Holsteins

[WarriorPatriot]

Does anyone here keep or show Holsteins? They are my favorite breed for their temper and coat patterns. It seems like everyone here is into Herefords or Angus...I personally don't favor the Angus unless they are a Angus/Char cross.

This is one of our steer calves that was shown this summer at the county 4-H fair, but didn't place too well (got about 4th place I think) Darn boy cant keep his feet still and always moves them when the judge's eyes are on him :roll:
He's 6 months old and weighs 265lbs. (last time I checked lol) I think he is pretty well built for a feeder calf with no special bloodlines. If anyone wants to critique him, go ahead! Would love to hear!

And I have a dumb question also, if you had an Angus/Holstein cross, would that be considered beef or dairy :?:

 

[Brandonm2]

I like Holsteins if I was going to milk cows. The modern stein is a milking machine. They have sacrificed muscle, bone, structure, heat tolerance, longevity, etc to increase milk production. They have almost no commercial application to the modern beef industry. There will always be a market for Holstein steers; but expect a HEAVY price dock. I would call an ANgus/Stein cross Beef since she does not really compete with her straight bred sisters in the dairy barn. A pretty decent beef cow mama if bred to the right bull though.

 

[Longtails4Me]

You sure have done a good job taking care of him. I'm gonna give him a " big thumbs up". :)

 

[certherfbeef]

He's 6 months old and weighs 265lbs.

Seems a little light I'd think.

 

[dun]

He's 6 months old and weighs 265lbs.

Seems a little light I'd think.

My thoughts exactly, even for a bottle calf.

dun

 

[milkmaid]

Looks bigger than 265. When was the last time you had him weighed?

If he really is 265 then that's really light. The last group of holstein steers I sold were 5 months and averaged 385lbs.

 

[Susie David]

Can't remember the weight of the Holstein calves at six months
(family small dairy when I was a kid) but 265 does seem a bit small for a calf that age...in the picture he looks heavier...I'd weigh him again....Dmc

 

[WarriorPatriot]

Yes I noticed that at the fair when they got done showing and weighed them, they posted their weigts above their breed info for the buyers. I went to water them and came back and thought I miss read them. As I looked around all others their ages were maybe 350lbs a couple around 400. I don't understand why they are so light, they're not skinny, they're healthy, and the eat like pigs! They might have come from slender parents and maybe get their weight in a couple months. Maybe have some slow growers on our hands is all? Other steers in the past were at least 350lbs that we had Cluless... :?: Could I be right on some of theses things?

 

[Brandonm2]

It is a lack of muscle. A lot of them are narrow, meaning if you look at them straight from the front there is not a lot of distance width between the front legs (certainly not when compared to your typical show steer). Watch a Holstein move. and look at the shoulder. If the calf/cow is not real fat you can see the actual bone move up under the skin. A good beef animal's shoulder is too covered in flesh for you too clearly make out the bone. Look at a Stein from behind. Most have no butt, there is no thickness going down the rear leg. The "HAM" on a stein is usually flat. It has no bulging muscles. Look at the top of a Holstein from above and behind. They do not have a wide flat top. Generally a Stein carcass is very lacking in loin eye area. A Holstein is bred to milk. Energy spent maintaining muscle mass beyond what the animal needs to get around is waisted resources. A good Holstein is little more than a big udder a big digestive system, carried around on four legs. Meat is very heavy. A big frame without a lot of meat is lite and generally that animal is slower growing (weight wise). You guys might want to increase your calves' rations some or add more protein; because it does seem like your calves are a little on the lite side. He looks good in the picture though. A lot of the American Holsteins 20-30 years ago were beefier than they are today; but more and more selection pressure for milk production has taken more of the surplus meat off of them.

Look at this bull (Roy)...
http://abs-bs.absglobal.com/milk.asp?CodTouro=29HO9023

Roy here is one of the top Holstein bulls in the world; but he is so lite muscled (particularly on his rear wheels) he wouldn't make a decent market steer. Any beef guy would have castrated a calf that looked like him.

Now look at this bull (Romeo)....
http://abs-bs.absglobal.com/beef/RedAng ... o=29AR0199

Romeo here is a meat wagon. He is thick everywhere. You can see bulging muscles everywhere and Red Angus is not the beefiest of beef breeds. Romeo's sons will almost certainly outyeild Roys in percentage of boneless closely trimmed retail product at the same age.

 

[ctlbaron]

That would be really light. I have some 7 month old holstine steers that will go between 450 and 500 lbs. They were bottle calves.

 

[sidney411]

great post Brandon!

 

[WarriorPatriot]

Wow that post really helped thaks! That first one in the pic has huge shoulders :o I've never seen cattle in my life like that... :shock:

 

[WarriorPatriot]

I have a couple more pictures of him. I really look at him now and is quite slender. The other calf with him is my young cousins, he is skinny because when gotten at the feed lot he had lung damage, vet said there's nothing you can do for it which I dont know if thats true...
The two lying down at the fair are ours. The steer standing next to them weighs over 300 but I dont think he looks it.

Sorry about the one in the barn, I took it at night its a bit darkand they are filthy it was the day before we did animal washing for the fair.