they never missed a year having a calf. When I look at these cows, they have no ribs showing and no backbone protruding. Over the hips, the rump is round and smooth. They are not over fat, with collected fat around the tail head, but are in good shape. The other cows have bones showing over the rib area, back bone and hips. They are not starving but the age shows, along with how they process the food. All of the cattle are in the same pasture, eating the same hay. None have been seperated or treated differently. I have helped take care of the cattle this winter since the gentleman that owns them has trouble getting around.

just a second thought, if he's having trouble handling them, and your in need of some good cows, maybe buy them or see if you can work some kind of deal to AI them and keep a bull out of them to use on your herd.

 

[Chuckie]

Jake, I was thinking along the same line you are. I was hoping for some heifers though. This cow is out of a registered herd, but the gentleman didn't follow up on the papers since he was raising commercial cattle. I am not sure what her breeding might be. I just bought a yearling bull this weekend and he is very fleshy after standing next to a J bunk filled with grain and sileage all winter. :lol I hope that he can fatten up the calves with inherited traits. I will find out by next spring I guess. In the mean time, I will try to find a few more heifers that carry the "easy keeper" gene.