Moderate Framed..... yeah right

[Jake]

I just got done reading some Charlois, limo, and a few other breeds advertisement from their breeders. They advertize moderate framed cattle but show pictures of cows that have the frame of a 2100 pounder and a bull that must weigh 2800. I have come to the conclusion in the past severl months that moderate framed is becomeing a very abused advertising term. I was just wondering what all the rest of you thought...

Jake

 

[dun]

I just got done reading some Charlois, limo, and a few other breeds advertisement from their breeders. They advertize moderate framed cattle but show pictures of cows that have the frame of a 2100 pounder and a bull that must weigh 2800. I have come to the conclusion in the past severl months that moderate framed is becomeing a very abused advertising term. I was just wondering what all the rest of you thought...

Jake

Moderate framed is one of those not really well defined terms. Lets face it, a moderate framed elephant is a whole lot bigger then a moderate framed weanier dog.
To me moderate has alwasy been a liddle of the ground size. If the breed typically runs from FS8 to FS 4 a 6.5 would be moderate. If they run FS 4 to FS 6.5 a FS 5 would be moderate.
That's the reason if FS isn't specified, I want to lay eyes on it myself and see if it passes the armpit test. If it can walk under my arm without touching it that's as big as I want. I've found that in later years that's gotten to be a little smaller then it was 25 years ago.
But FS only tells you about height, and different people can measure the same animal at the same time with the same equipment and still get different numbers. FS doesn't take into account the width, depth or length. The weight for a given FS is based on I think the average. Whatever average is.
Now that I've spewed on about it, yes I have to agree, it's gotten to be mostly hype and hoopla.

dun

 

[BWA]

Yes I agree the term tends to get thrown around rather loosely. The question is moderate compared to what. The cattle of the 80's were much taller (higher frame score) & pencil bellied. The kind of cattle that are popular today have smaller frames then a decade ago but they carry just as much or more weight. Which makes most herd sires 2500-2800 lbs.

What size of cattle do you desire?

 

[frenchie]

Moderate as compared to the breed standard is most breeders thinking.I agree it is misleading.

What matters more is if you are profitable with the cattle you are raising.and are you happy with the return on labour and investment.
No two people look at things the same. and everyones definition of moderate can be different.

 

[Jake]

I like our cows to be around FS 5 to 5.5 I don't really know about the weight because I would say looking at any one of our cows I wouldn't say they are over 1200 but when they are filled out and in top condition I konw they weigh more than that. There is a big difference in a cow with a FS of 5.5 that weighs 1350 than a cow with FS 6.5 or 7 that weighs 1350-1400. It isnt all in the weight.....