Our first calf of 2014

[ohiosteve]

We caught them coming up to the watering hole this evening so we threw some hay out to get a picture. I bought this old twisty horned longhorn cow a couple years ago at canner price and put her in with the linebred polled Hereford bull I got from mrvictordomino on here and she raised a dandy of a first calf that I sold off the teat for almost double what I paid for the cow. I never weighed either one but I'd bet the heifer calf wieghed 80% of momma at 210 days and I never feed a lick of supplement.This bull calf today came exactly 11 months to the day from her last calf, I will cut him in a week or two. It was bad management on my part to have a calf right now but I bet this old girl will raise another dandy.

 

[Bigfoot]

Your year is off to a good start.

 

[ohiosteve]

Actually I've got to be honest, old curlytop has become my favorite and has gotten special treatment which could possibly be considered supplement. Maybe I'm on to something.

 

[branguscowgirl]

NICE!! Love the colorful hides!

 

[LazyARanch]

But did the "supplement" make it any easier for the bull?? LOL... nice calf and the cow looks good too! Congrats

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I'm a little suprised that the Hereford didn't take more of the longhorn color pattern off of the calf.

 

[glacierridge]

She looks like a decent cow, seems to have a decent disposition too.
Did her last calf have similar markings to this little cutie?

I'm always curious because we have had a few full siblings that have been marked quite differently at the farm here.
I hope he will sell as well as his sister for you.
Congrats!!

 

[HDRider]

Nice. Bud Light, maybe she'd like a real beer.

 

[back2dfuture]

good stuff!!

 

[ohiosteve]

She looks like a decent cow, seems to have a decent disposition too.
Did her last calf have similar markings to this little cutie?

I'm always curious because we have had a few full siblings that have been marked quite differently at the farm here.
I hope he will sell as well as his sister for you.
Congrats!!

Here's a picture of her last heifer calf same sire at 4 months.

I looked up her birthdate and it was 2/28/13. I was wrong and curlytops calving interval was actually 10 months 13 days.

 

[ohiosteve]

I'm a little suprised that the Hereford didn't take more of the longhorn color pattern off of the calf.

I was too, but he definitely added some beef. Here's a few other calves from him out of LH mommas.

 

[OakCreekRanch]

Dandy calves!

 

[BDM]

Those are some nice looking calves. One question though... I haven't ever been around LH cattle. Are they tough to work with disposition wise and does the beer to mellow them out?

 

[Chuckie]

Both of her calves are real pretty. It is unique how the pattern on their legs turned out opposite from the Hereford bull. I do love the colors of the Longhorn cattle.

 

[ohiosteve]

Here's a picture of that calf today. Steer now. I bet he weighs as much as Momma. He's just under 10 months. I wish I had 100 more like him I'd quit my day job.

 

[hillsdown]

For being unplanned he sure has turned into a really nice steer Steve ! :tiphat:

 

[ohiosteve]

Thanks Hillsdown. It's fun to see what comes out of those longhorn cows, you never know! I've got a Charolais/Shorthorn bull coming real soon I'm wintering for a friend so I'll have some interesting calves coming next fall. This is a fun hobby for me!

 

[Workinonit Farm]

He sure does look good! That cow has done a great job.

All the colors and spots don't do any favors at sale time, but I like all the color.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Mamma sure has done well with those calves Steve! I would love to have the surprise of all those colors at calving time. I am getting bored of all the black.

 

[Nesikep]

Those calves all do look really good for the amount of LH influence they have.
Neighbor we did a lot of cursing at had longhorns on open range around our place, I found them quite docile for as much as I had to handle them.

I've got several SH cross cows that you'd never guess were full sisters... I have 2 pairs from different mothers and the same sire, and in both cases one is a perfect example of a roan SH, the other is absolutely solid red. I guess that would mean the bull is hetero-roan? A few other shorthorn x cows from herf mothers are just red baldies or brocklefaces.

I always heard LH's will eat anything, kinda like goats, but do they get fussy if they've been spoiled with good pasture all their life? Yours seem to be candidates for that... they certainly don't have to eat dry bunchgrass.