new to cattle

[Brandonm2]

Down here means the Gulf Coast area. The person asking the question clearly points out where he or she is from, thus I was hoping most people could figure out what I meant. Also be careful if you in up with a limmy bull make sure he is a production looking limmy, not a clubbly limmy. When selling heifers a lot of buyers down here have lost a lot of money in buying what they thought was production stock and was clubbly. So now anytime they hear there is a clubbly line in the animals, ai, or see a clubby bull on your ranch they will not buy or significantly lower the price they will pay. The only excpetion to this is if you target the show market. Also may want to hold off on getting animals right now, and what to see if the market is going to let off a little. Best of luck

WHAT are you defining as "Clubby"? I do prefer a bull that has been raised on forage over one who has been a show pony; but if the EPDs and performance numbers are good and the animal passes the visual appraisal test, I wouldnt disqualify him simply because he won a ribbon at a county fair someplace or if he has had some half brothers make good show steers. I don't think you are going to get docked for it either with most rational buyers.

 

[Jake]

First of all, hello to all you great people.

We just acquired some 40 acres of land in Needville (South of Houston) this summer. We're new to farming and all that's involved with having farmland, so keep that in mind.

My mom wants some cows. I've been asking a co-worker about what cows to get. My co-worker grew up in a farm and knows a little or two about cows. From her info and info on the net, seems to be that the consensus is to get Hereford.
I told her we wanted something to primarily be hearty.

The people who previously owned the farm raised Limousins. Can anyone tell me about those? All my co-worker told me was they are BIG.

Can we get Hereford females and get a bull that's a Limousin? Are Limiousins hearty?
Thanks for all ya'lls help. You can be assured that I'll be posting a lot more in the future. We're really enjoying the work that goes into all this farming. My family grew up in a farm in another country and we miss the clean air, hard work, and being away from the city.

I'd suggest a Brangus bull on hereford cows for your area.

 

[Beefy]

I'd suggest a Brangus bull on hereford cows for your area.

me too!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Geish - I'm sure you don't have a clue what a "clubby" bull is, so ignore that comment. Come on guys, talk a language he can understand.
Anyway, there are good temperaments & bad temperaments in all breeds. As a whole breed, Herefords are known to be one of the most docile breeds, and Limousins are know to be flighty/aggressive. British breeds (Hereford, Angus & Shorthorns) are GENERALLY smaller, easier calving than the larger Continental breeds (Simmental, Limousin, Charolais) - BUT - there are also hard or easy calvers in ALL BREEDS. You have to pick your cattle as individuals, not what is expected of "the breed".
Definately buy BRED cows that you will have a KNOWN calving date (like due in March and April) - no longer than 60 day interval from 1st to last due. Than next year, you can worry about what bull to purchase.
As suggested, your local extension Ag agent can steer you towards REPUTABLE breeders - whether you want registered cows or commercial (not registered - may be purebred or crossbreds). You know like buying a dog, can be a Collie but may be a registered Collie or just a purebred Collie without papers - or it can be a cross between Collie & Lab (commercial crossbred). Being commercial or crossbred does not make the cow any better or worse than a Registered cow.
You want cows with good feet & legs (structurally sound) and in good body condition (not skinny or blubbery fat). If they are bred COWS, they will have a developed udder.
If I were you, I would get someone that KNOWS cattle to pick out cattle for you.
And the suggestion to have your Mom look at the different breeds is a great idea.
By the way, I raise registered Simmental cattle - a good option for your bull choice next year Red or Black.
You might find out if BLACK cattle do well in your heat.
Take your time! and get facilities FIRST. Nothing worse than owning a large animal and it gets sick or hurt and you cannot help it.

 

[sidney411]

I'm just north of Houston also and I run Black brangus bulls on Hereford cows (and other breeds too). I'm getting some really uniform calves this year from the new bulls and all the cows. I know a good place to get brangus bulls for a good price if your interested, pm me.

 

[Mamayak]

:lol:

How does 1200 lbs of cross bred yak/cow steer in 12 to 18 months sound?

Harty, economical, and easy calving - that is just the start when talking about yaks.

The meat is lighter tasting than been and with good cholesterol.

If looking for tame yak breeding stock let's talk. That is my business.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

I'm only about 5 miles north of you, off of highway 36. How many cows you can reasonably stock on those 40 acres can vary quite a bit depending on grass quantity and quality, wooded cover, cross fencing or lack thereof, etc. We get a lot of total inches of rain in a full year but the published figures are pretty deceiving. Much of the rain is during our "winter" months, and sometimes it is 10 inches in a few days at other times of the year when tropical depressions set in, etc. Then we can go several months in late spring and summer without any rain whatsoever, as happened this year. You'll need a hay supply even with our mild winters. Even though our first frost many years doesn't happen until late December the growth of bermuda grass (if that's what you have) will pretty much taper off if we have a lot of cool nights, even it we haven't had frost. In addition, with so much rain in the winter, along with that black gumbo soil, that use of "stockpiled" forages can sometimes be pretty problematic. Glen Averit, at the county ag extension office between Needville and Rosenberg, can probably give you some good overall advice, although the extension people are sometimes reluctant to give specific name referrals.

Any of the "eared" breed cows should do fine for you (Brangus, Beefmaster, "tigerstripes", etc.). As I recall, there's a family in town named Stavinoha, that raises some pretty fair black Angus bulls -- you might want to give them a ring and see what they have. Of course there are a number of suppliers for Brangus bulls around our area. If you feel like driving a little to see some pretty good "replacement" cows and heifers, drive up to Industry, Tx. this Saturday and attend the auction at the Four Country Livestock Auction center (it's up highway 36, near Sealy and Brenham). Get there very early, get a sale listing and roam around and get a get a good, well-considered look at all the cattle. Also, keep in mind that there is a good all-breed sale in El Campo around the middle of January each year, as well as all-breed sales twice a year in Industry and also at least one at Port City Stockyards in Sealy. Those are all within reasonable driving distance of Needville. Good luck to you.

 

[Mamayak]

As yak meat is a gourmet type of meat with good cholesterol. Feeding expense is minimal.