Longhorn Health

[Running Arrow Bill]

Don't want to beat a good horse to death about Longhorns...however:

In our 5.5 years of breeding/raising Longhorns, (herd size ranged from 36 to 48 head at most) and a calf out of each cow every year, the only health problem we have had was when we took a cow to A.I. Station with her calf to be A.I.'d, the calf got brief case of scours (3 days, cured with a bolus) since A.I. Station was across road from sale barn...???

We also had one stillborn as result of breech birth. That cow failed to settle after several months so she went to sale barn.

We have NEVER had a "sick" animal, had to pull a calf, or any deaths otherwise. We range between 15 and 20 calves a year depending on how many cows we have to breed. We have had couple of "wild" calves (from already bred or calf @ side cow we had bought from another breeder)--those calves grew wheels to sale barn.

Our secret: Purchasing quality breeding stock, quality hay, quality mineral program, fresh water, serious vaccination and de-worming program and daily observation of all of our stock. Add to this the inherent hardiness and disease-resistance of Longhorns... ;-)

 

[KANSAS]

Have you had any experience with crossbreeding with beef cows? In your opinion how would heifers do with a low birthweight bull?

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Have you had any experience with crossbreeding with beef cows? In your opinion how would heifers do with a low birthweight bull?

We don't X-breed with "beef" cows ourselves. However, we have leased our minor bulls as well as have sold several service age bulls to area ranchers. Those ranchers have Angus, Brangus, Charolais, Black Baldy, and Beefmaster heifers & cows. Their reports back to us is that when using one of our LH bulls they have NOT had to pull any calves; and, the calves have sold for good prices (since they didn't "look" like LH). One rancher had lost 25% of his calves and couple of cows for variety of reasons with NON-Longhorn sires.

In our significant NON-LH and Quarterhorse area of Texas Panhandle we have been surprised at how many "beef" ranchers have decided crossing with a LH bull was not a cardinal sin or heresy.

When we moved here in 2002 the word "Longhorn" was a dirty word and was hard to see any around here. Since then we have been identifying one or two more ranchers with LH and/or using them for X-breeding...you figure whats going on ;-)

And, from our research it appears that breeding a LH to a polled commercial cow will result in a polled calf. Beef is easier to breed for than horns are...takes some serious pairing of LH stock to increase their horn potential in LH X LH matings.

Our LH X LH matings = calves between 45 and 65#. A service ready LH Bull (14-16 mos. old) will generally weigh in the 700 to 1000# range and is a good match for 1st calf heifers in the same weight range. You really don't want to put a 2000# bull on a 700 to 900# heifer...simple physics.