gelbvieh vs. angus

[Anonymous]

which has best temperment, calving ease and sells best gelbvieh or angus (red or black) and would a cross between the two be efficient :?:

 

[Jake]

A moderate sized "Balancer" cow is hard to beat. That's a great cross but if your comparing them together I"d go with the angus over the gelbvieh due to some of the problems we've had with them in foragability and being hard keepers and fertility. Could have just been the cows we had though too.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for the information jake ,but would you rather have a purebred angus or a balancer

 

[dun]

For some reason my earlier response got lost in the air but here goes again.
Balancers is a trademarked term of the Gelbvieh association for F1 Gelbvieh-Angus Red or black. The F1can be from an Angus bull on Gelbvieh cows or vice versa.
Balancers are typically heavier milking then Angus and can raise a heivier calf if the genetics are in the calf. Being a cross they're going to raise a heavier calf anyway (maternal heterosis). The fertility has been excellent, calving ease is great and maternal traits that aren't a measurable thing are unsurpassed.
The down sides are all that milk can draw down body condition if you don't have an excellent forage base. Size can be a real problem, goes back to the forage situation. A Moderate framed Red Angus bull and
small(ish) Gelbvieh cows produce mature cows that tend to be larger then you would expect. 4 years old and 1680 lbs. But the biggest drawback is all these people that feel they have to use black Angus on Gelbvieh s to produce "Balancers" instead of using RED Angus.
Being a commercial herd with registered cows, I'ld still prefer F1s.

dun

thanks for the information jake ,but would you rather have a purebred angus or a balancer

 

[Jake]

I'd prefer the straight angus. Our straightbred cows' calves out perform the neighbors crossbred and composite calves every year and our grass is worse. These calves are pretty muchly straight bred angus and they do great. If we let them on the cow for 8 months they'd weigh 600- 700 lbs but the grass is so poor on the big rocky pasture we rent that we have to pull them at 400-500 lbs. They start eatin too much grass and bringing down cow condition at the same time. so they get pulled early most every year.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks guys i appreaciate it