maine anjou crossbreed

[JbarL]

does anyone have any imput on the maine anjou crossbreed>
the gentleman i bought my starter angus herd has suggested the maine mix, i am a new member and just testing the waters on different thoughts on this mix... thanks jbarl

 

[certherfbeef]

does anyone have any imput on the maine anjou crossbreed>
the gentleman i bought my starter angus herd has suggested the maine mix, i am a new member and just testing the waters on different thoughts on this mix... thanks jbarl

Depends on the base of your herd and the target for marketing your cattle I think. My experience with today's maine anjou cattle is that they are mostly bred for show and they tend to get a bit hard doing. Maine cattle that were in my herd didn't milk near as well as I had wanted either.
Also watch for the PHA and TH carriers. It will be hard to find clean cattle for breeding stock unless you have a local breeder that you 100% trust.

The maine would thicken up the angus cows but you may have a few calving problems. The maine cattle in general are big hipped, coarse shouldered and blocky (due in part to the club calf breeding). That makes for a hard pull sometimes. Espically if your angus bred cows are a little pinched.

Calving ease isn't just about birth weights. I think it is more about the shape of the calf. And In my honest opinion, the maine cattle I've seen and delt with are not "shaped" for calving ease.

 

[iowahawkeyes]

Couldn't have said it better certherfbeef, especially the PHA and TH info. The maine breed has an awful lot of PHA. We've used Chill Factor (PHA negative)though and really like him, not very big at birth, good temperment, nice structure, nice udders.