My Granddaughter's Favorite Cow (pic)

[SRBeef]

My young granddaughter has her 8th birthday coming up and I was going through some pictures to send her. I found this one from this October (2 days after weaning the calves off, hence the udder) of her favorite cow.

I don't name my cattle, just numbers.

However when my granddaughter saw this cow for the first time during her visit this past summer, she didn't ask "which one is that?". She told ME, matter of factly. like she was showing ME the cows, "that one is Molly".

So forevermore this cow will be the only one in my herd with a name: "Molly"

Here is "Molly"

Thought I would share it. This is also my favorite cow in the herd. I think she is also about 8 years old, maybe 9, but not really sure since I bought her from a guy who "bought her from a guy on the other side of the county", etc. Very gentle, raises a heck of a calf every year. Always starts the group coming to me when I call them. I guess she needed a name.

Jim

 

[Aaron]

Perfect cow, if only she had a little smaller teats. About 1/2 that size. Regardless, she's a better looking girl than 1/2 the donor cows I've seen.

 

[Alan]

Biggest thing is congrats on your granddaughter! Grand kids beats the heck out about everything else. I like the cow, not so much the udder, but at her age and the fact she raises a good calf she's a keeper even without the granddaughter factor. The only down side, which I experienced this fall, is having to cull her. I culled a cow named after our oldest granddaughter this year, udder broke down and she weaned a very light calf. In short grandma was not happy I planned to ship her and she told me so, things got worse after a shipped her. So unless you plan for her to be buried on your place it's just a heads up. :lol:

Thanks for sharing the pic and history.

 

[SRBeef]

Perfect cow, if only she had a little smaller teats. About 1/2 that size. Regardless, she's a better looking girl than 1/2 the donor cows I've seen.

Thanks for the kind words, Aaron. The teats are a bit large because this picture was taken on 10/26 and I had just pulled her and the others calves off 2 days earlier on 10/24. She was still full of milk.

I like her long, low structure. And she is always right around 1250 lb when they go across the scale.

Alan, not being able to objectively cull cattle that have been named is one reason I have vowed to only use numbers. It would be hard to take Molly to the weighup sale, especially since she was given her name by #1 granddaughter. Daughter & family live a long ways away and don't get here very often but when they do come next summer I know the first creature that #1 granddaughter is going to run out of the house to go see is Molly.

I am pretty well resigned to the fact Molly will probably be buried here someday. I hope she can be as long lived as Dun's, but whenever, she is not going to the sale. We are just not going to name any others....

Again the udder is better now that she has dried up. Don't they all get a big bag and teats at weaning, especially the good milkers?

Now that you mention it, some Mar-Apr calving cows had almost self weaned by Oct 24th. Molly kept nursing her calf though. That is probably why she always weans a calf over 50% of her weight at weaning and in a better grass year, close to 60%. I'll take a cow that milks all the way to 205 day avg weaning any day.

Jim

 

[Isomade]

Nice cow, the teet size don't bother me a bit. I'd keep heifers out of her.

 

[B&M Farms]

Molly looks great. Especially just weaning a calf.

 

[gonzo]

gotta 3 year old great niese that lives with us she names all my stock . We tell her we sell our stears to the rodeo when we put one in the freezer. She loves steak don't wanna turn her into a vegan.

 

[Bigfoot]

I wouldn't mind having a field full of cows like that. Nice cow.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Well hello Molly...

 

[SRBeef]

I wouldn't mind having a field full of cows like that. Nice cow.

My feelings also - I'm working on that.

I save everything out of her except the first one which I steered before I knew what I had. Her two heifers have turned into very good cows on their own. I have saved the last 2 bull calves out of her and used them to spread her genes around to the other cow families.

One of her bull calves shared with my neighbors this year sired the heaviest group avg calf weight they have ever sold - and that is in a dry year.

Here is a not very good photo of Molly's bull calf from this year sired by my Huth U070 bull. This one should be better yet once he matures. I will use him to (hopefully) spread some of Molly's genes around to other cow families. an experiment.

He has had almost zero grain, no creep. 647 lb 205 day adj ww. 245 days old in the picture from a couple days ago. Long and low, very good SC. Now in a separate pasture on hay and what grass they can find with my youngest/lightest/worst steer (in the background) to keep him company over the winter. Plan seems to be working but just takes a LONG time.

Thanks for the kind words all.

Jim

 

[Goodlife]

Nice cow Jim. Great story.

Ed

 

[Crazy Farmgirl]

I like her a LOT! I too wouldn't mind a pasture full of ones just like her. Her bull calf looks promising also, hope he turns out the way you'd like.

 

[Chris H]

Molly raised a chunk there, too bad you don't have papers on them. I really like that cow.

 

[SRBeef]

Molly raised a chunk there, too bad you don't have papers on them. I really like that cow.

Thank you. Yes 23 is a chunk. He should be an even better bull than his half brother I just sold. U070 his sire is a "chunk" also. And smaller frame size.

Why do you feel "too bad no papers"? I am looking to develop a beef herd and have no interest in selling registered breeding stock. I have three registered Herefords cows and frankly "Molly" is head and shoulders above them (even though she is shorter and longer than they are ;-) ) in many ways. Unless one is in the breeding stock business I don't see that papers mean much. I keep my own detailed breeding records in the Cattlemax program.

I will always have a bought-in registered bull however, in addition to a home raised bull. Females will all be raised in house as far as I can see into the future. New genetics will be brought in on the bull side.

I am fairly sure that Molly is a full blood Hereford. But you don't get papers with a 3rd hand $600 cow... The folks I bought her from were raising a mixed beef herd as a sideline to their corn/beans then decided to go all black about the time I was getting started and asking around about Herefords. They were not interested in registration.

Thanks for the encouragement Crazy Farmgirl. I am pretty confident that the bull calf will develop into a bull along the smaller, lower frame size lines I am looking for. I have a fair amount of experience with both sides of his pedigree. He is exceptionally gentle and calm along with built solid and very good sc. He should carry the fertility, early maturity, milk etc of his parentage.
There is just a lot to be said for being familiar with a bull prospect's sire and dam.

Jim

 

[Chris H]

Too bad you don't have papers because I can't use him without papers. That bull has a lot to offer to the Hereford breed but he'll be limited to improving commercial cattle.
Did you look to see if the cow has a tattoo? I know some breeders around here use their farm prefix in one ear and the cows number in the other ear. I've considered doing that, then the cow coud be identified.

 

[SRBeef]

Too bad you don't have papers because I can't use him without papers. That bull has a lot to offer to the Hereford breed but he'll be limited to improving commercial cattle.
Did you look to see if the cow has a tattoo? I know some breeders around here use their farm prefix in one ear and the cows number in the other ear. I've considered doing that, then the cow could be identified.

I hadn't quite thought of it like that.

As a beginner, I don't know thatI have anything to offer the "Hereford breed"... just breeding for what I like and need in my small operation. I am mostly interested in producing very good freezer beef with minimal inputs and facilities, very little grain while maximizing the number of pounds of beef in the box per acre.

A smaller frame, longer bodied, very fertile cow like "Molly" is the direction that seems like works very well in my situation.

An interesting thing about the pictured calf's sire, U070, is that he has CL1 9126J, Feltons 3008, HH Advance 767G in his 3-deep pedigree. So my bull calf has some good stuff on the top side even if the bottom side is a bit of a mystery past Molly.

I appreciate your comments. Thank you.

Jim

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Looking good Jim - your program is working for you.

 

[SRBeef]

Looking good Jim - your program is working for you.

Thanks, Jeanne. One thing about cattle is you don't really know if things are working for a couple years after the decision. So far so good though.

I am basically focused right now on raising a group of more or less "pure" polled Hereford cows that fit my conditions and system. Once I get to my target brood cow herd size and shift to more terminal, I may have to talk to you about one of those nice looking Simmi bulls of yours.

Jim

 

[sim.-ang.king]

I wouldn't mind having a field full of cows like that. Nice cow.

My feelings also - I'm working on that.

I save everything out of her except the first one which I steered before I knew what I had. Her two heifers have turned into very good cows on their own. I have saved the last 2 bull calves out of her and used them to spread her genes around to the other cow families.

One of her bull calves shared with my neighbors this year sired the heaviest group avg calf weight they have ever sold - and that is in a dry year.

Here is a not very good photo of Molly's bull calf from this year sired by my Huth U070 bull. This one should be better yet once he matures. I will use him to (hopefully) spread some of Molly's genes around to other cow families. an experiment.

He has had almost zero grain, no creep. 647 lb 205 day adj ww. 245 days old in the picture from a couple days ago. Long and low, very good SC. Now in a separate pasture on hay and what grass they can find with my youngest/lightest/worst steer (in the background) to keep him company over the winter. Plan seems to be working but just takes a LONG time.

Thanks for the kind words all.

Jim

I would like to have him, even if he has a white face.

 

[cypressfarms]

I like Molly a lot. Nice story; I get the kids as involved as I can with the cows (and horses); I believe it helps build character, instead of the kids just playing on the iphone.

Wouldn't mind having 30 or 40 Molly's though. Put a nice brahman bull and wham, you've got some serious calves to sell down south here. As 'ol caustic would say, the bell would be ringing at the auction!