In your opinion, what breed has the BEST temperment?

[3waycross]

In no particular order, Gelbvieh, hereford,Red Angus, and Shorthorn.

Red angus have better temperaments than the blacks?

Just like everything else ; all I can offer is MY opinion based on MY experience but I honestly believe they are more docile cattle. I know this is anectdotal but I will offer an exapmle or two. I looked at 3 different herds of Red Angus this spring looking for a bull to buy. The first was Brian Axtell's cattle out east of Denver, we walked into over a hundred cows somw with brand new calves as they were clustered around the feeders I was actually walking up to cows who had never seen me before and pushing them away from the feeder so that I could look at them. I also walked between cows and their day old calves without ANY alarm on their part even reached down and scratched a couple of the little fellers. The young bulls were pretty much the same at all 3 places. The main behaviour I saw expressed was to very calmly move away from you as you approached, this includes the bulls. The only exception I saw in all 3 herds was the guy who sold us our bull. He had 40 yearling heifers in a big corral. They were just like a pen full of Elk, which is to be expected. I personally have never seen anything goofier than large bunches of yearling heifers of ANY breed.

Too this day the RA bull we bought will very calmly walk away as he is approached. The only exception I have seen was when my partner walked out into the pasture one day and the bull didn't see him get out of a vehicle or anything familiar. He looked at him and threw a little dirt , but when the partner spoke to him he just lowered his head and went back to grazing. I would expect and do expect that attitude from my bull when anything strange comes into the pasture. It's his herd after all. For the record when we worked the calves and vacinated this spring the bull very calmly walked into the chute and let us vacinate him without showing any expression at all.

I'm sure there are exceptions to what I have said but in general they are very calm cattle. I have not found the blacks to be that way but for the record the two main BA herds I have been around are huge 1500 and 4800 and they don't get much contact with folks except to be worked and trucked or driven to summer pasture. The neighbor who I mentioned in another thread has around 100 registered BA and she culls rigorously for behaviour problems so she has some pretty good cattle but they are still more high headed than the RA's I have been around, and they will chase you a long ways, if you touch a calf before the new wears off.

For the record If I had to choose a favorite breed to work with now it would be the Gelbvieh's. I grew up with herefords that were pretty darned tame. Heck my Grandpa had a bull that we used to halter and ride a 1/2 mile down the road to breed my uncles milk cow.

One last thought, and I don't want to PO the limi breeders, I know a fellow near here who has them and has had to build handling facilitites that look like he raises Buffalo. However, to be fair he buys limi's that go cheap and then deals with the problems as they come. Chances are he is buying other people's problem cattle and it shows. He's a lot better cowboy than me, and he needs to be.

 

[Limomike]

Of all the cattle I have been around.. BEST temperament has to be :
Beefmasters, Hereford, Angus (reds and blacks) and not necessarily in that order.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

My corral is about 30 years old wood post and wire panels. rebuilt the alley last year because it had just rotted down. It has had Limi cattle put threw it for over 25 years. I can and have gave the shot i forgot as they were walking out the head gate.

 

[2/B or not 2/B]

At different times, we've had black angus, charolais, horned herefords, and limousin. There were difficult cattle in each breed. The biggest problems were with the ones brought in from auction or off rangelands where they didn't have contact with people. I think those were the biggest factors in whether they jumped fences or were hard to work with. The horned herefords and horned hereford crosses were the most protective cows, whether they were born and raised here or not. They were aggressive with predators, polled cows, and on rare occasion, people they didn't know. They're a popular breed here in the foothills where I live. Cattle range far and wide and we have all kinds of wildlife here, including mountain lions.

Private breeders put a lot of time and attention into the pedigrees of their cattle and they usually handle them or work with them in some way on a regular basis. Maybe these are the biggest factors in disposition? Recently we purchased some red angus cattle privately. They're some of the calmest most gentle cattle we've had. The bull is actually too friendly for my taste b/c he'll walk up to me within inches if I allow it. Last time he did it, I whacked him on the nose with an oak branch and he was clearly perplexed.

Instead of comparing my show steer to your replacement heifer to his commercial bull, maybe we'd have to send all the different breeds out on the open range for a few years and see what we end up with when they come home? :?:

(To participate in this exciting new study, please send a handful of your best cattle out to my place in California. In appreciation for your participation, you will receive a detailed report on their progress sometime in the fall of 2011. retty: )

Edited to add contest details!

 

[dun]

(To participate in this exciting new study, please send a handful of your best cattle out to my place in California. In appreciation for your participation, you will receive a detailed report on their progress sometime in the fall of 2011. retty: )

Edited to add contest details!

I hope the data will include what direction the cattle faced

 

[randiliana]

In my experience, Herefords win this one hands down. Then my Shorthorns come in a close second. After that I would have to add in Gelbveih, Red Angus, Simmental, Charolais, and then MAYBE Black Angus. I've seen good and bad in each breed, but that is how I view it. I have yet to be chased by a Hereford, but have had a few blacks come after me........

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

Was talking to Mr. Day yesterday, and he said he sells a lot of Hereford bulls to cattlemen that are getting tired of being chased, knocked down, and trampled, to paraphrase him for brevity. He sold a bull Thursday to a gentleman who had been helping work another breed next door, and was cartwheeled into the air by a heifer!

 

[poorfarm]

i just couldnt help it, i got to jump in. the best temperment cow, is the one you treat like it was a family member --- be nice and easy, they will too. if it dont come around in a month or so, to the butcher it goes. if you got one causing trouble, hard to get along with etc.. it will make the others go bad to.
now --- i always wanted some and here recently i did acquire some longhorns, field rasied and not handled by people very much. i put them in my pasture and expected them to run through it and away.
was i mistaken.. they were a little edgey for a few days, i would go into the field around them and just talk and be easy goin. they started coming up to me to see what i was doin. and now they follow me and
come right up to be shown attention. they even know their names and come on the call of it.
they are fasinated by my chickens, they will lay down and allow the chickens to walk all around them and fly up on thier backs. they might go bad anyday but the longhorns for me on my place are just great.
i got or had at one time, angus, limo,brahma,gartrudis and mixed up other stuff. some very worse than others. the bad ones and trouble makers are in the meat box quickly.
i'm proud to say i'm a longhorn man now... i was amazed at there workability, smartness, and gentle nature. yes, you have to watch out for the horns.
i feel like john wayne............

 

[TheBullLady]

For just a generalized BREED, I would suggest Simmental as the best temperment overall. We've also had a lot of different breeds over the years, and had our share of wild ones of every breed. As far as a few specific individuals, I would say Brahmans no doubt! But only out of a certain bloodline that I retained over the years!

And it's very true that they will respond directly to how they are handled, so that has a big influence over their temperments.

 

[HOSS]

I have a mixed herd of red and black angus. By far my red angus cows are the best as far as temperment goes. All of the cows are treated the same and are in the same environment so I attribute their attitudes towards the genetics and the breeds. All of my red cows....and I mean all....you can walk up to and touch. They love an ear scratching. The RA bull I sold this past winter was so gentle that when he was laying down chewing his cud I could walk up and sit on his back like a bench and curry comb his hair. All of my BA cows are what I would consider gentle with the exception of one or two that are high headed. I can't touch any of them except the nose of a baldy cow and that is only for a second. The biggest problem with good natured, easy going cows is sometimes they don't work as easily throgh the chutes and you have to push them.

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

I have been known to give a shot to an 8 year old polled Hereford bull while he had his head in a feed trough.

There are certainly pros and cons to cattle that are extremely gentle, as they can be stubborn about loading etc. But it is also nice to be able to load them in the trailer with a bucket of feed when it's too muddy to get back to the corral.....

 

[Limomike]

greenwillow... you got that right. I have loaded several like that; using a bucket of feed. Does make it nice when they cooperate.

 

[dyates]

I have been known to give a shot to an 8 year old polled Hereford bull while he had his head in a feed trough......

I tried that with my polled hereford bull (18 months) and he stood for the first couple of attempts. I couldn't for the life of me get a needle jabbed in him. Toughest hide I've ever seen on an animal that young. I finally put him in the shoot so I could apply some force. I suppose he'll make some fine shoes someday.

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

I have been known to give a shot to an 8 year old polled Hereford bull while he had his head in a feed trough......

I tried that with my polled hereford bull (18 months) and he stood for the first couple of attempts. I couldn't for the life of me get a needle jabbed in him. Toughest hide I've ever seen on an animal that young. I finally put him in the shoot so I could apply some force. I suppose he'll make some fine shoes someday.

One of the statements in some of the promotional material from the AHA is that Herefords have a heavier hide.

If you have a pic of your bull, I'd like to see it.

 

[usernametaken]

We recently bought two British White Parks. Nothing seems to bother them, no panic or spookiness over anything so far. Act like they've lived here forever. They follow us everywhere, no bucket necessary, and the sheep follow them They like and trust my 12 year old. They even don't mind an occasionally puppy .
Curious and intelligent. We are happy so far.