Mixed Breed Bulls

[ChipC]

I'm fairly new at this and I only have a few Red Angus and Red Angus x Tarentaise cross. I am looking at buying a bull that is a Hereford x Galloway cross. Is it common to use a mixed breed bull for cross breeding or should I try and stay with a purebred?

Thanks

 

[cbcr]

First question would be what are your future plans with your cattle, what are you goals?

 

[City Guy]

Stay with purebred, otherwise you'll end up with mongrels. 2 breed rotation until you know for sure what you need genetically then, maybe, add a third. If I already had Red Angus and Tarentaise those are the breeds I stick with. Find a good breeder first, then find your bull. Why don't you use AI? Probably Cheaper and almost certainly better genetics (but do your home work) If you have resources to keep a bull you have resources to keep another cow instead. With AI you can breed the RAs to a Tarentaise bull and the cross cows back to a Red Angus. Then you'd be in a two breed rotation--much better than jumping all over the genetic planet creating unrepeatable mongrels.

But what do I know? I'm just the ignorant city guy! My advice is worth every penny you paid for it.

 

[dun]

CG is right. Stick with purebred bulls. We have a strange combination of breeds that seem to work for us. Everything is Red Angus based. Some are crossed with Simmenthal and some with Gelbvieh, some with Polled Hereford. We've pretty much settled on using either a Polled Hereford or Red Angus on the Simmenthal and Gelbvieh crossed cows. AI to Polled Hereford and cleaned up with Red Angus. The straightbred Red Angus are bred to Red Angus. The crossbred heifers are bred back to one of the continentels that are in the mix or bred to the opposite of what their sire is. Red Angus sired bred to Polled Hereford, Red Angus sired bred to Polled Hereford. But everything gets cleaned up with Red Angus since we only have or want one bull on the place. It's worked well for us, but it also includes pretty ruthless culling of replacment heifers and only keeping or selling for breeding those that pretty much flourish on our KY31.

 

[ChipC]

Sounds like my best bet is look for a purebred Hereford or consider AI. I really like the idea of a Hereford, because of the temperament. Right now I only have 6 brood cows with plans of growing to around 30 and selling calves. I have young kids that enjoy helping me (sometimes) so I wanted something laid back if possible. Everyone around here says to stick with black Angus, but I'm more worried about temperament that I am receiving top dollar at the sale.

Thanks a lot for the advice!

 

[Supa Dexta]

Black simmental may fit your needs, usually quiet and good mothers, calves grow well.

When starting out its best to stay focused on the long term goal, its easier to build a little slower than it is to fix an entire herd of mixed matched critters.

 

[Muddy]

I would stay something black on your cattle. With tarentaise in the woodpile, you'll get some brindled calves or Jersey markings if your bull is red or is a red gene carrier. Brindled calves didn't do well at the sale barns. Black hide will cover mostly brindles.

 

[Ky hills]

In my opinion, if you are mainly concerned with disposition, Hereford would be my recommendation. I am no expert on color patterns, and could certainly be wrong, but since the cows are Tarentaise x Red Angus cross, I am not sure the resulting calves from a Hereford bull would still be brindle. If it they were f1 Tarentaise x Hereford then likely they would be if Tarentaise are similar to Jerseys color pattern.

 

[Rusty Faucet]

I would not opt to go with the Hereford x Galloway bull...better to consider a good straight Hereford or Charolais on those Red cows...will give you a top market calf.

 

[Muddy]

I would not opt to go with the Hereford x Galloway bull...better to consider a good straight Hereford or Charolais on those Red cows...will give you a top market calf.

I'm not so sure about that. Especially with low feeder calf prices we have right now and a dock can hurt your check.

Charolais sounds better choice.

 

[elkwc]

I would go with a good Hereford if that was the two options I had. At least in this area. The Char's take too much of a dock. We had a neighbors Char bull get into the cows I help with a time or two. They always cut the char crosses and the one Limi cross we got from another neighbors bull off and they are really docked. Any black or red bald faced we have is sold on the group and are never docked.

 

[WalnutCrest]

I'm fairly new at this and I only have a few Red Angus and Red Angus x Tarentaise cross. I am looking at buying a bull that is a Hereford x Galloway cross. Is it common to use a mixed breed bull for cross breeding or should I try and stay with a purebred?

Thanks

My suggestion is to ask the people who'll be buying from you what they want to buy.

If you're selling butchered beef of the farm to friends and family, ask them. If you're marketing quarters, halves and wholes via a website and word of mouth, or won't matter much as long as you pick good cattle that make good-eating product.

If you're selling through the sale barn, go ask the buyers that go they're every week.

If you're selling into a branded beef deal, follow their protocols.

Asking nameless strangers without first asking your clients is a short sighted business plan.

 

[Muddy]

I would go with a good Hereford if that was the two options I had. At least in this area. The Char's take too much of a dock. We had a neighbors Char bull get into the cows I help with a time or two. They always cut the char crosses and the one Limi cross we got from another neighbors bull off and they are really docked. Any black or red bald faced we have is sold on the group and are never docked.

However brindled feeders are docked hard here than greys and yellows here and in some regionals, red baldies are also docked. But I agreed with WalnutCrest that Chip should ask the buyers at the local sale barns and see what is their preferences and which colors that sells.

 

[elkwc]

I would go with a good Hereford if that was the two options I had. At least in this area. The Char's take too much of a dock. We had a neighbors Char bull get into the cows I help with a time or two. They always cut the char crosses and the one Limi cross we got from another neighbors bull off and they are really docked. Any black or red bald faced we have is sold on the group and are never docked.

However brindled feeders are docked hard here than greys and yellows here and in some regionals, red baldies are also docked. But I agreed with WalnutCrest that Chip should ask the buyers at the local sale barns and see what is their preferences and which colors that sells.

I agree he should ask some local breeders or buyers. It seems each area is different and even from one sale barn to another it will vary. The main thing is whatever a person raises raise good one. Like my Dad always said it doesn't cost anymore to feed a good one and whether it is a cow or a horse but when the market is tough a good one will always sell and the others will be docked.

 

[RanchMan90]

I buy a few a week, paint em black and you won't look back. A 450 lb black or bwf will bring the same as a 600 lb off colored calf. I don't set the prices, I just buy and sell them.

 

[WalnutCrest]

I would go with a good Hereford if that was the two options I had. At least in this area. The Char's take too much of a dock. We had a neighbors Char bull get into the cows I help with a time or two. They always cut the char crosses and the one Limi cross we got from another neighbors bull off and they are really docked. Any black or red bald faced we have is sold on the group and are never docked.

However brindled feeders are docked hard here than greys and yellows here and in some regionals, red baldies are also docked. But I agreed with WalnutCrest that Chip should ask the buyers at the local sale barns and see what is their preferences and which colors that sells.

Actually, that isn't what I said. I said he should talk to his clients ... WHOMEVER his clients are. If he's selling to the guys at the sale barn, then talk to them. All of them. If he's selling to the consuming public off his farm, then it's a different deal.

I'm making no assumptions about the OPs business model; to do so is to give bad advice. IMO.

 

[Gators Rule]

I buy a few a week, paint em black and you won't look back. A 450 lb black or bwf will bring the same as a 600 lb off colored calf. I don't set the prices, I just buy and sell them.

Seriously? Wouldn't you consider that fraud?

 

[Bestoutwest]

I buy a few a week, paint em black and you won't look back. A 450 lb black or bwf will bring the same as a 600 lb off colored calf. I don't set the prices, I just buy and sell them.

I thought all ranchers/farmers were standup type folks who you could trust on a handshake deal.....

 

[RanchMan90]

Lol not with a paintbrush, if it were that easy everybody would be doing it right now. Make em black by using a black bull.

 

[5S Cattle]

Lol not with a paintbrush, if it were that easy everybody would be doing it right now. Make em black by using a black bull.

:lol2: I understood what you were tryin to say, but can see how some could have took that like that