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[artesianspringsfarm]

I probably have enough second cutting to feed the heifers and steers through the winter and then the cows would get my orchardgrass/timothy mix. I planned on only giving it to the steers. I am going to start thinking about that. Thanks for the thought.

 

[Chuckie]

Artesianspringsfarm, I think you have some good cows in there. You might worm them and purchase a good breeding mineral with a higher copper content and some selenium, and you would have some smooth cows. I see long hips, and sometimes a cow with a back that appears to be not so level, straightens out after she grazes on a really nice pasture like you have there.
Good Luck!

 

[artesianspringsfarm]

Chuckie, for as much as I dog them now, you would not believe how right you are about both deficiencies, especially copper, and how bad they looked BEFORE I started a good mineral program with those two specifically bumped up. Before the copper addition, their coats looked brutal.

 

[Chuckie]

You won't be able to recognize them by these pictures before too long!

 

[glacierridge]

A little TLC, they will do alright by you.

At least you aren't starting out with a bunch of dairy cattle like we did!!

You'll see results sooner than you think.
Have you decided what you might want to put on them yet?

 

[AllForage]

Knersie is right, financially speaking you are better off finding a line of bulls that are prepotent enough to take your cattle in the right direction and stick with them. You can make significant changes very quickly in short time. Just going to take a couple years to get the daughters in production.

If your goal is grass fed, hold off on public sales until you are happy with the cattle and are knowledgeable on your animals finished product. Having a strict protocol along with the right genetics are key to sustained success.

 

[artesianspringsfarm]

Alright folks, since the general consensus on here is keep em and fix em up through breeding, let's play find the bull. What do I really need? I don't care a rip about my cows being purebred but I also dont know if I want to mix things up yet given all the confusion I get from you guys on the advantages of hybrid vigor versus the idea of a terminal cross. Do I find an Angus line that promotes fertility, smaller framed cattle, and overall correctness, or do I go with a naturally smaller framed breed for a cross? Keep the ideas coming folks!