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Anonymous
i have bought some hereford heifers and what i have been told is that they are short on milk, so i want a milky beef breed to my heifers.
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Anonymous
You won't change your current animals, of course, but if you use a Limousin bull, you will start getting females that feed very well without bags breaking down. One of the older Limousins I bought from my dad had enough milk to raise at least two calves. On the other hand.... Herefords have been around a long time raising their own calves... maybe they only milk as good as they are fed... I don't know anything about Herefords, but they sure have been holding their own on our ranges for a long time.
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Anonymous
I have raised Hereford for 39 years. In my cattle Yearling weights have increased 53 lb. on average and the average increase in weaning weight due to the milking ability of the Hereford cow has increased 11 lb. They also have great udder quality. You must have got some bad ones.:}
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Anonymous
Beacuse of udder size and shape Herefords have always gotten a bad rap for no milk. I've never seen a calf out of a Hereford that was hungry due to lack of milk.
dunmovin farms
> I have raised Hereford for 39
> years. In my cattle Yearling
> weights have increased 53 lb. on
> average and the average increase
> in weaning weight due to the
> milking ability of the Hereford
> cow has increased 11 lb. They also
> have great udder quality. You must
> have got some bad ones.:}
dunmovin farms
> I have raised Hereford for 39
> years. In my cattle Yearling
> weights have increased 53 lb. on
> average and the average increase
> in weaning weight due to the
> milking ability of the Hereford
> cow has increased 11 lb. They also
> have great udder quality. You must
> have got some bad ones.:}
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OP
Anonymous
Who told you they were short on milk? Do they have EPDs? You can do nothing about these heifer's ability to milk, except feed them well so they can produce all they are genetically able to produce. The most important thing is to get them bred to a calving ease bull. Let them raise a calf and see how they milk. Look at an Angus calving ease bull. There are lots of them available; pick one with an above breed average milk EPD. The black baldie calves are very acceptable at the sale barn or as replacement heifers. Good luck....
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Anonymous
> i have bought some hereford
> heifers and what i have been told
> is that they are short on milk, so
> i want a milky beef breed to my
> heifers. I don't know where your heifers came from but I raise herefords and have no problem with lack of milk. As far as bad shaped udders I think thru proper culling this has been addressed by most breeders. I have 2 cows that have more then enough milk but bad shaped udders and they are used strictly as recipients and do a great job with their calves. Main thing is breed your heifers to a low birth weight bull and be sure they get the proper nutrition so they can continue to grow.
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> heifers and what i have been told
> is that they are short on milk, so
> i want a milky beef breed to my
> heifers. I don't know where your heifers came from but I raise herefords and have no problem with lack of milk. As far as bad shaped udders I think thru proper culling this has been addressed by most breeders. I have 2 cows that have more then enough milk but bad shaped udders and they are used strictly as recipients and do a great job with their calves. Main thing is breed your heifers to a low birth weight bull and be sure they get the proper nutrition so they can continue to grow.
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Anonymous
BUT, if you look at University reports - Hereford is the lowest milk producer of beef breeds (even if you just look at british breeds). Now that does not mean a cow won't raise a good calf, just maybe - on average - another breed of cow might raise the same calf a little bigger. It's all in perspective. If you are looking for a breed to cross with your cattle to increase milk production - well - I won't go there! Jeanne <A HREF="http://www.SimmeValley.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.SimmeValley.com</A>
> Beacuse of udder size and shape
> Herefords have always gotten a bad
> rap for no milk. I've never seen a
> calf out of a Hereford that was
> hungry due to lack of milk.
> dunmovin farms
[email protected]
> Beacuse of udder size and shape
> Herefords have always gotten a bad
> rap for no milk. I've never seen a
> calf out of a Hereford that was
> hungry due to lack of milk.
> dunmovin farms
[email protected]
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OP
Anonymous
I've never seen an analysis of the milk but could it be that they have richer milk and don't require as much for the nutritional value required by the calf? Quantity isn't always the right thing, sometimes quality is more important. I'll admit to a real soft spot for Herefords so maybe I'm rationalizing.
dunmovin farms
> BUT, if you look at University
> reports - Hereford is the lowest
> milk producer of beef breeds (even
> if you just look at british
> breeds). Now that does not mean a
> cow won't raise a good calf, just
> maybe - on average - another breed
> of cow might raise the same calf a
> little bigger. It's all in
> perspective. If you are looking
> for a breed to cross with your
> cattle to increase milk production
> - well - I won't go there! Jeanne
> <A HREF="http://www.SimmeValley.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.SimmeValley.com</A>
dunmovin farms
> BUT, if you look at University
> reports - Hereford is the lowest
> milk producer of beef breeds (even
> if you just look at british
> breeds). Now that does not mean a
> cow won't raise a good calf, just
> maybe - on average - another breed
> of cow might raise the same calf a
> little bigger. It's all in
> perspective. If you are looking
> for a breed to cross with your
> cattle to increase milk production
> - well - I won't go there! Jeanne
> <A HREF="http://www.SimmeValley.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.SimmeValley.com</A>
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OP
Anonymous
> I've never seen an analysis of the
> milk but could it be that they
> have richer milk and don't require
> as much for the nutritional value
> required by the calf? Quantity
> isn't always the right thing,
> sometimes quality is more
> important. I'll admit to a real
> soft spot for Herefords so maybe
> I'm rationalizing.
> dunmovin farms
I also have a big soft spot for herefords. I honestly do not know how the other breeds milk compared to herefords but I do know I am pleased with how mine perorm as mothers. My smallest calf at weaning last year was by a 2 yr old heifer and it was 568 lbs and not quite 6 months old. The other calves were 7 months old and ranged from 645 to 790 pounds. Not sure how rich the milk is but I have had two different cows raise sets of twins and neither calf had a problem. I guess I would say the one problem with herefords in general are they can sometimes be too friendly.
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> milk but could it be that they
> have richer milk and don't require
> as much for the nutritional value
> required by the calf? Quantity
> isn't always the right thing,
> sometimes quality is more
> important. I'll admit to a real
> soft spot for Herefords so maybe
> I'm rationalizing.
> dunmovin farms
I also have a big soft spot for herefords. I honestly do not know how the other breeds milk compared to herefords but I do know I am pleased with how mine perorm as mothers. My smallest calf at weaning last year was by a 2 yr old heifer and it was 568 lbs and not quite 6 months old. The other calves were 7 months old and ranged from 645 to 790 pounds. Not sure how rich the milk is but I have had two different cows raise sets of twins and neither calf had a problem. I guess I would say the one problem with herefords in general are they can sometimes be too friendly.
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Anonymous
Wow! Pretty impressive weaning weights for those ages. You must have some damn good grass (and mommas)---- and did they get creep fed?
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Anonymous
Well, I don't know the analysis, but the breed has never been known for their milking ability - although breeders have recognized this "fault" (if you want to call it that) and have been using EPD's & performance to increase milk production. BUT, remember, this breed is best known for getting bred out on "slim-pickings" range condition and ALWAYS coming home with a calf on side - maybe not a big calf - but a calf - year in and year out without management. Oh my!!! where's my head! I said something nice about Herefords. Jeanne <A HREF="http://www.SimmeValley.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.SimmeValley.com</A>
> I've never seen an analysis of the
> milk but could it be that they
> have richer milk and don't require
> as much for the nutritional value
> required by the calf? Quantity
> isn't always the right thing,
> sometimes quality is more
> important. I'll admit to a real
> soft spot for Herefords so maybe
> I'm rationalizing.
> dunmovin farms
[email protected]
> I've never seen an analysis of the
> milk but could it be that they
> have richer milk and don't require
> as much for the nutritional value
> required by the calf? Quantity
> isn't always the right thing,
> sometimes quality is more
> important. I'll admit to a real
> soft spot for Herefords so maybe
> I'm rationalizing.
> dunmovin farms
[email protected]
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
I grew up with a polled herford herd and there was a lot of difference between cows. We had one that was hand milked for the first week when she calved because a new calf couldn't keep her drawn down and her tits would swell up so big and drip milk that the new calf couldn't get those sore tits in it's mouth! I remember grandpa coming to the house with a stainless milk pail 2/3s full morning and evening. We also had some that wouldn't produce enough milk to fill a quart jar at a time. They went to the sale barn as culls though and not to someone's herd. It takes years to cull and build a herd not a majic bull of a different breed. P. S. I don't raise herfords now but another breed.
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