Anon A Mouse
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- Jul 19, 2019
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Hi everyone! Let me state clearly here and now: I neither own land (someday though~) nor any cows. I've done a lot of research over the years so I know what breed of heifer I want (American Milking Devon) and was curious about what I should cross them with to produce a better butcher calf. The AMD is an American Heritage breed - they are the descendants of the first cattle brought to the US - and are considered a dual purpose breed for milk and meat and can even be trained as oxen if one cares to put in the effort to do so. On average the cows give about 4 gallons of milk per milking (I only plan on one milking per day and leaving the calf on her) with about 4% butterfat, so they match the better known Jersey as far as quantity and quality of milk. Carcass yield at butchering time is around 60% so that's fairly close to the feedlot percentages. If I wanted to increase that yield for a grass-fed, organic type operation what are your opinions on the best crosses for this breed? I do not plan on keeping crossed heifer calves as herd replacements - I will have a AMD bull cover the best of my cows each year - so choosing a maternal bull is not a consideration. I'm strictly looking for a terminal bull.