How would an F1 Brahman x Hereford Cross do in Cold Weather?

[Ratfish]

I just want to get to the point where the only thing I have to worry about is crushed feet.

I've also read that they are slow developers, which makes sense because he's a bit more lightly built at this stage than the others. That's fine by me, it will give me some time to work him.

 

[AngusLimoX]

I had read that they are fine down to 7 degrees F.

I'm not the lazy type to put them in the pasture and hope they'll turn out alright. I'm not saying he'll be halter broke next week but I would like to get him at least neutral to my presence.

Don't forget the windchill Ratfish, even cold tolerant cattle need a windbreak when it gets frigid.

I don't recall anyone calling you lazy, compared to a lot of others that come in here it looks like you have quite a bit on the ball and you are gonna have some success with cattle. You are gonna get lots of opinions on all different subjects and you may surprise yourself by changing your mind on what you thought were fundamental truths. :lol:

You are getting the benefit of our broken fences and broken bones. :lol:

But you get to make the call, eyes wide open.

 

[aplusmnt]

I just want to get to the point where the only thing I have to worry about is crushed feet.

I've also read that they are slow developers, which makes sense because he's a bit more lightly built at this stage than the others. That's fine by me, it will give me some time to work him.

I have broke a bunch of show cattle to halter, Worked on a limousin ranch when I was in college, and my main job was to halter break the young ones and care for the show cattle. And believe me there is some cattle that just are not meant to be halter broke. Saw my fair share of them with Limousin's And from what I hear Tiger-stripes make them look like puppy dogs.

A bad one gets worse with age also. Do not get yourself hurt over just wanting a pet.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Some of them never settle down. Everybody is right - he may lead them all in bad habits. Still I might give him a week or two because when brahmas are gentle they are REALLY gentle. Judging from your words and the photos, though...I kinda doubt it.

They can handle teens but may need extra feed to stay in the same shape. Maybe you can knit him a sweater?


You can keep a goofy one and get some great lessons in handling, fencing and anger management. Not to mention shooting and home butchering.

 

[Proverbs 12:10]

We do have a lot of coyotes around...the neighbor has about 70 goats and just recently they broke through and tore up their guardian dog pretty bad. I'm not worried about them killing them as much as chasing them and having one hurt a leg or something unnecessary.

?

You might consider getting a longhorn momma or two. They sure keep the coyotes away from our heard.

 

[Caustic Burno]

They will do just fine in cold weather. We have several herds of beefmasters and santa gertrudis up here.

Lot of difference in a beefmaster and a Gert composite breeds that have large amouts on English blood that breed true than a F-1 cross.
Cold winters are hard on Brammer's they will lose weight while sitting at hay. Brammers are dang fine cattle for subtropical and tropical conditions, not artic conditions if one breed fit all thats all we would run.
I guess my real question is why you would want to make an animal suffer through an enviroment that it will have to struggle in . If you want an ornamental get a highlands.
You are trying to force an animal to go against thousands of years of selective breeding for heat.

 

[Ratfish]

They've been calming down a great deal in the past few days. One thing I'm not sure about is if I should press the issue more when I walk up to them or if I should go slowly and let their curiosity bring them to me.

I may have overstated how flighty the brahman is. All 6 of them move away when I get too close, he's just the first or second one to start walking. Hopefully he's just more clever than the others, or less lazy.

Our weather here isn't that bad. I imagine the Texas nights can be just as cold.

 

[msscamp]

I had read that they are fine down to 7 degrees F. I have never seen it that cold here so I hope he'll be alright.

What part of the Northwest are you from that your temps don't even see 7 degrees?

 

[Ratfish]

The lowest I have ever seen it here is 17 degrees F. We're in southwestern Washington. Plenty of rain, but the cold isn't all that bad. Snow is extremely rare. Usually 1 week a year at most.

Should I be trying to fatten him up ahead of the winter with more hay?

 

[cypressfarms]

I just want to get to the point where the only thing I have to worry about is crushed feet.

Ratfish,

Don't take this the wrong way, but from what I read you are an accident waiting to happen. You don't ever want cattle to get close enough to crush your feet. You want them to know when your there, and it's better for them to walk from you than to walk torwards you. When they grow up, several 1200+ pound animals rushing to see you will not be fun. If you want pets, maybe you can get miniature cattle, or something else.

I'm not saying this to get you mad, but this board is filled with people who know someone who's gotten seriously hurt by cattle; it's the tame one's that can hurt you the worst.

 

[Ratfish]

I don't want them running toward me, but I do want them to be calm if I am walking by. Right now they let me get within about 10 feet and then they start to move away slowly, so I think they are going to be alright.

One question I have is if it is normal for the biggest steer to head butt the rest of them around. He doesn't do it too maliciously, but he does make it known that he is the biggest. Seems like a normal pecking order establishment thing. Oddly enough, he's also the one that will sniff my hand if I put it out, whereas the others won't get that close.

I've been trying to get them calm enough that switching them between the pastures won't be a nightmare since there is a driveway that splits them.

 

[Australian Cattleman]

our pure Brahmans do ok in the cold,even though its not as cold in our part of the world as in Washington. I have my Brahmans calve when it starts to warm up.I have had a couple freeze on a frosty night. But that could happen with a number of breeds.
Colin

 

[dj]

One question I have is if it is normal for the biggest steer to head butt the rest of them around. He doesn't do it too maliciously, but he does make it known that he is the biggest. Seems like a normal pecking order establishment thing. Oddly enough, he's also the one that will sniff my hand if I put it out, whereas the others won't get that close.

You are trying to make yourself part of the herd.
He's king in that little world. Could be he is sizing things up
and may decide to put you under him in the pecking order?
As far as moving them across the drive easily the feed bucket does it well. But doesn't require you becoming part of the herd to do it. Absent of terror or fear, cattle have two drives.
Sex and hunger. They don't need Sunday drives or art appreciation. They don't care if the cow next door has better bling bling. Or a bigger barn. They really just want to eat till the sex drive kicks in and then that's numero ono. Then it's back to eating.

 

[Alice]

I don't want them running toward me, but I do want them to be calm if I am walking by. Right now they let me get within about 10 feet and then they start to move away slowly, so I think they are going to be alright.

I've been trying to get them calm enough that switching them between the pastures won't be a nightmare since there is a driveway that splits them.

There are 2 excellent articles that address handling all types, kinds and breeds of cattle in Hereford World, August 2006; Vo. 97; No. 3

Alice

 

[Hippie Rancher]

On moving across a driveway...I agree luring with feed (train to come to a whistle or some similar call - NOT horn honking or another "signal" that other people might be likely to use)

get some of the orange caution fencing to put up as an added bit of protection.

 

[jj216]

Y'all might want to listen to Caustic on this one.Everybody seems to be ignoring what he is saying.I agree with him.If he had something smart a$$ed or mean y'all wouldnt be ignoring him.

 

[MillIronQH]

The fact that they look so strange was good enough for me. We're going to have one steer that stays around year after year and the other 5 rotate out. I think it will be enough to keep the packs of coyotes in check. Are they pretty easy to manage?

Oh yes gentle as a housecat.

Yea...As long as you've got a good set of dogs (preferably Catahoula, Black mouth Curs or Lacys) a god string of horses and a long rope. hehhehheh :lol: Z

 

[Dusty Britches]

Cold winters are hard on Brammer's they will lose weight while sitting at hay. Brammers are dang fine cattle for subtropical and tropical conditions, not artic conditions if one breed fit all thats all we would run.
I guess my real question is why you would want to make an animal suffer through an enviroment that it will have to struggle in . If you want an ornamental get a highlands.
You are trying to force an animal to go against thousands of years of selective breeding for heat.

I don't ever agree with Caustic, so write this in your diary -

CAUSTIC IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT

And he is being very nice about it, too.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

you can bet there wont be much weight gain standing around shivering. don't know how that tiger made it to the north west but he's as out of place as al sharpton at a klan meeting

 

[Ratfish]

Hmm, I figured that the 50% Hereford would have helped him out enough but when I was looking at him more he looks identical to a pure Brahman calf aside from the coloring. Maybe I can get him one of those blanket things the horses around here wear during the winter time....

Another question I have is how bad it is for cattle to have wet feet. We're going to winter them on the side of a ridge so there won't be any standing water, but I was thinking about rotating them to the flat pasture occasionally maybe for a couple of weeks at a time because the grass is so good over there. I don't want them to get footrot or anything though. We'll be feeding them hay of course but there will probably be some green grass for them there, moreso than the ridge.

Thanks.