hereford girls (pics)

[sporder]

cattle have been in for afew weeks now due to wet weather and i ve had some new lights put in the barn as it will be dark when i bed up. took afew pics as i ve never posted females. got carried away.

 

[sporder]

afew more

sorry about poor quality of some pics

 

[KNERSIE]

There are some really outstanding females in that group, you just need to use a bull of the same type and keep on keeping on.

 

[sporder]

the 2 in the 5th pic are breed by me and by the free town bull. apart from the calves the others are what i brought in to start. not the best but within the budget at the time. Knersie would the traditional bulls work well with these type. still early days and retaining the good heifers to build the herd

 

[Alan]

Very, very nice looking girls! I agree with Knersie on the bull selection. But really good looking Herefords, deep and thick, udders that I can see look nice also. I wish I had some of those. Oh and they look a little spoiled.

Alan

 

[sporder]

yes they are spoiled but thats because i have low numbers. people keep on about types of bull. could someone post a comparison in term of a bull that would suit these females and and bull that would not.

 

[KNERSIE]

the 2 in the 5th pic are breed by me and by the free town bull. apart from the calves the others are what i brought in to start. not the best but within the budget at the time. Knersie would the traditional bulls work well with these type. still early days and retaining the good heifers to build the herd

Yes, they would. You still have the volume and a workable size, you just need to add the width and muscle of the older genetics. Freetown Kendal would be my bull of choice with Klondyke a close second

 

[sporder]

here is a pic of free town kendal
http://www.free-town.co.uk/farm/gallery/cent70.jpg

 

[Crazy Farmgirl]

I'm certainly no expert but those girls are lovely!! You should be proud of them,

 

[chippie]

You do have exceptional stock. They sure look comfy in that deep straw. You take good care of them and it shows. Thanks for sharing your pics.

 

[SRBeef]

Don't let mine know yours get to come inside when the weather is wet... Nice Herefords.

 

[sporder]

thanks all. starting to feel guilty about pampering them now. it said in my ' beginers guide to cattle' that you should provide clean dry bedding at all time. must throw that book away

 

[KNERSIE]

Keep doing what you're doing, you're doing alright.

 

[Alan]

thanks all. starting to feel guilty about pampering them now. it said in my ' beginers guide to cattle' that you should provide clean dry bedding at all time. must throw that book away

I think most of us wish we could keep our cattle as well as yours in those pics. You've got some good advice on your bulls, your bulls look just okay but looking at those cows you can sure make some great improvement on your bulls quickly with the right bulls. but over all great looking herd!

alan

 

[sporder]

i think the main prob with the bulls is i have brought them too young (not fully developed) expecting them to be top class because they have good ebvs. the last 2 bulls i have brought were from a well known herd that has won herd of the year many times with many people using their bulls. most people are breeding similar bulls and there are not that many that have impressed me that much.
what do you all think of this bull. horned bull of the year 2011 and has same sire as the bull i have used for the past 2 years.
http://www.free-town.co.uk/farm/gallery/fortten.jpg

 

[P.A.L]

Just great!! good looking Herefords on dry bedding! Wish my shelter would look like that! (Also the cows)

 

[Hereford76]

pictorial oxymoron

 

[angusdave63]

if buy more bulls, would get on here he could really send you in the right direction as to what hereford bulls to use on your cows, he has as good of an eye for working hereford cattle as anyone i know,

 

[SRBeef]

thanks all. starting to feel guilty about pampering them now. it said in my ' beginers guide to cattle' that you should provide clean dry bedding at all time. must throw that book away

i don't think you need to "feel guilty about pampering them" if that is what you want to do and how you want to raise them.

The danger I see with breeding a line of cattle of any breed that are brought inside on a nice clean bed of straw when the weather gets damp...or in our case in the northern US and Canada, also much colder and snowier than anywhere in the UK, is that eventually natural selection may leave you with genetics that REQUIRE "pampering" and are not suited to outwintering in tough conditions...

Your beginners book was right in providing a "clean" (not manure filled) bedding area, but that can also be a spot outdoors in the woods. I don't know what sort of pastures, etc you have and maybe there is no suitable spot for them to winter outdoors.

I do think there is a large body of evidence that cattle stay healthier outdoors. That's where nature intended cattle to be. However if you want to raise some in bovine hotel conditions and are willing to work for the cattle, rather than having them work for you, then that is your right. However please do not think all Hereford cattle require this type treatment. They do not.

Jim

 

[KNERSIE]

i think the main prob with the bulls is i have brought them too young (not fully developed) expecting them to be top class because they have good ebvs. the last 2 bulls i have brought were from a well known herd that has won herd of the year many times with many people using their bulls. most people are breeding similar bulls and there are not that many that have impressed me that much.
what do you all think of this bull. horned bull of the year 2011 and has same sire as the bull i have used for the past 2 years.
http://www.free-town.co.uk/farm/gallery/fortten.jpg

He is way too extreme and unfortunately very typical of what is being bred in the UK today. The rest of the world has long since abandoned the frame race, why do the UK keep at it?