Mature cow weight by breed

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

As said, location, location. I just shipped a 16 year old cow, 1500# thin. Raised a set of twin heifers thru the winter and did not conceive. She had the best set of feet and legs as any animal you could have. Weight does not cause poor feet & legs. Structure does. Structure of a 1000# cow needs to be just as good as structure of an 1800# cow. I have never culled an old cow because of bad legs. Bad damaged feet -yes. LOL - of course, I wouldn't keep a heifer with bad legs, so they never get the chance to be culled as an old animal around here. LOL
BTW - my "big" cows survive, breed back in a 60 day calving season, stay in excellent BCS - all on grass and hay. This is because I have the land that produces GRASS - from April thru November. And produces enough to put up hay for 6 months feeding.
My cows would not work for MOST breeders on this board. But, they fit my environment and my market.

 

[Travlr]

My problem with large cattle has nothing to to do with efficiency... it's physics. More weight puts more stress on a joint. More weight sinks further in the mud. So on and so on. A #1300ish cow seems to be a sweet spot for us. We can get a big calf, a cow that lasts 15+ years, and they hold up on our forage.

I'm with you there... I always preferred cows in the 12/13 range. I can get consistent 600 pound weaning weights and the cows don't need to be replaced as often.

 

[tex452]

Biggest calf I ever weaned was 825# out of a half Chianina first calf heifer and by a little Hereford that jumped the fence. That heifer matured at 2K plus.

But I've always tried to wean calves at half the weight of the cow producing them. Hard to do. But the best cows do get close to doing it. In Arkansas cows were 1200#, but in South Dakota they had to be bigger to do well in the winter blizzards. We ran them about 1500#. Both places weaning 600# calves was our goal.

Simmentals were monsters when they first started to become popular. What happened to them?

I have been wondering the same thing.
In the 80's everybody wanted simmental bulls, I had one myself.
I haven't seen a simmental bull in years.

 

[Silver]

I have been wondering the same thing.
In the 80's everybody wanted simmental bulls, I had one myself.
I haven't seen a simmental bull in years.

I can post pics if you like .

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Looks like you would have saved a bit on yard building.

Ken

No fence jumpers in that lot.

 

[50/50Farms]

I have been wondering the same thing.
In the 80's everybody wanted simmental bulls, I had one myself.
I haven't seen a simmental bull in years.

The last one I saw was black and even had a little bit of ear

 

[simme]

I have been wondering the same thing.
In the 80's everybody wanted simmental bulls, I had one myself.
I haven't seen a simmental bull in years.

Might need to get out a little more. Plenty of simmental in Texas. Here are a few.

Sires | Edwards Cattle Ranch

edwardscattleranch.com

Simmentals of Texas

If you want to travel a little, here are some with a little meat on their bones.

Fleckvieh sires - Stanley Martins Farms

stanleymartinsfarms.com

 

[tex452]

Might need to get out a little more. Plenty of simmental in Texas. Here are a few.

Sires | Edwards Cattle Ranch

edwardscattleranch.com

Simmentals of Texas

If you want to travel a little, here are some with a little meat on their bones.

Fleckvieh sires - Stanley Martins Farms

stanleymartinsfarms.com

Those are nice.
I'm sure there's simmetal around , but you don't see them like you use too.
When I would go to the sale barn and talk with guys that would say you can't beat sim mental bulls.
Drive down the roads and I would see them in pastures including mine.
But not so much anymore.

 

[50/50Farms]

Most of the simm bulls I do see aren't quite right anyhow, they don't really look like the ones we used to keep.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You just don't recognize them. LOL They are improved! Feedlots discounted because of the spots. Spots are just a recessive gene. We bred against them. If you like the spotted, Fred Schultz with Simmentals of Texas has some great ones.

 

[SBMF 2015]

You just don't recognize them. LOL They are improved! Feedlots discounted because of the spots. Spots are just a recessive gene. We bred against them. If you like the spotted, Fred Schultz with Simmentals of Texas has some great ones.

You guys have done a good job of controlling frame size too.
The farm that I'm herdsman for used to keep 400hd on feed, 300 of those in a cattle confinement on concrete slats. That building was built in 1975. To my boss Simmental is a DIRTY word. Those old school simmes had to much bone. There joints just couldn't handle standing on those slats.