If you were just starting a small cow/calf operation....

[Caustic Burno]

Keller let me say once again from someone that has been messin with Tigers for 30 years these cattle are not for beginners. Spending four days a week with is a lot of time with your cows. Don't get me wrong my girls are as gentle as kittens in the pasture usually OK in the pen. You will need one hell of a pen, but let one strange armpit walk up in the pasture or pen all hell is fixin to break loose. Example neighbor bought 2 Barbodo(sp) sheep got in my pasture (no longer has those sheep) the whole herd went out the south fence,took 3 weeks to get all back some ended up as far south as 6 miles away. Lucky for me good neigbor let them in his pasture and the next time he pened he brought them home. His pen is made of drill stem.
Do what you want but you have been warned by several on the board for good reason.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

A beginner needs to start with a breed that will be easier to work,and have fewer problems calving,etc. I suggest Murray Grey. ;-) :cboy:

actually what better way to initiate somone in the cattle business all most over night than the tigerstripes & brahman cross they can teach you more about cattle than any collage proffessor if you live long enough to tell the story you can teach it ;-)

 

[Sherry]

They all talk about Brahmans, but I think any cow can be crazy. We had register ones with commercial cows and a Brahman bull, I could sit on his back. Like any animal, don't you think, how you raise it matters? The Brahmans brought the herd to the pen, when they heard my truck they knew it was feed time. Had to pull calves from 2 of our orignal heifers ......no problem with either of them being wild, infact first one just stood in the stall while my husband petted her. the other one was in the pasture, she just lay there while I petted her and my son pulled the calf, that one was bred to a charlois bull.........

 

[kaneranch]

Ok, here is my input. I would buy some good nonregistered cows and a Great (with a capital G) registered bull. Earn a little money off your income and then, if you still have the erge, ease into the registered buisness. That way you don't have to go buy another bull. A registered bull would be good for comercial and registered cattle. That is just my opinion. THanks Kaneranch

 

[Caustic Burno]

Lot of difference in a Bramer and a Tiger that cross makes geat mamma cows just lots of loose screws.

 

[Texan]

Example neighbor bought 2 Barbodo(sp) sheep got in my pasture.......

Would that be your neighbor, Campground? That sounds about right. I kinda had him pegged for being the sheepherder type.

 

[la4angus]

Example neighbor bought 2 Barbodo(sp) sheep got in my pasture.......

Would that be your neighbor, Campground? That sounds about right. I kinda had him pegged for being the sheepherder type.

You might be talking about old man Caustic Bruno, eh Texan. I understand he raises a few sheep for his own pleasure.

 

[Texan]

You might be talking about old man Caustic Bruno, eh Texan. I understand he raises a few sheep for his own pleasure.

I didn't know that, LA. You think maybe Caustic just wants everybody to think that his neighbor Campground is buying the sheep? But they're really his? You might be on to something. Old Caustic is kinda sneaky.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

You might be talking about old man Caustic Bruno, eh Texan. I understand he raises a few sheep for his own pleasure.

I didn't know that, LA. You think maybe Caustic just wants everybody to think that his neighbor Campground is buying the sheep? But they're really his? You might be on to something. Old Caustic is kinda sneaky.

Hard tellin what them Coggers are runnin out in them woods! :shock:

 

[msscamp]

Like any animal, don't you think, how you raise it matters?

No, I don't believe for one moment that this is true. Some cattle are just crazy, for no apparant (sp?) reason. They jump fences, go through fences, take off like the hounds of hell are on their butt's for no obvious reason, throw their heads up at the first sight of the people they have been around all their lives, they are just nuts - despite having been bred, born and raised on our property and having been around us and the rest of the herd all their lives. And I'm not talking about the typical mush-for-brains that one has to deal with in weaning calves and yearlings that comes from youth and lack of experience.

 

[Emgen]

I got into cattle this year same as you are planning and didn't know a thing about it. Have a few good mentors and I pay attention to many of the posts on this site.

I live in the Dallas area and have a place in Hunt County. Feel free to PM anytime to discuss all the options you will soon face. Good luck.

 

[Caustic Burno]

You might be talking about old man Caustic Bruno, eh Texan. I understand he raises a few sheep for his own pleasure.

I didn't know that, LA. You think maybe Caustic just wants everybody to think that his neighbor Campground is buying the sheep? But they're really his? You might be on to something. Old Caustic is kinda sneaky.

Hard tellin what them Coggers are runnin out in them woods! :shock:

Try to have a serious discussion and see what you get. You know the difference in a coon A$$ and a Horses is the Sabine River. No they were not Camp's or my sheep but I did have my rubber boots on that day. Belong to a guy west of me that owns a glass shop in Houston he can haul more stuff up here than Ringling Bros.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Lot of difference in a Bramer and a Tiger that cross makes geat mamma cows just lots of loose screws.

Thats right its that hybred vigour that makes em act a little off center.thats why the rodeo contractors like tigerstripe bulls they buck harder than a strait brahman they say a straight brahman sulls more and quits bucking :hat:

 

[Farmhand]

My thanks to txag and caustic for the info. I had never heard of tigerstripes until this board. Appreciate the insight.

 

[ToroNegro]

Once the "ball is rolling" and you have calves on the ground, what do you keep? What do you sell? Do you start another herd with the heiffers you keep or do you put another bull w/ them? And how soon would you cut the steers you might keep?

 

[andybob]

When I first started my herd, I was at school later, after my military service,I had a full time job while starting my farming in a very harsh environment. The low maintenance breed that built up my business was the Tuli. Use the cows as a hardy damline,use an Angus or Hereford as a terminal sire.The F1 hiefers could be crossed to a continental to continue the heterosis or keep it simple with the first cross. You can A.I. your best Tuli cows back to pure bulls to maintain your basic Tuli stock for futher crossing,if stock is in short supply in your area.

 

[msscamp]

Once the "ball is rolling" and you have calves on the ground, what do you keep? What do you sell?

It depends on your long range plans, available cash, how much time you have to invest, prices, and a multitude of other things as well. We have a small registered herd, so we keep the good heifers as replacements. This might not work for you as there is the cost of maintenance for a year, and 2 year old's should be watched fairly closely at calving time as they have a higher incidence of calving problems than 4 year old and up. We generally sell all steers except those destined for the freezer, which we feed out and butcher.


Do you start another herd with the heiffers you keep or do you put another bull w/ them?

We keep the heifers separate and breed them to an unrelated bull (not into linebreeding).

And how soon would you cut the steers you might keep?

The time and method used for castration depends on you, your situation, preferences, set-up, etc. We generally tag at birth, but do not castrate (we band) until branding anywhere from a week or so after everything has calved. Others band or castrate at birth. As already stated, we do not keep any steers except those destined for the freezer. Hope this helps a little.

 

[Bez!]

Hope no one minds - I want to butt in here a minute.

Caustic - would you have a good picture of a tigerstripe? Being from Iowa, I have no experience with the cattle you raise in Texas. That is some interesting coloring that I have never seen before.

not Caustic, but here's some pics from the JD Hudgins website:

Well, I am going to wade in here for a second - go look up Ding! Dong! Brindle's Dead!

What you folks call tigers I call brindles - read it and heed it!

Bez!

 

[ToroNegro]

Thanks Msscamp.

 

[msscamp]

Thanks Msscamp.

You're welcome. I haven't seen your name on here before, so welcome to the boards!