Herefords: Cows Vs. Bull

[Bestoutwest]

I plan to start my fledgling operation here pretty soon. I have been trying to decide what breed to start with. I'm convinced the best way to do it is to start with two purebred cows and cross a PB bull over the top to get crossbred calves. I have easy access to black and red Angus and hereford herds in the area. Also, I have been to the sales and cross bred calves perform as well or in some cases better than PB's. Would you suggest starting with Hereford cows and an angus bull or the other way around? Why or why not? I have my preferences, but I'll keep them to myself for now so that I don't sway anyone (not that it probably would matter).

Thanks

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Caustic Burno makes a good point when he says to keep the cows red and cross with black so if the market changes you can always go back to red. I'd guesss Hereford cows might be a tad cheaper than the Black or even Red Angus but I could be wrong on that since I don't know your market.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

you cant go wrong with those breeds....

 

[Dave]

Hereford cows sell a little cheaper and it is easier to find Angus bulls. So that is the route I would take.

 

[Isomade]

Hereford cows are hard to come by around here. May be different in your area. I would have to go with Angus cows and a Herf bull. If the Hereford cows aren't plentiful you'll have a hard time finding replacements.

 

[u4411clb]

If you are trying to keep replacements to grow your herd then I would go with Hereford females and Red Angus bull. You will have a red motley face mother cow that will allow you to go almost anywhere from there as far as terminal or selling replacements. You can go Black Simmental, Black Limosuine, Brangus, or Chiangus if you want black calves to ring the bell and go terminal. I would even though most people wouldn't go Black Angus to sell replacements to people. You also could have some pretty good buckskins if you decided to go Charalois or Blonde d Aquitaine as a terminal cross.

 

[cow pollinater]

Hereford bulls are usually pretty easy to have around. Some angus can be easy to be around as well but for staying home and not causing trouble, I'd go with a Hereford on the bull side of things.
That being said, I think I'd try to come up with some way to run three cows and not buy a bull. Either lease one, AI all three until they're confirmed pregnant, buy a seasoned bull from someone reputable for just over beef price and use him for sixty days and then haul him in, something like that. You're going to lose your butt purchasing anything of decent quality and only getting two calves a year out of him.

 

[Dave]

That being said, I think I'd try to come up with some way to run three cows and not buy a bull. Either lease one, AI all three until they're confirmed pregnant, buy a seasoned bull from someone reputable for just over beef price and use him for sixty days and then haul him in, something like that. You're going to lose your butt purchasing anything of decent quality and only getting two calves a year out of him.

This is very true. I was going to say the same sort of thing. Don't buy a bull for two cows.

 

[longhorntractor]

I have a hereford bull and I have had no problems at all. I have hereford and angus cows. All are gentle.

 

[tdarden3k]

You should probably consider which cow is most available for you as replacements in your area .... as well as which will be more satisfying for you. Believe me, once you see your first calves, you will run out and buy some more replacements.

Read up on AI. Find one in your area. Don't buy a bull yet. That's 2 more nice cows.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I don't plan on buying a bull right away, like you say it's not cost effective. I was planning on leasing a bull, but I have no idea what that would cost. What do you guys see/pay typically? I know it varies region to region and on the 'quality' of the bull, but a general idea is good.

 

[Lazy M]

Ang cows and herf bull.. you'll have bigger calves.. herf cows starve their calves of milk to maintain good body condition

 

[dun]

Ang cows and herf bull.. you'll have bigger calves.. herf cows starve their calves of milk to maintain good body condition

HUH?

 

[Lazy M]

Yeah, maybe "starve" is too strong of a word, but you will get more milk from angus, and bigger calves at weaning

 

[dun]

Yeah, maybe "starve" is too strong of a word, but you will get more milk from angus, and bigger calves at weaning

Yeah and you'll get a bigger calf out od a Simenthal. Properly selected genetics for your rnvironment is what makes the difference, not the breed. We've had high miling and low milking Herefords but never one that put on condition and didn;t milk enough to raise a good calf.

 

[ohiosteve]

I plan to start my fledgling operation here pretty soon. I have been trying to decide what breed to start with. I'm convinced the best way to do it is to start with two purebred cows and cross a PB bull over the top to get crossbred calves. I have easy access to black and red Angus and hereford herds in the area. Also, I have been to the sales and cross bred calves perform as well or in some cases better than PB's. Would you suggest starting with Hereford cows and an angus bull or the other way around? Why or why not? I have my preferences, but I'll keep them to myself for now so that I don't sway anyone (not that it probably would matter).

Thanks

For the same money you could buy 6 longhorn cows around here and a good commercial linebred hereford bull with strong maternal traits and make some decent bull calves to sell as steers (not sale toppers by any means) and the heifer calves would very likely make some good mamas to keep. This might sound ridiculous but I honestly believe is good way to get a herd of some hard working cows started for little $$.