Im new to cattle and trying to decide on breed to go with

[jloosier39]

Im new to cattle i have 140 acres that has good fence and plenty of water on it the pastures are grown up a little but not to bad. Im considering romagnola or Braunvieh what are the pros and cons of both breeds if i did the braunvieh i would like to do the black angus cross.

give me some feedback im looking to take my time and buy the best quality cows i can afford rather than just numbers of cows Thanks Jeff

 

[Boss Cowman]

I have a neighbor that runs braunvieh and tops them with angus bulls. They seem like real easy going cattle that wean monster calves.

 

[S&S Farms]

My wifes grandfather said you could never make money if you had to feed it so stop now less headaches :lol: :lol:

Seriously I like your attitude about going slow and buying quality over quanity. Personally I would run either angus cows with Hereford bulls or Hereford cows with angus bulls. The Baldy gives marketing options that others won't and then you can add a branvieh on the baldies. Just my opinion because it works for me without the branvieh part

 

[Brandonm2]

I agree with S&S farms, the English cattle are a LITTLE easier to get your feet with than the French or the Italian breeds. Angus, Herefods, and Angus times Herefords are typically going to be easier to get bred, calve out, wean a higher percentage, and have the added bonus of being both plentiful and have good market acceptance.

The Braunvieh are good cattle and should bring well at any yard in Alabama. Crossed with Angus they will do very well. On a given day, your Romagnolas may be the only Italian cattle in the stockyard making it difficult for them to fit well in the order buyers loads which SOMETIMES and in SOME stockyards could cost you significantly.

 

[Jake]

Big deal brown swiss crossed with angus bulls. They are just called braunvieh in germany. The braunvieh are beef brown swiss and the brown swiss here are dairy. Just like gelbvieh here are beef and in germany they are beef and dairy but mainly dairy. Then you got shorthorns and milking shorthorns. Same animals lol. If you are just starting out I recommend Gelbvieh, they are docile, calve easily and wean big monstrous calves at weaning time as they milk good. Id come back on these with a good Angus or even Salers bull and man oh man the calves will be tremendous.

You don't know much about selection do you... Braunvieh stemmed from Brown Swiss but were develeoped as a beef breed when it was decided that there was no longer a purpose for a dual purpose breed. Same with Gelbvieh, the ones in America are not the same animals as their dual purpose counterparts overseas. They may have the same begingings but the selection over the years has gotten them to where they are now.

 

[birdog]

In Alabama you might need a little ear on your cows. You might consider topping brangus with a hereford for a super baldie then terminal with a charolais. JMO You can never go wrong taking you time so Good luck.

 

[oakcreekfarms]

I would buy hereford cows, they will cost you less to get started and will provide a good base for your cow herd. Then you can choose your bull from there.

 

[Brandonm2]

In Alabama you might need a little ear on your cows. You might consider topping brangus with a hereford for a super baldie then terminal with a charolais. JMO You can never go wrong taking you time so Good luck.

He is in Northwest Alabama NOT south Alabama. You can find eared cattle all over the state; but there is a significant dock on eared calves at most north Alabama auctions. MOST commercial people north of the Black Belt don't run eared cattle. From the Black Belt, South to Florida a half Beefmaster, Braford, Brangus, or Gert cow is probably ideal. It was 32 degrees with some frost above Birmingham Monday April the 16th.

 

[birdog]

In Alabama you might need a little ear on your cows. You might consider topping brangus with a hereford for a super baldie then terminal with a charolais. JMO You can never go wrong taking you time so Good luck.

He is in Northwest Alabama NOT south Alabama. You can find eared cattle all over the state; but there is a significant dock on eared calves at most north Alabama auctions. MOST commercial people north of the Black Belt don't run eared cattle. From the Black Belt, South to Florida a half Beefmaster, Braford, Brangus, or Gert cow is probably ideal. It was 32 degrees with some frost above Birmingham Monday April the 16th.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. :lol:

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

The obvious best choice for a newbie is Murray Grey! ;-)

 

[wlw]

I'm not tryin to be rude or anything but before we argue about what a Braunvieh is lets just try to help the guy, if we can, make a choice on his cattle.


ps. Brown Swiss are derived from Braunvieh.
Braunvieh is an original breed


wlw

 

[jloosier39]

Thanks guys for all the input. the direction that i am leaning is the Braunvieh angus cross.Another question that i have is would you do Braunvieh bull on angus cows or the other way around?

When i said Romagnola I have a friend that has a Romangola bull that he crosses with what ever cow that he can buy cheap at the sale barn and he always has some of the best looking calves and more important he is making money and as Bosscowman said he has some monster calves.

 

[Brandonm2]

Braunvieh Bull on Angus cows. Angus cows are all over Alabama, are a lot more abundant, CAN be smaller easier keeping females (a historic Angus attribute which is becoming rarer), and if you don't like the Braunvieh almost anything will work on Angus cows.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

The obvious best choice for a newbie is Murray Grey! ;-)

SPRINGER - This may be absolutely true - but I feel that you should explain the reasons WHY you think they are the "obvious best choice". It may be "Obvious" to you, but not to anyone else! If I were new to cattle, your statement wouldn't impress me at all, and might turn me off of Murray Grey because you were of no real assistance. Give them some details!

DOC HARRIS

 

[Beefy]

i dont have any experience with braunvieh cattle but i like what i've seen. i especially like the braunviehxbrahman females ive seen but thats beside the point. braunvieh x angus should make a good cross. angus cows would be more readily available but not necessarily cheaper. conversely braunvieh cows might be a rarer find and may cost as much or if you have to haul from far away may wind up costing more. i have heard of problems calving out braunvieh calves from angus cows but this can occur with any mating--just pay attention to what you are doing.

 

[Syd Sydney]

Big deal brown swiss crossed with angus bulls. They are just called braunvieh in germany. The braunvieh are beef brown swiss and the brown swiss here are dairy. Just like gelbvieh here are beef and in germany they are beef and dairy but mainly dairy. Then you got shorthorns and milking shorthorns. Same animals lol. If you are just starting out I recommend Gelbvieh, they are docile, calve easily and wean big monstrous calves at weaning time as they milk good. Id come back on these with a good Angus or even Salers bull and man oh man the calves will be tremendous.

I really don't think braunvieh are brown swiss and there are also two different types of braunvieh dairy and beef.Look at pictures of brown swiss and braunvieh; very different.Also name one herd in Germany that milks gelbvieh?I have never seen a one.However I haven't been there in 4 years so maybe they have really taken off as a milking breed.
But as far ar the calving I have heard from some braunvieh producers that they do have quite a few calving problems so you really want to make sure you use a proven calving ease cross bull with them that produce narrow framed calves at the the onset.So a red angus or even gelvieh might be a good choice.JMO

 

[dun]

But as far ar the calving I have heard from some braunvieh producers that they do have quite a few calving problems so you really want to make sure you use a proven calving ease cross bull with them that produce narrow framed calves at the the onset.

It's a relief to hear the some Braunvieh breeders are fessing up to the calving problems

dun

 

[THG]

I have a neighbor that runs braunvieh and tops them with angus bulls. They seem like real easy going cattle that wean monster calves.

Like to find about 350 to 400 braunvieh commercial good brood cows. Know anyone that my have some for sale that are good mommas?

THG

 

[novatech]

I agree with S&S farms, the English cattle are a LITTLE easier to get your feet with than the French or the Italian breeds. Angus, Herefods, and Angus times Herefords are typically going to be easier to get bred, calve out, wean a higher percentage, and have the added bonus of being both plentiful and have good market acceptance.

The Braunvieh are good cattle and should bring well at any yard in Alabama. Crossed with Angus they will do very well. On a given day, your Romagnolas may be the only Italian cattle in the stockyard making it difficult for them to fit well in the order buyers loads which SOMETIMES and in SOME stockyards could cost you significantly.

Double Ditto

Think about the end result. Selling them. What will you get? How hard will it be to sell? Maybe straight Angus or Herford or cross to get your feet wet. Remember the guy trying to sell you on something needs to get rid of his stock also and will try to convince you that it is no problem with big profits.

 

[blk mule]

You have got several suggestions of different breeds you might try. I feel it would be a wise choice to buy Blk Angus cows and breed them to Hereford bulls. Reason being this cross seems to sale very good in all parts of the country. Their is a OLD SAYING .
You might out grow them but, you won`t out sale them. I find this statement to be very true where ever you go.
Wish you the best in whatever breed you chose.

blk mule