looking for the right breed
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ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
no offence.. just didnt want to be misquoted. ;-)ROB":1wa7tgwy said:
I really like my red polls, I got them all here in Kentucky. They are very calm, but the problem with very calm cattle is that they don't herd worth a darn. You try to get them to go in a certain direction they either stand there and look at you or they go the exact wrong way. But that is a small price to pay for the rest of the benefits.
spoon":1mcylbge said:After lots of searching and reading I've decided to post up anyway.I have found a huge amount of valuble info here but nothing that was exactly what I was looking for. I'll try to be short but I'm not good at that. :roll:
I'm looking to start a small hobby farm. I've got about 90 acre of pasture available and a good pond. Looking for a breed that will finish well on grass alone but I'll prolly pick one out to feed a little grain/corn to for our own consumption. I'm interested in raising a registered breed. I'm only looking to raise 5-10 head. While I'd like to be able to sell my excess and make some $$ that is NOT why I am doing this. I'd prefer to raise something out of the ordinary but not exotic. Also I'd like a small to medium breed that is very people friendly, i.e. easy to halter train and not skitish etc. I also don't want to sink my life savings into a small herd. I'll prolly start with 4 or 5 and build up to my 10 maximum. I've looked at Belties, Red Polls, Murray Greys, British Whites, etc. My two most important traits are easy handling and good eating. I want my grandsons to be able to pet them and maybe show them as they get older if they want to. Just looking for suggestions and experiences from others. Thanks.
Based on your requirements I would only suggest Red Poll. They do well on grass but also excel when finished on grain, They are one of the few breeds that were considered genetically tender my MARC. We have a waiting list of buyers for our steers.
They are considered a small to medium framed breed that are very people friendly we can walk up to ours anywhere in the pasture. They are also reasonably priced for a registered purebred breed. There is a good demand for Red Poll cattle right now so selling them and making money is not a problem.
My granddaughter started showing at 7yrs old and her second show was the NAILE in Louisville, She is now 9 and has two steers and five heifers that she is showing.
Feel free to PM for more info
BAGTIC
Well-known member
I have seventeen head of Belties.
My experience is that the Belties have been very calm and gentle even right after calving. Whether more or less so than other breeds I can not say as they are my first experience with cattle. I do know from experience that they are a pleasure compared to tempermental sows.
My experience is that the Belties have been very calm and gentle even right after calving. Whether more or less so than other breeds I can not say as they are my first experience with cattle. I do know from experience that they are a pleasure compared to tempermental sows.
SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE
Well-known member
Murray Grey !
Wow, thanks for all the replies. I'm overwhelmed. Some mentioned the sale barns. I really don't want to deal with them either buying or selling. I prefer to deal with a private party one on one. As far as what sells the best around my parts from what my friends tell me black cows are the big money makers. There's a half dozen or more men at my workplace that farm and they all but one raise all or mainly black angus. These guys are all in it for the money and they say that black cows bring around 40 cent a pound than white or mixed and 20 cents a pound more than herfords on average. My vet raises angus too. When I talked to him about what I am wanting to do the first thing he said was I wouldn't make any money with them unless they were black. In fact everyone I've talked to locally has said the same thing. I have some prior experience with angus and I don't really care for them so I'll just have to not make any money. If I can break even in a few years I'll consider it a sucess. Thanks for all the suggestions. The Murray Grey seems to be leading in votes at the moment but I'm still looking at everthing that has been suggested. In the end I'll pick what I feel is the best suited for my situation but I really like having all this info to take into consideration.
If I can break even in a few years I'll consider it a sucess. Thanks for all the suggestions. The Murray Grey seems to be leading in votes at the moment but I'm still looking at everthing that has been suggested. In the end I'll pick what I feel is the best suited for my situation but I really like having all this info to take into consideration.MoGal
Well-known member
I also have red polls and love them.......... in fact we just bought the bull who won the KY and IN state fair and won last month the gr ch bull at Naile..... we haven't got him home yet (and for the hubby who does not like to travel more than 50 miles from home that may not be an easy task to get him to go with me to pick him up in Indiana.... but if he stays home I may bring home a couple heifers as well ;-) ).
They are very docile, and you can call em up and they come running (whether they can see a bucket or not). I like em, the only thing I wish they had was a charolais butt on them but you can't have everything. They are really good mommas and longevity is also one of their traits.
They are very docile, and you can call em up and they come running (whether they can see a bucket or not). I like em, the only thing I wish they had was a charolais butt on them but you can't have everything. They are really good mommas and longevity is also one of their traits.
leeshy
Well-known member
If I were you I would consider a black baldie. They will have the hereford disposhion and have the angus black hide. The benifit is they will bring more in the sale ring and the hypervigor kick you will get will add an extra 50 pounds. then after a couple of years you can decide if you want to chase the purebred game. Best of luckspoon":1td5dzua said:Wow, thanks for all the replies. I'm overwhelmed. Some mentioned the sale barns. I really don't want to deal with them either buying or selling. I prefer to deal with a private party one on one. As far as what sells the best around my parts from what my friends tell me black cows are the big money makers. There's a half dozen or more men at my workplace that farm and they all but one raise all or mainly black angus. These guys are all in it for the money and they say that black cows bring around 40 cent a pound than white or mixed and 20 cents a pound more than herfords on average. My vet raises angus too. When I talked to him about what I am wanting to do the first thing he said was I wouldn't make any money with them unless they were black. In fact everyone I've talked to locally has said the same thing. I have some prior experience with angus and I don't really care for them so I'll just have to not make any money.
leeshy":1fioood0 said:If I were you I would consider a black baldie. They will have the hereford disposhion and have the angus black hide. The benifit is they will bring more in the sale ring and the hypervigor kick you will get will add an extra 50 pounds. then after a couple of years you can decide if you want to chase the purebred game. Best of luckspoon":1fioood0 said:Wow, thanks for all the replies. I'm overwhelmed. Some mentioned the sale barns. I really don't want to deal with them either buying or selling. I prefer to deal with a private party one on one. As far as what sells the best around my parts from what my friends tell me black cows are the big money makers. There's a half dozen or more men at my workplace that farm and they all but one raise all or mainly black angus. These guys are all in it for the money and they say that black cows bring around 40 cent a pound than white or mixed and 20 cents a pound more than herfords on average. My vet raises angus too. When I talked to him about what I am wanting to do the first thing he said was I wouldn't make any money with them unless they were black. In fact everyone I've talked to locally has said the same thing. I have some prior experience with angus and I don't really care for them so I'll just have to not make any money.
Wouldn't it be cheaper IF he was going to eventually go purebred anyway to start as a purebreeder rather than assembling a good set of commercial females (around here often just as expensive as most of the papered cows) then switching over and buying donors too multiply a reg. herd???
VanC
Well-known member
spoon":3lymqxwy said:
This statement always bothers me. There are thousands of people out there making good money raising non-black cattle, just as I'm sure there are others who are losing money raising black cattle. You get out of it what you put into it, regardless of color or breed.
VanC wrote
[/quote]
This statement always bothers me. There are thousands of people out there making good money raising non-black cattle, just as I'm sure there are others who are losing money raising black cattle. You get out of it what you put into it, regardless of color or breed.[/quote]
He was talking about selling them thru the cattle barn sales. The buyers around here just seem to prefer black cows for some reason. Doesn't really matter to me as I don't intend to so that route. I will try sell any extras that we can't eat to friends and family already buchered for their convience.
[/quote]
This statement always bothers me. There are thousands of people out there making good money raising non-black cattle, just as I'm sure there are others who are losing money raising black cattle. You get out of it what you put into it, regardless of color or breed.[/quote]
He was talking about selling them thru the cattle barn sales. The buyers around here just seem to prefer black cows for some reason. Doesn't really matter to me as I don't intend to so that route. I will try sell any extras that we can't eat to friends and family already buchered for their convience.
VanC
Well-known member
This statement always bothers me. There are thousands of people out there making good money raising non-black cattle, just as I'm sure there are others who are losing money raising black cattle. You get out of it what you put into it, regardless of color or breed.[/quote]spoon":3edhw8ww said:
spoon":3edhw8ww said:
I understand. He's right, in most areas black sells at or very near the top. Some say it's a fad that will pass. Maybe, maybe not. It just bothers me when people say hide color determines whether money will be made or lost. There are so many other factors that go into it, one of the biggest being plain old luck.
As for your situation, I tend to agree with those that suggested Murray Grey, Hereford, or Red Poll. You might also look into Devons, although they will likely be harder to find. Whatever you decide, I would buy from someone who raises cattle specifically for the grass fed market. It takes a different animal to finish relatively quickly on grass, and there can be big differences within breeds. Good luck to you.
Pick something you like looking at, then you will spend more time with them and you can cull any idiots (every breed has them, and every breed has good gentle ones too). If you are not so concerned about the money get something you like and enjoy. They are all edible.
VanC...I am presently looking into both the Murray Grey and the Red Poll as well as some others. I have checked into Herefords and they do indeed look as though they would be a good choice.
Hippie Rancher...I couldn't agree more. That's one of the reasons I'd like to go with something a little different that everyone else around here. There's already enough black cows in S.E. Ky. ;-)
Hippie Rancher...I couldn't agree more. That's one of the reasons I'd like to go with something a little different that everyone else around here. There's already enough black cows in S.E. Ky. ;-)
VanC
Well-known member
spoon":21ejxd4e said:
spoon,
I don't even own cattle, so I'm not trying to push anything on you, but you might check this out:
http://www.americandevon.com/
There's even a breeder listed in Kentucky. Wouldn't hurt to have a talk with him and check out his cattle.
andybob
Well-known member
VanC is right in suggesting that you should look at breeds that you are considering, I have bred North Devons while in England on a grass system, direct selling to the public, here is another link; http://www.redrubydevon.co.uk/index.htm
Another breed popular in Southern Africa worth considering is the Sussex; http://www.sussexcattlesociety.org.uk/index.htm
http://www.studbook.co.za/Society/sussex/index.php
With red cattle you still have the option of using a black bull if you really need the colour to get a premium price at the sales.
Another breed popular in Southern Africa worth considering is the Sussex; http://www.sussexcattlesociety.org.uk/index.htm
http://www.studbook.co.za/Society/sussex/index.php
With red cattle you still have the option of using a black bull if you really need the colour to get a premium price at the sales.
CKC1586
Well-known member
You might want to check out the Piedmontese. There are some breeders in Kentucky, you can go to http://www.pauscattle.org and click on membership directory to find a breeder near you. Before you make a decision it would be a good idea to visit a few herds and talk to breeders.
Good luck and enjoy the process of making your choice.
Good luck and enjoy the process of making your choice.
