Ideal Cattle?
- Thread starter kaneranch
- Start date
stocky
Well-known member
i live about 60 miles from oklahoma and eastern oklahoma is different from western as far as the type cattle you need. i dont know of any reason to breed intentionally for a percentage longhorn. people who want longhorns want purebred longhorns. i have made real good money buying cheap longhorn cows and breeding them to charlois and selling good calves off of them. you can breed first calf heifers to longhorn bulls for small, easy calving and the calf will be up and sucking in 30 minutes. however, i cant think of a single reason to breed to have a percentage longhorn in your mother cows
Woranch - could not disagree with you more - but then again we all have our opinions. Seems there are quite a few who raise them for things other than horns. I know I sure have.
All those reason are posted here on this board. Sounds like I could compare your opinions to those who believe the Limo breed is something to avoid.
LH - Calving ease, heat capability, eat anything and live well, easy to handle in most cases, colour if you are into that sort of thing, genetic outcross, and so on - just to mention a few. Too many folks raising them to discount them.
Bez
All those reason are posted here on this board. Sounds like I could compare your opinions to those who believe the Limo breed is something to avoid.
LH - Calving ease, heat capability, eat anything and live well, easy to handle in most cases, colour if you are into that sort of thing, genetic outcross, and so on - just to mention a few. Too many folks raising them to discount them.
Bez
Tod Dague
Well-known member
Don't forget able to leap tall fences in a single bound. Helped a friend of mine round one up 2 weeks ago. Three sheriffs five civilians and one mad cow that liked to swing her head. Made for a long afternoon.
BC
Well-known member
The problem with getting a percentage of Longhorn in your cows is that somewhere in the breeding program you will have 1/2 LH calves that will have to be sold. The spots and inferior muscling will receive a dsicount.
On the other hand, I have seen people use Charolais to add muscle and take the spots off with a good deal of success. A plus for the LH cow is that you rarely see one with a bad udder.
On the other hand, I have seen people use Charolais to add muscle and take the spots off with a good deal of success. A plus for the LH cow is that you rarely see one with a bad udder.
Bez":3a9woy7o said:
Calving ease----Angus or Brahman cross cows
Heat capability--- Brahman
eat anything and live well ----Brahman
easy to handle--- Hereford
order buyers are not into wild colors
genetic outcross-----Angus and Hereford have the largest genetic base of any breed
The folks that raise them do so for horns or roping, and they are not even the best roping stock.
Rustler9
Well-known member
Well, here goes my two cents. Put 1/4 Longhorn in your herd and you won't be sorry. I agree with Bez on everything she had to say regarding Long Horns. Yeah, I've had one or two that could jump a fence if they wanted to but I believe that some other breeds know how to jump too. I'm not knocking anybody's breed of cattle but the Charolais cows that I had two years ago made my Longhorns look like house pets-wild, wild and did I mention wild? Try to get them up to work them and they were climbing the walls like a deer.
Anyway, Long Horns are excellent milkers, great mothers, need no assistance in calving, great foragers and you can take the spots off by using a solid colored bull. I sell all of my cross bred heifers as soon as I advertise them for commercial herds. I've got a guy's name and number right now waiting for my next batch.
I forgot to mention the hybrid vigor that you get when crossing them with other breeds. Also, if you don't like the horns use a polled breed in your cross and that'll take care of that.
Anyway, Long Horns are excellent milkers, great mothers, need no assistance in calving, great foragers and you can take the spots off by using a solid colored bull. I sell all of my cross bred heifers as soon as I advertise them for commercial herds. I've got a guy's name and number right now waiting for my next batch.
I forgot to mention the hybrid vigor that you get when crossing them with other breeds. Also, if you don't like the horns use a polled breed in your cross and that'll take care of that.
preston39
Well-known member
kaneranch,
To answer that question for your area...suggest you go to the sale barn a couple times and watch what is selling good. In our area ..for example...angus/herford cross...with the white/motley face and black body gets the top dollar. Black baldies are right there also.
What do you see as.."desireable traits"... for a LH mix?
Also, what is your objective in cattle?
To answer that question for your area...suggest you go to the sale barn a couple times and watch what is selling good. In our area ..for example...angus/herford cross...with the white/motley face and black body gets the top dollar. Black baldies are right there also.
What do you see as.."desireable traits"... for a LH mix?
Also, what is your objective in cattle?
Rustler9
Well-known member
Here's a picture of one of my Longhorn cross heifers. Her mama is a Hereford/Beefmaster cross. I didn't get a front view of her but you can see she's a pretty good heifer. Now what would this heifer produce if bred to a black polled bull? bet you wouldn't be able to tell there's Longhorn in there but you would still get the benefits of having that blood.
stocky
Well-known member
rustler, i agree with you fully on those charlois cows. i use charlois bulls for the great calves, but wont have a full blood charlois cow for the reasons you mentioned and pure white calves sell poorly for feeders. sounds like you have had success with longhorn cross mother cows, i have had alot of full longhorn but sounds like i learned something on the crosses as mothers. as far as jumping, most breeds will jump, and what they leave is a fence that was jumped over. however, the angus doesnt like to jump, they just go through the fence, put their head down and push until something breaks----then you have a busted fence and if you dont have trees in you fence row, you have a half-quarter of steel posts and loose barbed wire. sometimes jumping has its advantages
preston39
Well-known member
rustler,
I think you are correct.
Also,with a strong genetic Angus...you SHOULD get rid of the horns and SHOULD get a black bod/motley faced calf..strong sellers around here.
Nice cow.
I think you are correct.
Also,with a strong genetic Angus...you SHOULD get rid of the horns and SHOULD get a black bod/motley faced calf..strong sellers around here.
Nice cow.
I like what I am hearing. From what I have learned and read about longhorns is that their only undesirable trate is that they don't have enough beef on them. I would actualy rather not have the horns. Can someone with some longhorn cross experience tell me about there horns. Can any one tell me what happens if the cows horns are cut off. Thanks for the responces!!!
Don't like 'em? Cut 'em off.
I leave them all on my animals - different strokes for different folks.
Crossed them in NW Alberta and South Sask. with lots of different types. Never had a calving prob. Never. Always someone who talks easy calving bull and so on. In fact LH that I have been associated with have NEVER had a calving problem. I am sure they happen - but I have never seen it.
No beef on the hoof? I would think - no - I know there are breeders of LH on this board that can prove that statement wrong - time for you to look them up.
Ate nearly anything. Handled the hot weather - yup up to 100 degrees for a few days at a time in some parts of Canada. Handled the cold - down to minus 55 and 60 F. Do not eat much. Never worry about them in the field - even with no horns there are not many dogs that can tackle one. Usually walked up pretty close to them at any time. Never bothered to bed them in the snow - just put them in the bush and let them eat what they want for hay.
Lots of folks will run them down. I don't have any in my herd any more - we do the H Herfs now - I miss them. I respect them and have always stated they are truly a part of any commercial breeding program.
There are lots of folks that are so darned against anything that is not BA, RA, HH, PH, MG and so on. Could never understand why they were happy to knock any good animal - just because they do not raise it does not mean it cannot do the job for someone. Otherwise we would all be eating the same danged animal.
I am not a fan of Char and Limo - but a nice herd is a nice herd - even Limo and Char. Anyone who says otherwise is simply being petty. If they work for you - go for it. Make that herd stand out and I am happy to applaud.
Lots of folks will tell you horns are problems - just knock off the horns on the animals you ship. Takes me all of a couple of seconds to take them off when they are young. We do it a bit different when they are full grown - takes about 3 minutes.
There is a history aspect if you are a buff. Some will say no money in history. Maybe true - but they are right purdy to look at in the field.
I could go on - but I would just bore you.
Bez
I leave them all on my animals - different strokes for different folks.
Crossed them in NW Alberta and South Sask. with lots of different types. Never had a calving prob. Never. Always someone who talks easy calving bull and so on. In fact LH that I have been associated with have NEVER had a calving problem. I am sure they happen - but I have never seen it.
No beef on the hoof? I would think - no - I know there are breeders of LH on this board that can prove that statement wrong - time for you to look them up.
Ate nearly anything. Handled the hot weather - yup up to 100 degrees for a few days at a time in some parts of Canada. Handled the cold - down to minus 55 and 60 F. Do not eat much. Never worry about them in the field - even with no horns there are not many dogs that can tackle one. Usually walked up pretty close to them at any time. Never bothered to bed them in the snow - just put them in the bush and let them eat what they want for hay.
Lots of folks will run them down. I don't have any in my herd any more - we do the H Herfs now - I miss them. I respect them and have always stated they are truly a part of any commercial breeding program.
There are lots of folks that are so darned against anything that is not BA, RA, HH, PH, MG and so on. Could never understand why they were happy to knock any good animal - just because they do not raise it does not mean it cannot do the job for someone. Otherwise we would all be eating the same danged animal.
I am not a fan of Char and Limo - but a nice herd is a nice herd - even Limo and Char. Anyone who says otherwise is simply being petty. If they work for you - go for it. Make that herd stand out and I am happy to applaud.
Lots of folks will tell you horns are problems - just knock off the horns on the animals you ship. Takes me all of a couple of seconds to take them off when they are young. We do it a bit different when they are full grown - takes about 3 minutes.
There is a history aspect if you are a buff. Some will say no money in history. Maybe true - but they are right purdy to look at in the field.
I could go on - but I would just bore you.
Bez
stocky
Well-known member
kane, i dont like the horns either. i buy several longhorn cows in aug-sept when they are 1st and second period bred for 300-450 each fall---until about 4 years ago, you could buy them for 250-350. after the first hard frost i dehorn them and they do just great after being dehorned.
my dehorning method is different than most-----i wrap a baler twine around several times at the base of the horns and figure 8 it a few times to cut off the blood flow to the horns. i give the cow a shot of pain killer and then cut off the horns with a hack saw from 1-2 inches from the head. i then fill the holes with cotton and pack it good and coat it over with blood to seal it. i leave the string on for 3-5 days and then cut off the string and they are fine. this doesnt knock the cows off feed and they dont lose blood the way regular dehorning does---of course, you do have as stub of horn----that is the trade-off.
with a charlois cross calf by side, they sell very well as pairs once the horns are off and also if you sell the calves as feeders they will sell great. if you are selling as a purebred dealer you will need the horns on
another guy i know uses one of the big banders that you band big bulls with and puts the band on tight at the base of the horn and in a month if falls off with no stub, that hasnt worked for me because they break the band off by rubbing the horn base against a tree or some brush.
longhorns with no horns do very well and are much easier and safer to take care of
my dehorning method is different than most-----i wrap a baler twine around several times at the base of the horns and figure 8 it a few times to cut off the blood flow to the horns. i give the cow a shot of pain killer and then cut off the horns with a hack saw from 1-2 inches from the head. i then fill the holes with cotton and pack it good and coat it over with blood to seal it. i leave the string on for 3-5 days and then cut off the string and they are fine. this doesnt knock the cows off feed and they dont lose blood the way regular dehorning does---of course, you do have as stub of horn----that is the trade-off.
with a charlois cross calf by side, they sell very well as pairs once the horns are off and also if you sell the calves as feeders they will sell great. if you are selling as a purebred dealer you will need the horns on
another guy i know uses one of the big banders that you band big bulls with and puts the band on tight at the base of the horn and in a month if falls off with no stub, that hasnt worked for me because they break the band off by rubbing the horn base against a tree or some brush.
longhorns with no horns do very well and are much easier and safer to take care of
Bama
Well-known member
Stocky thanks for posting on how to cut the horns off longhorns. I have been around cattle all my life but not longhorns. I figured you wouldn't be able to do it. I bet the hole left is big enough to throw a dead cat through.
BAMA
BAMA
stocky
Well-known member
bama, the hole size varies, on longhorns you typically have about 3 holes instead of one big hole. this makes it easy to stuff the cotton in and fill the holes and it stays real good if you paste it over with blood. it isnt one large hole on most of them once they get to be adults. when they are 2-3 years old, it can be one large hole, but the older ones arent. the closer you get to the head the larger the hole or hole----i like to go outabout 1 1/2- to 2 inches from the head.
Bama
Well-known member
I do like the looks of them. I actually considered buying one just to slaughter so I could get the head and horns to hang on the front of the barn. I realize it wouldn't be as much beef on one as another breed, but it wouldn't be the dumbist thing I've ever done.
