Maine Anjou heifers and cow

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I am viewing in my IPad, but it looks like she (the cow) has a huge nipple on the front. Is that the case, or is just my view? I too am turned off from her tipping pelvis, and I can tell you that they pass that on to their calves!!!

 

[JWBrahman]

I am viewing in my IPad, but it looks like she (the cow) has a huge nipple on the front. Is that the case, or is just my view? I too am turned off from her tipping pelvis, and I can tell you that they pass that on to their calves!!!

Yes, her front nipples are larger than desirable but her bag was firm. The rear quarters were horizontally even with the front quarters. I have to apologize for the quality of the photos, we were riding in a golf cart looking at both Herefords and Maines. I stopped taking photos when she came straight to me and let me scratch her ears. The Herefords were much better cattle, but I am not interested in the pure breeding aspect. So I have to weigh which traits are more or less important. Do you go with the local fine boned Brangus that have better teats and lose two hundred pounds of wean weight? Or do you go with a heavier boned less ideal breed that is going to deliver the weight and has a track record with what you are doing?

What really interested me in the Maines is the docility. We just don't see that in our commercial cattle with the higher percentage of Brahman genetics. How important is that as a trait? What value should you place on longevity? These are tough to debate in a year when everybody who is looking to the future is retaining their best stock. The cow is 10, has delivered 8 calves unassisted, and has milked them to a respectable weaning weight and bone mass.

You aren't suggesting that you are willing to sell me some of your fancy heifers? I do have a birthday coming up. :lol: Thanks Fire Sweep

 

[Jake]

CP pretty much nailed it. Tipped or tilted pelvic Is what I have heard it called. Often a sign of infertility, and that's what happened to the ones I have had that was built that way.

Maybe it's just because I'm looking on a phone. But her udder would put her on the cull list here.

 

[gizmom]

I don't mean to stir up anything but that is not a great looking udder the cow is nice and if she is ten then the udder isn't bad but it for sure isn't what I would call nice. She looks like she has a balloon teat in this photo. I am predisposed to dislike the breed our son decided he wanted some purebred Maine cows back years ago, he used his steer money to buy one out of Kansas. After the third 120 pound calf he decided he didn't want anymore of them I had decided after the first one. They were very docile but the calves were all over the board. I will admit that this was close to twenty years ago so I am sure many improvements have been made in the genetics of the breed, but I haven't forgotten that big ole black and white spotted cow and those big ole calves. That is another thing when the breed was first introduced they were red and white and black and white now most are black maybe turning them black helped out on the birth weight issue.

Gizmom

 

[JWBrahman]

Gizmom you are not stirring anything up. It is a bad photo that makes it look like her two teats are one big teat. They are finger sized, not the desirable thimble size. It is all relative, for some breeds those would be above average. If she were a milking Gyr she would have the best teats in the breed. I do not have sufficient experience with Maines to be a good judge.

I appreciate the input and have all these criticisms printed out for when I go back to negotiate. These are not my dogs after all, they are cattle. If you say a word about my dogs you better have your boxing gloves on. :lol2:

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

The udder is the least of that cows problems.

 

[JWBrahman]

RB it is amazing how many conformational flaws cattle can have while still delivering a calf unassisted every year. High strung is a fatal flaw. The high strung cattle that fly like the wind always seem to lose the calves.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

She is yours so It make me no difference. I never had one with the tipped pelvic that had a problem delivering a live calf when she got herself breed. The udder may not be ideal but is not that bad either. I have a 2000 model here that has a worse udder that weaned a 645 lb bull calf last year and is on track to wean a 600 plus pound calf this year. As long as mine does what she is doing she stays here. I would be the same way with they cow you have there.

 

[JWBrahman]

Red Bull I appreciate your advice and asked the owners about live cover. That old cow does not belong to me, she belongs to an elderly lady in her 80's who is selling her Maines because she broke her leg. She had four embryo heifers and the old cow. Two were already bred AI and the other two I took photos of are still open. She has had the ad in the Louisiana Market Bulletin for a while.

So the cow was bred more than once live cover to Star Lake Palliadin. He was covering cows up until this summer. In this photo he is 10 and roughly 2700 pounds.

I saw one of those crosses last year and it was a beauty. The ET heifers were all from the lowest birth weight/highest calving ease registered Maine Anjou bull in the US. The heifers do have white underneath.

I know a lot of people post photos and when everyone hates it they say it belongs to a neighbor. I promised to buy a heifer to help out a friend. She has not been delivered and I have not paid for her. I do think the heifers were better than mom and don't see her as a higher financial risk than paying a lot more for a Brahman heifer.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I think the heifers look good. Never know till you try it.

 

[Dale L]

Some of our best commercial cows have been Maine crosses. They do tend to put the pounds on compared to some of the other breeds. We tried to find a Maine bull this winter but here in WV they are few and far between. Couldn't find one we liked. Good luck with your new additions!

 

[JWBrahman]

Since everyone was kind enough to share their experiences and knowledge I thought it was appropriate to share more photographs.

Dale, Bovine Elite has a great selection that you can compare against the data on the Maine-Anjou.org site.

The photograph below is for ALACOWMAN, check out the bone on Lil' OJ Simpson. He really hit his stride this summer.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Can't see but just his front, but he's a different bull now that's for sure....look like y'all got a lot of rain.

 

[elkwc]

Good looking heifers that should do you a good job. Hope you post pictures in ten months after the calves hit the ground. Bet they make good mothers. I'm not a Maine fan but they are good heifers. I'm not a Maine fan for much of the same reason I'm not a Simmental fan. When the first Simmentals were introduced here there was a prominent breeder in this area so several were sold to the locals. They sired cow killers. The first and only time in my life I saw so many cows having to have assistance calving. My Dad and I covered for the local vet when he was out of town or busy. It was a normal occasion for the phone to ring and it be someone needing help with a cow calving. Most of the bulls only stayed one year. I heard similar stories as the one related here about the Maines. I've been told that the Simmentals and Maines both have addressed that issue. But for me everytime I hear the word Simmentals I have nightmares. So not sure I will ever own one. The cow has what I would consider less than ideal conformation but if she has raised a calf every year then you can't condemn her. Her teat size looks a little large and that has been mentioned before. But not large enough for me to cull her if she was in my herd, producing well and not having to be milked out.

 

[houstoncutter]

it may have just been my experiance, but any continental cattle that I have had or saw that wer built like these animals were always hard keepers. They have the great length but not the depth or heart girth for easy keeping cattle.

 

[JWBrahman]

I was tape measuring hip height when the Hereford snuck in for a smell test, we are competing with Seattle now for the most rainy days in a row.

Elk, to me there is not much ego involved so I am always happy to share photos and my experiences. If you are still looking for a decent polled bull I recommend taking a ride here to see Laura Hughes in Zachary, Louisiana. She is a TPR gold breeder, and has three magnificent bulls for sale that are combinations of Keynote20x and Boomer46b. She culls hard and has removed many of the popular polled sires from her program.

Houston, that heifer never had a bit of feed in her life until she was dropped off here. She didn't even know what sweet feed or a bunk feeder is. I penned her with the bull and it took her 30 minutes to figure out what he was eating. When you make all of your sales to commercial cattlemen you do things different. She knows the stock she sells will not be babied so she doesn't keep anything that falls apart on pasture. If you want to see hard keepers I will pm you photos of the Hereford drought culls that made it here.

I am not a Maine guy either. But, I do not mind taking a chance if I trust the person. We are friends and she is one of the top AI techs in the area. She doesn't bite the hands that feed her. :lol:

 

[JWBrahman]

Here is a photo of the cow when she was National Junior Heifer Champion in 2007.
HAA Countess 426R
http://hartmancattleco.com/NewSite/2007 ... eHill.html

 

[JWBrahman]

Update on my Maine Anjou:
So far she has been the definition of easy keeper. Went looking for the cattle Tuesday morning and found her halving a calf about as far away from the barn as possible. Tiny little heifer around 50=55 pounds. Loaded her up in the back of the truck and drove the cattle about a mile and a half back to the house with the help of the vet next door and his assistant. She is healthy and running around like a jackrabbit today giving her mother fits.

http://ranchers.net/photopost/data/500/medium/WP_20150811_07_37_19_Pro.jpg
http://ranchers.net/photopost/data/500/medium/WP_20150811_09_57_30_Pro.jpg
http://ranchers.net/photopost/data/500/medium/WP_20150811_13_07_13_Pro.jpg

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Udder looks good from what I can see...

 

[JWBrahman]

Udder looks good from what I can see...

She filled up a little bigger after she nursed but she is a moderate milker with a tight udder and four equally sized teats. It makes a big difference with the lbw calves. Calf would starve if she had to grab a turbo teat.