Following the advice of others I contacted a gentleman not far from me today who I thought raised Murray Greys. He has a website up with info of cattle for sell etc. I contacted him to see if he would allow me to visit his operation and share some info. He informed me that due to not having any hay he had sold all of his cattle. He said he sold 18 head for what he gave for 8 and lost his butt. I called him on his cell phone and he was Christmas shopping with his wife so I'm hoping that was part of the reason he was so disgruntled. I didn't ask how he got in that situation but I'm guessing he prolly always bought his winter feed and due to the dought the price was so high it wasn't worth it for him to keep the cattle.
looking for the right breed
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SmokeStackFarms
Well-known member
I can relate to where you are;
Cows as pets--expensive pet.--get a dog--no sarcasm.
I am @ some of the same cross-roads you are --ultimate breed decision.
Homework has brought me to "not purebred" but "crossbred".
Crossbreeding yields some dynamic results, if you are trying to build a a great cow.(I just opened up a whole argument thread-just don't get too much off his subject)
My goals are to build a marketable,breed that exhibits many of the traits of a few breeds that I see others working.
I love the polled Hereford---also the red Angus. This crossbreed
can now go into different directions----of which I'm very much in hard decision process ,too.
Some of my PH/RA were bred back to Reg. RA=3/4.
Very nice.Nothing wrong with this by-product.
Some of my neighbors are convinced that I should breed the ph/RA to a BRANGUS. Results, I understand, will be blacks, baldies, and some with a "little ear".
These folks present a good point, in that Black Angus,& the other breed blends bring significant more to any type of sale.
BLACK is very $ hot.
I personally like RA---the PH is very important too.
SO I have given you absolutely NO Direction
I to am listening to all; & appreciating all of your thoughts.
I do think SAGE & DUN have some good wisdom to impart.
(nothing to take away from anyone else){ this information is the only real value I have given}
Cows as pets--expensive pet.--get a dog--no sarcasm.
I am @ some of the same cross-roads you are --ultimate breed decision.
Homework has brought me to "not purebred" but "crossbred".
Crossbreeding yields some dynamic results, if you are trying to build a a great cow.(I just opened up a whole argument thread-just don't get too much off his subject)
My goals are to build a marketable,breed that exhibits many of the traits of a few breeds that I see others working.
I love the polled Hereford---also the red Angus. This crossbreed
can now go into different directions----of which I'm very much in hard decision process ,too.
Some of my PH/RA were bred back to Reg. RA=3/4.
Very nice.Nothing wrong with this by-product.
Some of my neighbors are convinced that I should breed the ph/RA to a BRANGUS. Results, I understand, will be blacks, baldies, and some with a "little ear".
These folks present a good point, in that Black Angus,& the other breed blends bring significant more to any type of sale.
BLACK is very $ hot.
I personally like RA---the PH is very important too.
SO I have given you absolutely NO Direction
I to am listening to all; & appreciating all of your thoughts.
I do think SAGE & DUN have some good wisdom to impart.
(nothing to take away from anyone else){ this information is the only real value I have given}
Well since I started this post I have read all the info on this post several times as well as all the info on the different breeds on the CT site and several other sites with listings and info on many many breeds. I still want to stick with a registered breed and actually have expanded my selection possibilities. Without meaning to open up a can of worms does anyone have any personal experience with Pinzgauer cattle?
spoon":10e0ct7f said:
when i was looking for my continental breed, I thought they had some good potential. they just didnt have enough muscle on the ones i saw and way too much leather. other then that, they seemed like very good animals.
northernboy
Member
I raise pinz cross calves. Excellent growth on pasture extremely calm animals,people stop and can't beleive it.They calve easy, finish well no matter what the cross.The only draw back is at the sale barn, the few I sent got docked about .10
spoon":2znx73po said:
We owned several cross cows, even a few registered. Used in a cross breeding program they work well. I thought the purebred cows were too hard to breed back in our conditions (fescue, sericea, and hot). We never really had any problem at the stockyard; but we marketed (usually) at 8,9, months of age so those calves were showing a lot of muscle expression by then. I much prefer the half and half cows (the other half was usually Hereford or baldie or char herf cross). THAT said, I would be reluctant to recommend them to anybody. Cattle Today has them listed as "less than 1000 registrations per year". I would guess that it is closer to 500 than a 1000. NOT a lot of genetic progress is being made in the population. I would argue that the cattle of ~1985 are better than many breeder's herds today. The association allowed "breeding up" thus there are a LOT more moderate framed Pinzgauers now than there used to be. That may be a good thing for a guy with 20 straightbred cows; but it kind of kills the original purpose of crossbreeding with them (pounds and length). And the breed lacks the muscle expression in some bloodlines of most continental type cows. When Sugar Hill Farms dropped their herd, nobody ever really replaced them. Kenmar Farms in Fort Payne, AL has some good stock. Somebody with the pockets and know how to assemble a good 100 cow herd via embryos and the marketing skills COULD become a major force for progress in the breed (versus just another two bit player in the major breeds).....but is there money to be made there???
Here are links to the Southeastern Pinzgauer Association
http://sepinzgauer.com/Home_Page.php
and the National Pinzgauer Association
http://www.pinzgauers.org
Sylvanglades
Active member
Spoon,
Wish you well on your endeavor to find the breed that fills your requirements. There doesn’t seem to be any formula out there that makes it a sure thing. After having fun discussing the matter with others on the forum, the practical approach is the process of sifting thru the claims made by the associations and then going to the farms to judge first hand what is for you. I first narrowed the search down by calling the breeders and after being quite impressed by how some described their animals and how they felt about handling them we went to their farms. If we could not get close enough to the herd to examine the animals, we left. The animals we finally chose could be examined up close to inspect for health and were easy to handle (by that I mean not running off pounds getting distance between us and them because we were strangers) and just a pleasure to be around. I know it is all about bottom line, but why make it a battle? I feel we made the right choice for us as the more I handle them, the more I appreciate how easy they are to work with and how this ease affects their performance. I feel privileged to have found and to raise these type of cattle that suit us so well. Again, I wish you well in your search. Gary
The more people I meet, the more I like my cattle.
Wish you well on your endeavor to find the breed that fills your requirements. There doesn’t seem to be any formula out there that makes it a sure thing. After having fun discussing the matter with others on the forum, the practical approach is the process of sifting thru the claims made by the associations and then going to the farms to judge first hand what is for you. I first narrowed the search down by calling the breeders and after being quite impressed by how some described their animals and how they felt about handling them we went to their farms. If we could not get close enough to the herd to examine the animals, we left. The animals we finally chose could be examined up close to inspect for health and were easy to handle (by that I mean not running off pounds getting distance between us and them because we were strangers) and just a pleasure to be around. I know it is all about bottom line, but why make it a battle? I feel we made the right choice for us as the more I handle them, the more I appreciate how easy they are to work with and how this ease affects their performance. I feel privileged to have found and to raise these type of cattle that suit us so well. Again, I wish you well in your search. Gary
The more people I meet, the more I like my cattle.
Needmore Land and Cattle
Active member
I've wracked my brain, how can I help, how can I help, and I finally found it. The perfect cow for you. Kinda small, really friendly, and as you can see, you can examine her up close. Yep, she comes with her own set of ringworms. Might as well jump in with both feet and learn it all. I think she's an angus crossed with a fire ant. Not too big and really persistent. Let me know if you can use her. 
leeshy
Well-known member
The problem is you can"t use a off the wall breed and make money. If there were money to be made with a breed that is completely diffrent everybody would have them. So if you want cattle that are gentle then there is nothing to compare with a hereford. having said that, If you want to make money Angus has did well in the past. If I were to gamble on the future I would venture to say . All of them black cattle will need to be crossed to maintain the hipervigor kick. You cant get it inless you cross them. Therefor I would suggest Registered Polled Herefords. They are gaining in growth and value everyday. Not to menshion the Junior shows are as large or larger then any breed out there.
I've come to realize that almost everyone crosses one with another. Makes sense to get the best of both or more breeds. But some raise pureblood, fullblood, registered breeds so that there will be some to cross with. I just want a few to piddle with and I want something that is pleasing to MY eye. Of course I like the looks of lots of different breeds. Brandonm2 made a good point about the Pinzgauers. There are very few breeders around and from what I have seen on the online auctions they sell for more than I really want to put into some oversize pets. That said I'm going to look at some in the morning a couple of hours away and talk the the owner some about them. He doesn't have any for sell but is willing to share his info and knowledge. My vet still wants me to get angus :roll: but he did suggest I might like a Dexter this morning at church. He's got this thing about black cows.
Thanks but no thanks Needmore, I'm trying to keep away from anything angus. It is a cutie tho.
leeshy, first you suggested black baldies not you're pushing polled herefords. Are you becoming as wishy washy as me? :lol: j/k
I still appreciate everyones input. I know it's a choice I have to make and I'm trying to gather all the info and experience I can.
I'm gonna go look at some Highlands in a couple of weeks as well and some Braunvieh so the search continues. Meanwhile I'm trying to get the trees out of the fields and the fences fixed as time allows.
Thanks but no thanks Needmore, I'm trying to keep away from anything angus.
It is a cutie tho.leeshy, first you suggested black baldies not you're pushing polled herefords. Are you becoming as wishy washy as me? :lol: j/k
I still appreciate everyones input. I know it's a choice I have to make and I'm trying to gather all the info and experience I can.
I'm gonna go look at some Highlands in a couple of weeks as well and some Braunvieh so the search continues. Meanwhile I'm trying to get the trees out of the fields and the fences fixed as time allows.
rkm
Well-known member
Sense your looking for something to piddle with, I think highlands, dexters, etc. are the right breeds for you. ;-)
The Pinzgauers, I have had experience with were heavy muscled, heavy milking, hard calving cattle. Granted taht was genetics my grandad had in his herd back when exotics first started coming into the US.
He passed away in 85, so the genetics were old. About 10 years ago I bred a 1/4 pinz back to pinz via AI (semen was in ampules). I wanted to keep some of his old blood alive in the herd, back when I thought more along the lines of pet than profit. The claf was a monster, had to pull the calf. It was dead on arrival.
He passed away in 85, so the genetics were old. About 10 years ago I bred a 1/4 pinz back to pinz via AI (semen was in ampules). I wanted to keep some of his old blood alive in the herd, back when I thought more along the lines of pet than profit. The claf was a monster, had to pull the calf. It was dead on arrival.
I've come to realize that almost everyone crosses one with another. Makes sense to get the best of both or more breeds. But some raise pureblood, fullblood, registered breeds so that there will be some to cross with. I just want a few to piddle with and I want something that is pleasing to MY eye. Of course I like the looks of lots of different breeds. Brandonm2 made a good point about the Pinzgauers. There are very few breeders around and from what I have seen on the online auctions they sell for more than I really want to put into some oversize pets. That said I'm going to look at some in the morning a couple of hours away and talk the the owner some about them. He doesn't have any for sell but is willing to share his info and knowledge. My vet still wants me to get angus :roll: but he did suggest I might like a Dexter this morning at church. He's got this thing about black cows.
Thanks but no thanks Needmore, I'm trying to keep away from anything angus. It is a cutie tho.
leeshy, first you suggested black baldies not you're pushing polled herefords. Are you becoming as wishy washy as me? :lol: j/k
I still appreciate everyones input. I know it's a choice I have to make and I'm trying to gather all the info and experience I can.
I'm gonna go look at some Highlands in a couple of weeks as well and some Braunvieh so the search continues. Meanwhile I'm trying to get the trees out of the fields and the fences fixed as time allows.
Thanks but no thanks Needmore, I'm trying to keep away from anything angus.
It is a cutie tho.leeshy, first you suggested black baldies not you're pushing polled herefords. Are you becoming as wishy washy as me? :lol: j/k
I still appreciate everyones input. I know it's a choice I have to make and I'm trying to gather all the info and experience I can.
I'm gonna go look at some Highlands in a couple of weeks as well and some Braunvieh so the search continues. Meanwhile I'm trying to get the trees out of the fields and the fences fixed as time allows.
Went to check out the Pinzgaeurs today. He had a small herd of mixed blood cattle. Only one fullblood in the bunch and it was a recently purchased bull. How about some opinions on this animal from anyone that feels worthy. I think he's purty but that is the extent of my expertise.
You need to drive further.
Visit the Bryants in Tennessee. Nobody has more experience with the breed. They either have cattle they can sell you or they know who does.
http://www.silverbulletcattle.com/wst_page2.html
Visit the Bryants in Tennessee. Nobody has more experience with the breed. They either have cattle they can sell you or they know who does.
http://www.silverbulletcattle.com/wst_page2.html
