Easy Keeping Breeds

[Jovid]

I have considered a MG Bull or Hereford bull to replace my Simmental bull. We want to retain heifers. Are cows are already moderate and most are easy keepers. But I am afraid retained heifers from Simmental might go backwards not the way I want.

If I went Hereford then I could add some Red Angus Cows which is my long term goal of Red Angus x Hereford cross.

But you sure hear a lot of good on MG as far as grass only goes.

Check out those red cattle north of town from you. I think you might be surprised.

 

[WORANCH]

You have to rember longhorns feed the country after the civil war. They are what they are because of natural selection. surival of the fittest. Anyway i raise fullblood limis. Grass hay and Mineral.

If it wasn't for the Texas Longhorn, all the East Coast Yankees would have had to survive on "fish & chips" after the Civil War.

The TL is an easy-keeper (as well as some other breeds). The TL has been said to require about 80% of what other breeds require in terms of hay/forage, etc. With proper genetic selection of sires/dams and proper management, the TL can have a full body style that will produce some very nice cuts of beef that is naturally low in backfat, cholesterol. Tenderness can also be there with proper management and genetic selection, as well as proper time to slaughter one for the freezer...we know, we've been eating LH beef since 2002 and won't go back (it is also cheaper to grow beef than go to supermarket).

What would typical longhorn WW be? I'm not interested in the outliers, but rather the breed average. The Texas longhorn reminds me alot of our native ngunis, but the nguni's WW is too low to be considered a real commercial beef breed unless its used in a very extensive environment or as part of MIG.

Without any feed no more than 300- 400lbs. tops . You will notice that no LH breeders would answer .

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Birthweights generally range between around 45 and 65#. WW's around 350-450# We've had a few that were close to 500#. 12-14 month weights in the 600 to 800# area. Adult LH's females are ranging between about 950 and 1150 pounds; however we have a couple of females that are over 1200#. One of our senior bulls is about 1850#. Our "horn program" bulls are the 1250 to 1500# area.

Now...the LH matures slower than the continental and european breeds. But, they have a longer productive life and some are still calving every year into their late teens and occasionally into their early 20's.

Sale barn option for a LH breeder is a "last resort" option. Serious hit on price (horn, hide issues). We have only take a calf to a sale barn (that we didn't need for freezer) that turned out to be a rare genetic nut case as a calf, or failed to meet our minimum DWG requirements to weaning; (or) on a cow that we had purchased that missed a year having a calf (we only had one cow that went to Sale Barn that we had inherited as a "package deal" with another good one). [None of our own stock has otherwise failed to calve every year].

 

[EAT BEEF]

Birthweights generally range between around 45 and 65#. WW's around 350-450# We've had a few that were close to 500#. 12-14 month weights in the 600 to 800# area. Adult LH's females are ranging between about 950 and 1150 pounds; however we have a couple of females that are over 1200#. One of our senior bulls is about 1850#. Our "horn program" bulls are the 1250 to 1500# area.

Now...the LH matures slower than the continental and european breeds. But, they have a longer productive life and some are still calving every year into their late teens and occasionally into their early 20's.

Sale barn option for a LH breeder is a "last resort" option. Serious hit on price (horn, hide issues). We have only take a calf to a sale barn (that we didn't need for freezer) that turned out to be a rare genetic nut case as a calf, or failed to meet our minimum DWG requirements to weaning; (or) on a cow that we had purchased that missed a year having a calf (we only had one cow that went to Sale Barn that we had inherited as a "package deal" with another good one). [None of our own stock has otherwise failed to calve every year].

How do you market your longhorns? If you are a seedstock producer how do you're customers market their cattle with out getting docked or do you feel the efficency of your cows makes up for this. I'm not trying to be a smartass just always wanted to know

 

[aplusmnt]

This is a devils advocate question because I am looking for answer not telling how I think it is.

It seems if a breed can have certain traits such as disease tolerance or good in heat or good in cold weather. That it would be possible that a breed as a general group would be able to lean more towards easy keeping than say another specific breed.

I know it might get hard to see past the fact that many breeds have became crossbred. and no longer represent the breed as it did when they were full bloods.

I can not imagine many full-blood Chi cows being easy keepers. But I can see full-blood Herefords being so.

Seems there could be something in looking at specific breeds if nothing else you might find your job of sorting out easy keepers easier in one breed over another.

 

[J. T.]

The only purebreed of any specie of livestock that outperforms any hybrid is the White Leghorn, according to Ensminger. The purebred White Leghorn has no equal in egg production.

 

[dun]

If anyone that is yelling look at the individual and not the breed, will bother to read the original post maybe you'll get a better idea of the question.

 

[KNERSIE]

I bet if the same question was asked 50 years ago, most people would be able to say such and such breed is easier keeping than such and such. The modern breeding methodology had watered down almost all the breeds to such an extent that its hard to even recognise the breed, let alone associate a set of characteristics with it.

All that being said, typically a hereford will be easier keeping than a simmental.
A charolais will grow faster than a hereford.
An angus will have fattier and better marbled beef than a limousin
A brahman will be more heat tolerant than a galloway
And you'll be able to run more longhorns on the same piece of land than you would be able to run chianinas.

Lets not live in denial, there are differences between breeds, as their should be (just maybe not enough in certain cases)

 

[Sage]

J.T. LOL you forgot about the Holstein, I don't believe there is any crosses that produced more pounds of milk.

 

[novatech]

http://www.bovigen.com/FeedEfficiencySummary.pdf
There is a chart on this site that shows ratings using current genes found for efficiency on some of the breeds.

 

[dun]

This link illistrates that some breeds of cattle have different traits then others. Deals primarily with reproduction. Can;t get the linkks to MARC to work that has a table of all of the traits that were studied
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/rese ... rccomp.htm

 

[novatech]

This link illistrates that some breeds of cattle have different traits then others. Deals primarily with reproduction. Can;t get the linkks to MARC to work that has a table of all of the traits that were studied
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/rese ... rccomp.htm

The most important statement in the article.

No one breed excels in all traits that are important to beef production. Crossbreeding systems that exploit heterosis and complementarity and match genetic potential with market targets, feed resources and climates provide the most effective means of breeding for production efficiency.

 

[dun]

This link illistrates that some breeds of cattle have different traits then others. Deals primarily with reproduction. Can;t get the linkks to MARC to work that has a table of all of the traits that were studied
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/rese ... rccomp.htm

The most important statement in the article.

No one breed excels in all traits that are important to beef production. Crossbreeding systems that exploit heterosis and complementarity and match genetic potential with market targets, feed resources and climates provide the most effective means of breeding for production efficiency.

And the operative word is all. That pretty much says that some breeds do excel in some trait or traits.

 

[J. T.]

J.T. LOL you forgot about the Holstein, I don't believe there is any crosses that produced more pounds of milk.

How right you are. I stand corrected.

 

[VanC]

J.T. LOL you forgot about the Holstein, I don't believe there is any crosses that produced more pounds of milk.

True, but research has shown (so far) that crossbreeding in dairy cattle produces the following results as compared to purebred Holsteins:

Increased longevity
Better calving ease
Increased fertility
Better resistance to mastitis
Better feet and legs
Increased milk solids
Better udders
Reduced somatic cell counts
Better overall health

Not knocking Holsteins. They are by far the most numerous of the dairy breeds for good reason. But, just as with beef cattle, higher production at the expense of other important traits doesn't always equate to better profits.

 

[somn]

Birthweights generally range between around 45 and 65#. WW's around 350-450# We've had a few that were close to 500#. 12-14 month weights in the 600 to 800# area. Adult LH's females are ranging between about 950 and 1150 pounds; however we have a couple of females that are over 1200#. One of our senior bulls is about 1850#. Our "horn program" bulls are the 1250 to 1500# area.

Now...the LH matures slower than the continental and european breeds. But, they have a longer productive life and some are still calving every year into their late teens and occasionally into their early 20's.

Sale barn option for a LH breeder is a "last resort" option. Serious hit on price (horn, hide issues). We have only take a calf to a sale barn (that we didn't need for freezer) that turned out to be a rare genetic nut case as a calf, or failed to meet our minimum DWG requirements to weaning; (or) on a cow that we had purchased that missed a year having a calf (we only had one cow that went to Sale Barn that we had inherited as a "package deal" with another good one). [None of our own stock has otherwise failed to calve every year].

How do you market your longhorns? If you are a seedstock producer how do you're customers market their cattle with out getting docked or do you feel the efficency of your cows makes up for this. I'm not trying to be a smartass just always wanted to know

Eat beef
I think the answer your looking for is they sell their horns at longhorn auctions or privately to people who are looking to buy horns the cattle the horns are on come with it no charge kinda like a cummins you buy a cummins and dodge will throw in a truck for free. Now when the fad has wore off these people who bought the horns will then try to sell these horns at a sale yard at a dock. The true market value can be obtained at a livestock auction compared to the other breeds sold the same day. High dollar longhorns are only high dollar in the eyes of a longhorn buyer. When considering how easy keepers they are you also need to consider how worthless the calf is to a feedlot owner who buys your only source of income from these easy keepers.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

i know some people around here using char or limi bulls on longhorn cows. They sell the calves a little on the light side before the longhorn starts to show and they do pretty good. Not going to say they top the market but they sure are not giving them away.

 

[EAT BEEF]

i know some people around here using char or limi bulls on longhorn cows. They sell the calves a little on the light side before the longhorn starts to show and they do pretty good. Not going to say they top the market but they sure are not giving them away.

I sure the char and limi bulls make an improvment in the calf as a beef animal, but I bet the same guy dosen't buy them twice.

 

[MikeC]

All that being said, typically a hereford will be easier keeping than a simmental.
A charolais will grow faster than a hereford.
An angus will have fattier and better marbled beef than a limousin
A brahman will be more heat tolerant than a galloway
And you'll be able to run more longhorns on the same piece of land than you would be able to run chianinas.

Lets not live in denial, there are differences between breeds,

Your operative word is "TYPICALLY".

I could find you a simmental that is easier keeping than an individual hereford.
I can find you a hereford that will grow faster than an individual charolais.
I can find you a limousin that will out marble an individual angus.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

I'm not in denial. I'm in Alabama! :lol:

 

[MikeC]

i know some people around here using char or limi bulls on longhorn cows. They sell the calves a little on the light side before the longhorn starts to show and they do pretty good. Not going to say they top the market but they sure are not giving them away.

I sure the char and limi bulls make an improvment in the calf as a beef animal, but I bet the same guy dosen't buy them twice.

The big Mormon ranch in Kississimmee, Fl. have been buying Chars for years to put on their Longhorn cross cattle, their Tiger Stripes, etc. They also buy Angus, Lims, Sim-Angus, Brangus, and Herefords.