Gelbvieh as a "Family" breed

[kjonesel]

Just wanted people to know that I have had Gelbvieh / Hereford cross cattle to begin with and bought them because I wanted cattle that I didn't have to worry about my children (10 and 9) at the time coming in contact with. Of course the Hereford breed was a given but the Gelbvieh cross was an unknown. The four cows we started with are now 4 1/2 years old and are extremely tame we are able to walk out into the pasture and pet them. The offspring are out of a purebred Gelbvieh and are even more gentle. We purchase two full blood heifers last September which were May calves brought them in off of a 850 acre pasture with minimal contact with people and they were halter broke in less than two weeks (they were approximately 350 - 400 lbs.). I have yet to have the first calving problem though we breed AI and select easy calving sires for the heifers. I have stayed with the red sires as I am partial to reds but I'm told the black Gelbvieh are just as gentle.

 

[3waycross]

Just wanted people to know that I have had Gelbvieh / Hereford cross cattle to begin with and bought them because I wanted cattle that I didn't have to worry about my children (10 and 9) at the time coming in contact with. Of course the Hereford breed was a given but the Gelbvieh cross was an unknown. The four cows we started with are now 4 1/2 years old and are extremely tame we are able to walk out into the pasture and pet them. The offspring are out of a purebred Gelbvieh and are even more gentle. We purchase two full blood heifers last September which were May calves brought them in off of a 850 acre pasture with minimal contact with people and they were halter broke in less than two weeks (they were approximately 350 - 400 lbs.). I have yet to have the first calving problem though we breed AI and select easy calving sires for the heifers. I have stayed with the red sires as I am partial to reds but I'm told the black Gelbvieh are just as gentle.

NIce story. However don't think for a minute that GV's or any other breed are not capable of hurting you or your kids. I have yet to have one take me(purebreds) but I NEVER trust any cow, calf, or bull.

Glad you like the breed. So do I.

BTW go to the "user control panel and put in your location please. Who did you get your Fullbloods from?

 

[kjonesel]

We obtained our fullbloods from Maple Hill Farm in Springville, Indiana.

 

[texast]

A few years back we had a Gelbvieh bull he produced some really nice calves. No one enjoys gentle as much as I do,as you will hear alot on here be carefull with the petting.

 

[houstoncutter]

very gentle breed, but any of them can kill ya..treat em like a loaded gun.

 

[spinandslide]

Ive personally never been around the Gelbvieh breed..they sound like a lovely breed..

but as a mother, I do strongly urge you to exercise caution. seems like once a month we read about a "gentle" or "pet" cow taking out it's owner. Gentle cattle are great..all mine are..it's the turning them into 500 pound dogs or "trusting" them that can cause some issue.

 

[hillsdown]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Can you post a few pics of your fullbloods please. It has been a long time since I have seen any in a herd still. My only fullblood Gelbvieh went to slaughter in 2008 at the age of 17 . I have a few of her daughters still and am using one of her daughters bulls as a heifer clean up bull this year.

 

[kjonesel]

I will get the camera and try to get some pictures this evening.

 

[CKSGelbvieh]

The problem with fullblood Gelbvieh in North America today is people tried to make them polled and went away from the proven solid bloodlines and chased a single trait that while it is important, did not really allow for solid genetic progress to be made. The EPDs of most all polled fullbloods are horrible and most all polled fullbloods trace to the same one or two animals.

Have a friend in Iowa that is flushing a good polled fullblood cow to some of the original Gelbvieh fullbloods. Floto, Belgrad, etc. Am curious to see the offspring next spring. We had some great fullblood cows over the years but about 15 years ago, someone came through and offered Dad $2500 each for his seven remaining fullbloods and Dad could not pass it up. Solid set of females and I wish he had been able to keep them.

I still use some fullblood bulls AI as the original Gelbvieh genetics are so much different than today's animals.

 

[kjonesel]

Our Blonde Fullblood Gelbvieh

Our Red Fullblood Gelbvieh

Our Tabasco Son, out of a half gelbvieh/half hereford

Our Moderator heifer(3/4 Gelbvieh) about to calve.

Our Other Moderator Calf,a 3/4 Gelbvieh, named Pandora

Tabasco daughter out of a hereford /gelbvieh cross

 

[3waycross]

They look really good. I like you Moderator heifer. I bet she will raise you a great calf. The two fullbloods look like they could groq up to be some real good cows.

I am glad you like the breed and are going ahead with the fullbloods. Have you joined the Gelbvieh Assn?

 

[kjonesel]

Yes, we are members, we go by Four J Farm, we have KCKS.

 

[hillsdown]

Thanks for posting the pics, my clean up bull for the main herd is a Moderator son. He threw some really nice calves this year .

I like your Tabasco baldie . Nice looking group .

 

[kjonesel]

Our Moderator daughter just had her Tabasco calf. He was 4 days early and we had a heck of a time getting him pulled. The calf locked at the hips as he was twisted and thank God my 15 year old son doesn't have girls on his mind and was at home to help me. It ended up with a dark red bull calf that appears to be very healthy.

Now my son is taking off with his girls.

 

[3waycross]

Can't wait to see him in a couple weeks. Any idea what he weighed. I had not considered Tabasco a heifer bull.

 

[kjonesel]

The calf weighed 94 lbs. and is doing quite well. I will try to post some pictures in the future.

 

[vclavin]

The calf weighed 94 lbs. which is doing quite well. I will try to post some pictures in the future.

Do you weigh on scales or girth/hoof tape?
Nice animals.
Valerie

 

[kjonesel]

I use scales, in the past I have found a wide variation in the measured weights to the actual weights. With the wide use of crossbreading I feel there is no way that a tape could be any more that a close approximation.

 

[vclavin]

I use scales, in the past I have found a wide variation in the measured weights to the actual weights. With the wide use of crossbreading I feel there is no way that a tape could be any more that a close approximation.

I found that as well, the higher the actual BW the more inaccurate the tapes become.
Thanks
Valerie