One thing about the whole todo about these corrientes... the environment where they are has as much to do with it as anything. They will cost
@Dave and anyone out there in his area/environment. They will make money for those in Texas and Alabama and other areas where they are more common and fit the environment.
I have a longhorn that I keep for a "pasture ornament"... I like her. Her dam cost me $350 with her by her side. Both were white with black nose ears etc. Cow had been dehorned and they botched one side... obvious longhorn. Son thought I was nuts. I kept the heifer as she was growing a nice set of horns and cow was very protective of all the calves in that field. Cow next had a dead bull calf and got shipped. Got back $300 in cull price... so I was out of pocket $50 on purchase price. Not one I would even try to foster a calf on.
Kept the heifer as she would not bring much at the sale. Got bred to a black angus... had a heifer calf, white with speckles, polled... son was telling me what a waste... I said, my money not yours. Grew a NICE set of horns... and ran off a couple of dogs chasing some young first calf heifers with their new calves.... OKAY..... GOOD livestock guardian COW.... bred back right away... 11 1/2 months has a black bull calf... polled . He got graded in with other calves... great growth and she had what I would call a "teacup sized udder..." Bred right back again to a different black angus bull... had a set of twin black polled heifer calves... one didn't make it.... and the one she has now is a chunk.... showing just a little more "leather" than the last bull calf. She still has a nice little udder. Stays in very good condition.... and will not tolerate strange dogs and probably not coyotes. I have never had her in to preg check as we have nothing wide enough to get her head through sideways... getting closer to weaning this calf and she looks bred.... If she calves she gets to stay...AGAIN.... if she should come up open she will get hamburgered and her head and horns on my wall....
She made me money in the bull/steer calf I sold... He brought over $800 last year. He was state graded when we took a load of steers in to the sale. No one picked him out. After they were graded, and weighed, I asked 2 different guys there if they could pick out the longhorn cross calf and not one did....
But many of them do show more signs of their ancestry. The thing of it is that her heifer is going in with the breeding group because she is speckled like a Speckled Park and would be giveaway priced... She is half black angus... have a 75% chance of a black calf out of her. Would have bred her sooner but had a mixed group and we don't want fall calves on 1st calf heifers, and this group was not convenient to get back in to breed for next year. Plus she still might just get in the group to be finished and killed in June instead.
The 6 month old heifer calf on her now will probably be kept because she is: #1, a nice calf, and #2, a bit of a friendlier calf. She will probably be kept and bred too. But that is another year down the road to make that decision. We don't calve out heifers until they are 27-30 months because we do not push for early growth. I like them a little more mature and they drop a calf and take care of it and go on.....
We have calved them out 22-24 months and have not done well.... AGAIN... OUR STYLE and OUR ENVIRONMENT and our conditions.
You find what works and then try to improve it with some better genetics.... and try to not lose any money in the process, but to make some back on them.