My 1st Heifer- Whadduyah Think?

[RichieMaGoo]

Hello, Everyone!

I've been rasing Holstein bottle calves for a year now- but yesterday, I bought my first beef-breed heifer from a neighbor.

She's 6 months old; approximately 450 lbs. (by consensus of eyeballs :) )- half Angus/half Longhorn. I'm hoping to breed her when she's old enough, around next September. (will keep heifer calves- raise bull calves as steers to eat)- gave $400 for her.

What do you all think?

Also, if I can get her tame enough to milk, most people tell me that milk from a beef cow shouldn't be much different than milk from a dairy cow...just maybe lower in butterfat- is this true? (I don't need alot of milk- I'm a bachelor...and in the meantime, if I can find me a cheap Jersey for milking, I'll nix that idea!)

And wouldn't ya know it...I just sold my sweet little Angus/Charolais bull a week ago!

Anyone here ever have an Angus/Longhorn cross?

 

[flaboy+]

What do I think? I think it's time to dehorn her. ;-)

She is ok I had a jacket that looked like her when I was a kid.

 

[Rustler9]

Richie,
You'll get all kinds of flack on here when you mention Longhorn. She looks fine, looks like she may have more Angus type body than Longhorn but you sure got the Longhorn coloration. As for horns that's up to you whether you leave them on or not. Of course I'd leave them on but to each his own. She should make a good little cow for you.

 

[Beefy]

so shes not polled. are her horns going to be big like a longhorns or medium?

 

[aplusmnt]

cute little heifer, I think she will work fine for what you want. How are you planning on breeding her in future?

 

[J]

Not much of a longhorn fan alothough they have begun to grow on me a little, but when you see that heifer with the holsteins in the background she gets better looking. I'd say get rid of the ones by herself and show just the second one.

just kidding, hope she works out good for you.

and Rustler9 is right on the flack but it's not always limited to longhorns.

 

[RichieMaGoo]

She is ok I had a jacket that looked like her when I was a kid.

HAHAhaha....sounds like something I'd say!

As for horns that's up to you whether you leave them on or not. Of course I'd leave them on but to each his own. She should make a good little cow for you.

I usually don't dehorn.....the only concerns I have about horns are the likeliehood of them to tear up my fences. If she's like her momma and daddy though, the horns shouldn't get too big.

How are you planning on breeding her in future?

I'll put her in with one of my neighbors' bulls....probably the bull of the guy I bought her off of. (No sense keeping a bull myself, unless I have a serious increase of heifer population...which I dont foresee happening!)

And thanks, Beefy, J. and TurnThatCowLooseMaw! (No, TTCLM, I don't know her weight for sure.....but she's alot stockier than my 400 lb. Jersey steer [expecting more flack for that than for the Longhorn!]....and just a little shorter...so....

Say....why don't people like Longhorns? I had always thought that they were very efficient at bulking up on grass?

Keep the comments and advice coming!

[edit: Now that yas mention it.....the pictures do lie. In person, she's a good deal bigger than the calves she's in with...but it's hard to tell in the pics]

 

[la4angus]

If she's like her momma and daddy though, the horns shouldn't get too big.

If she is half angus she shouldn't have any horns.

 

[Rustler9]

RichieMaGoo wrote:

Say....why don't people like Longhorns? I had always thought that they were very efficient at bulking up on grass?

Most folks nowadays are totally against horns, Longhorns generally aren't as beefy as other beef breeds (although the beef is much healthier) and they get docked at the sale barn because of the horns and color. They do come in black but don't fit in the mold that today's buyers and feeders are looking for. I always think to myself that instead of getting docked for being leaner and healthier beef that they should be demanding a premium but then again I'm a Longhorn breeder.

They are very efficient foragers, cross very well with other breeds, low birth weights. These are some of the pros of the breed. Plus they are great to look at.

 

[Rustler9]

A good friend of mine has a beautiful heifer out of a polled black baldy and a Longhorn bull that has one of the nicest sets of horns that you've ever seen. Now, I never asked if the Hereford side of the baldy was horned or not but I've seen the baldy mama and she's totally polled. This heifer has the nicest, straightest back and would definitely be a great show heifer. I jokingly told my friends that we need to put a set of papers on her and take her to the shows and beat some of these other folks who I highly suspect are doing some cross breeding to win. Again, I'm joking, I'm not going to do this. But my point is, even if the one parent is polled the offspring can still have horns.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

She's not a bad looking calf. Very colorful. She certainly has an Angus shaped head. You won't lose her in a crowd of Holsteins. Like La4 said, if she is 1/2 Angus she shouldn't have horns. Good luck with her.

Katherine

 

[la4angus]

But my point is, even if the one parent is polled the offspring can still have horns.

If one parent is pure Angus the offspring will not have any horns. If one parent is an Angus X with some draft breed the calf may or may not have horns.

 

[MikeC]

But my point is, even if the one parent is polled the offspring can still have horns.

Not if the the polled parent is "Homozygous Polled"........

from ANY breed.

 

[Rustler9]

As I said before I don't know if the baldy is from a horned Hereford of not so she may not be homozygous polled. Richie said that the heifer is from an Angus but he didn't state whether the Angus was purebred or not.

 

[la4angus]

Richie said that the heifer is from an Angus but he didn't state whether the Angus was purebred or not.

If not purebred it's not Angus. It would be Angus influenced

 

[MikeC]

Richie said that the heifer is from an Angus but he didn't state whether the Angus was purebred or not.

If not purebred it's not Angus. It would be Angus influenced

If it qualifies for CAB it would be Angus! NO? ;-) :lol: :shock:

 

[la4angus]

If it qualifies for CAB it would be Angus! NO? ;-) :lol: :shock:

Nope. Wish you were right but you know different too. :lol: :lol:

 

[RichieMaGoo]

RichieMaGoo wrote:

Say....why don't people like Longhorns? I had always thought that they were very efficient at bulking up on grass?

Most folks nowadays are totally against horns, Longhorns generally aren't as beefy as other beef breeds (although the beef is much healthier) and they get docked at the sale barn because of the horns and color. They do come in black but don't fit in the mold that today's buyers and feeders are looking for. I always think to myself that instead of getting docked for being leaner and healthier beef that they should be demanding a premium but then again I'm a Longhorn breeder.

They are very efficient foragers, cross very well with other breeds, low birth weights. These are some of the pros of the breed. Plus they are great to look at.

Wow! Sounds like everything I'm looking for in a cow! I've always been kinda keen on Longhorns myself- and wondered why they are rarely seen in this neck of the woods (There's one guy about 15 miles from me who has a big herd of 'em).

I knew that they docked because of the color- that's why my neighbor was selling her- he has mostly pure Angus's, and only wants cows that'll throw all-black calves.

Oh...and her mommy and daddy were both Angus/Longhorn crosses too- I guess that explains the horns. Her grand-daddy (who llives across the street) is purebred Angus.

Thanks for the info! I'm really happy now with my decision to buy her as my "personal" cow (as opposed to wanting her for money-making)- I'm really convinced now that she is exactly what I was looking for! (I'll stick with the Holstein steers for money-making...as I make more off of them than my neighbors do with their beefs!)

 

[Victoria]

Congrats on your new addition. It sounds like you are really happy with her and she sure is cute! :) I'm sure she will do really well for you.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

I was told a longhorn x purebreed angus could have scurs (sp).