Mothering Ability ?

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Stocker Steve":1wb7f00b said:
Ebenezer":1wb7f00b said:
you want an intelligent cow that can tell the difference in you and a coyote. Doesn't mean that she will not hide the calf from you, too, but not eat your lunch. Hard to get this with a lot of in and out of bulls, lines, breeds as each brings in the unknown. Like temperament,

Need a mothering EPD ! :cowboy:
They sort of have one, it's called (Red Angus) Stayability
 
Ebenezer":2g0ixqsr said:
Hate to be my usual and sound stupid, but you want an intelligent cow that can tell the difference in you and a coyote.

LOL. I don't have any intelligent cows. They all just go off instinct. Hopefully they stay stupid and don't figure out why we want the calves to grow.
But I do know the 4 Charolais cows mentioned are not protective enough by my standards. Whether its epd's , or chute exit score, or whatever standard you use to judge docility.....mothering ability is directly tied to docility. She can be too docile same as being too wild.
 
Midtenn":20ae3yhc said:
Ebenezer":20ae3yhc said:
Hate to be my usual and sound stupid, but you want an intelligent cow that can tell the difference in you and a coyote.

LOL. I don't have any intelligent cows. They all just go off instinct. Hopefully they stay stupid and don't figure out why we want the calves to grow.
But I do know the 4 Charolais cows mentioned are not protective enough by my standards. Whether its epd's , or chute exit score, or whatever standard you use to judge docility.....mothering ability is directly tied to docility. She can be too docile same as being too wild.

You know I spoke too quick on that I think. I do have some very gentle cows of other breeds, walk out of the chute, let you pet them, whatever, but you better not mess with their calves. Kind of like my wife, nicest lady in the world, docility score of 50 or so. But don't mess with her kids!
Maybe docility score has nothing to do with it.....maybe the Charolais of mine are just not good mothers.
 
The majority of our cows will let us mess with new born calves, will leave them hidden somewhere or leave them with another cow to babysit. The may not like us messing with them and talk about it the whole time but they either leave us alone or will haul azz with the calf to the furthest spot they can find. Used to even leave them with the bull to babysit. Pity anything other then a cow or a person that gets within a couple hundred yards of a calf. If a coyote just runs through the pasture they will all stand there and watch. If it stops he better be putting on his track shoes cause everyone except 1 or 2 babysitters will be all over it. They don;t like deer in the pasture, they run off turkeys and I watched them run off a momma skunk with a couple of babies. If you ain't a cow you don;t belong. If we're around, strangers can walk out among them with no problem. If we aren;t around they get pretty close to the same treatment as any other intruder.
 
Midtenn":147qwmvy said:
Ebenezer":147qwmvy said:
Hate to be my usual and sound stupid, but you want an intelligent cow that can tell the difference in you and a coyote.

LOL. I don't have any intelligent cows. They all just go off instinct. Hopefully they stay stupid and don't figure out why we want the calves to grow.
But I do know the 4 Charolais cows mentioned are not protective enough by my standards. Whether its epd's , or chute exit score, or whatever standard you use to judge docility.....mothering ability is directly tied to docility. She can be too docile same as being too wild.
Intelligence is not all IQ, even in people. It is gift, knack, skill and INSTINCT. Even as bad a rap as sheep get, they have instincts which allow them to do what sheep do and succeed. Recent research has that even the "dumb sheep" recognizes multiple faces and voices. So, maybe a bad term. Like some folks talk about the personality of their cow or horse while the beast is not a person. Is it docility, animal-ity, but surely not personality! :?
Oddest cow I had one time from a line of nut jobs: cow would calve, see me coming and snort and paw for a few minutes, turn and run off a long ways for just enough time to tag the (first) calf and then come over the hill at top speed with death (mine) on her mind. All calves after got tagged at weaning in the chute! But I saw the same action even from the truck window in other years.
 
i cull for mothering ability. they calve in the field or somewhere.. they need to protect it. I've lost too many calves to moms who don't care.
 
My ai rep through genex told me that most guys have quit using ss chisum up north where there are wolves. He said the chisum daughters were so tame they would not protect the calf. Any truth to this I do not know. I have noticed every one of my chisum daughters will let me tag their calf without a problem. They are close by watching, and I never turn my back on them but so far not one has tried to take me out. Some of the gelbvieh on the other hand, I have to rope the calves and drag them onto the bed of the pickup. More times than I can count I've had a momma with 2 front feet up on the bed
 

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