Hardy breeds / crosses for winter

[canoetrpr]

Hi there:

We have a small hobby equestrian farm and were thinking about adding a couple of stocker calves to the mix this spring or fall to raise for the freezer.

Most of our horses winter outside. Our facilities include a sizable three sided pole barn that provides shelter from the weather.

We would like to get a couple of stocker steer calves that could fit in with the horses, probably polled to avoid an accident, and that could winter outside as well. The weather can get cold here. Most of the winter it is not much colder than -10 or -15 degrees C but the odd time it can get a bit colder than that. The horses seem to do fine with the ability to get out of the weather in the pole barn when necessary.

We are also very much beginners at cattle so a breed / cross that is easy to handle is preferred.

I really like Highlands but the long horns rule them out unfortunately.

Any suggestions for what breeds or crosses we should or should not consider ? I would much appreciate your thoughts.

 

[pjr]

There are quite a few galloway breeders in Ontario. They are good wintering cattle and they are sooo good to eat.

 

[hrbelgians]

I am probably not smart enough to tell you which breed.
Something to be concerned about is that most cattle will get along with the horses however not all horses get along with cattle. That has been my experience.
Not to discourage you but rather something watch out for.
Good luck.

 

[Victoria]

Our Red Angus animals do good here. Highlands of course are great outdoor animals. We used to run a couple of our older pregnant mares with our cattle and never had a problem with a Highland taking on a horse. It is extremely doubtful however that your horses will let the steers into the pole barn.There may be one or two horses that would let them in but the majority of horses I've run into will kick the cows out of the best places.
No matter what breed you look for think thick hair coat.

 

[Tep]

I agree that the horses will not let them near the barn, feed, water, ect until they are done. And if you are going to eat these tasty critters, how are you going to finish them out? If everybody eats together it's going to take a long time to finish your beef. Check out breeds that do better on grass than say grain/grass. I don't care what anybody says I like corn feed beef. Good luck, oh I forgot, check with your processor on how big your beef can be. They have a limit, at least our does (1200 lbs).

 

[canoetrpr]

Shows you how much of a newbie I am at this. I hadn't quite comprehended that the horses would boss around the cattle.

In the winter I put out about 3 round bales at a time so there is typically plenty of room for animals to graze around. I figure, everyone should be able to eat without worry.

Sounds like I should expect that the cattle may have to spend time out in the snow and may not have the luxury of the loafing barn when they might need it. Good reason for me to concentrate on as hardy a breed as possible.

I know that some people grass finish and I might experiment with it but I was planning on finishing on a mix of grain and grass... some grain anyway for marbling. If it wasn't the worry about horns I think Highlands would be my first choice but I don't know how my boarders will feel about the horns It is also probably much easier to get stockers in more common breeds and crosses - Hereford, Angus etc.

I've much appreciated the input so far so please keep it coming if you have anything to add.

 

[BAGTIC]

I am prejudiced. Isn't everyone?

I like Galloways.

Mine will stay out in the cold grazing under the moonlight long after the angus have headed for a windbreak and bedded down.

They will eat rough forage that the angus wouldn't look at twice. If I had a first rate pasture something else might work but I don't. Even my neighbours who run charolais and limousins were very impressed by how sleek and fat my cattle stayed on both pitiful summer (drought) and winter pasture alone.

I am a newbie myself but I have been impressed by how calm and gentle they are.

 

[canoetrpr]

Didn't know much about Galloways until the posts here but they sound like exactly what I might be looking for! I've managed to find some contact information for Galloway breeders that are not too far away from me. I think I will pay them a visit.

Thanks!

 

[mbdexter]

Hello


Have you ever looked at dexter cattle?

They are smaller then full size cattle and they are very hardy and easy to work with.

I have a small herd of them as well as I have horses as well.

 

[TheBullLady]

You might want to rethink running cattle with the horses, as I've found that to not be a good mix. If the horses are very docile you might be okay, but my experience has been that the horses will beat up on the cattle, prevent them from eating, and can hurt one if they want to.

 

[angie1]

You will have to seperate to finish the cattle. Your horses will eat the grain and founder. Its way too much for them.

 

[cowgirl_up_47]

We raise Pinzgauers and they are very adaptable and hardy. We finish all of them on grass only and they have tender beef.

 

[canoetrpr]

Separating during the winter is not a problem. I have two pastures that are fenced off from each other. During the grazing season I like to rest one pasture while the other is being grazed.

I'll have to think this through carefully. Sounds like I'm going to be best off with something like Galloways which will be able to stand the weather even if they don't get room in the windbreak. Alternatively I can think about taking the cattle in in the night. I think I could come up with room for a couple of steers in the barn.

 

[PutnamOutdoors]

Galloways.
Belted Galloways. (http://www.beltie.org)

I suppose Highlands too if horns aren't a concern. I imagine many others would work depending on your requirements.

You might find the starting prices on all three to be pretty high. However, they will make up for it in a much lower feed bill. (Keep in mind if you are eating these you're fine - but if you have a commercial objective you won't get your money back at a sale barn or stockyard)

I have Belties and Herefords, and a couple of Jerseys. I think Belties are great "homestead" cattle. Our Belties are very "weatherproof," will clean up just about any vegetation (at least what we have in Central Indiana), and eat about half as much feed (when on feed) as our Herefords. They are very easy keeping. They are also very lean (healthy) and usually have a high carcass percentage.

Finding available bulls nearby is not always easy depending on where you are. (I know about AI but this is not the solution for everyone)

The question is then why do we have Herefords if Belties are so good. Because I like them!

 

[Onthebit]

Hehehe Had to post....when I decided to get some cattle I researched up and down and decided on Dexters cause they live on next to nothing....with the rocks for a windbreak...they don't need anything...and live on weeds...sooooooooooo now I have 3 living in the barn...cause i don't want them getting cold..(booted the horses to a runin shed) and they getting 2 feedings a day of the finest sweet feed/oats mix and I pay extra to get better hay...for them but the horses r eating the same 'good' round bales from the same farm for years! Soooooooooo now I have 3 spoiled cows and another on her way to join the spoils! :help: some day i will get over it!

 

[aplusmnt]

I would think many breeds may work for you, Herefords, Angus, Short Horn and especially Maine Anjou which have lots of hair. A cross of any of those should work in my opinion as well as others.

We have only had problems with Horses and Mules with baby calves. Larger Calves have never been a problem but not all equine are the same.

My guess would be that as long as you keep hay out all the time and do not hand feed it to them that the calves will be fine during their hay and grass stages and you just have to pen them up separate when you decide to finish them out on grain.

I would put the calves in a small pen where the horses could rub noses with them for a week or so to get use to them then turn them out in pasture together after they become accustomed to each other.