Raising a Monster

[HOSS]

I was out checking the cattle at dusk when I snapped this photo with my cell phone. This calf is a mid-March born calf. This puts him at just over 4 months old. His momma is about 1300 pounds. I am guessing he weighs about 500 now. She has always raised the biggest calf of the herd even when she was a heifer but this is her biggest yet. Must be the Gelbvieh influence this year.

 

[bigbull338]

thats 1 heck of nice calf.he will go close to 500 now.

 

[MO_cows]

Name the calf "Weed", that's how its growing. It's the "W" year for a lot of breeds anyway. Looks like a nice moderate size cow with some milk.

 

[3waycross]

Nice calf and what's really impressive is the condition of his mother while raising him.

 

[BARNSCOOP]

What breed is she?

 

[HOSS]

What breed is she?

She is 3/4 red angus and 1/4 Limi

 

[HOSS]

Nice calf and what's really impressive is the condition of his mother while raising him.

Thanks 3way. I have pretty much culled out my hard keepers. Most of my cows hold their condition well on just grass. I feed no grain just grass in the summer and hay in the winter. Some of my cows tend to get a little too fat when they are not nursing but that is ok with me. I would rather have a fatter cow that holds condition well on grass when nursing than a perfect BCS cow that drops to a rack of bones when feeding a calf.

 

[hillsdown]

I have been reading alot lately on here about too fat. So I am confused because if I see fat calves and fats cows nursing when they are in peak milk and can raise monsters as well as more than maintain when just on pasture I think that is a good thing. In fact when I say that is one chunky calf and mom looks to have a few extra layers as well, I mean it as a compliment. I think that they are good easy fleshing cattle, ones that you can actually make money on.

I am confused as to when fat cattle became a bad thing especially if they are efficiently fat ,even a fat bull who is doing his last round of cover for breeding season and he is starting to look chunky again I think is a good thing as well..I guess I really do have no idea what I am talking about. :?

Nice pair Hoss, your GV balancer bull is doing a good job paired up with your cows.

 

[alacattleman]

this cow is in good condition not fat..... one that can stay in conditon plus keep the calf growing too his genetic ability is a keeper.

 

[brandonm_13]

I'd take about 20 pairs like that in my fields.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

this cow is in good condition not fat..... one that can stay in conditon plus keep the calf growing too his genetic ability is a keeper.

alacattleman is right, hillsdown. What is "fat" to one person could be "TOO fat" or "just right" to someone else. The important factor to remember is that "Semantics" ( the meanings of words) causes a lot of misunderstandings. What is one man's MEAT is another man's POISON. This thread is bordering on the subject matter of "cow size", and why cows which are TOO large (1500#-plus!) cost TOO much to feed and maintain throughout the year. If a cow has to produce a weaned calf each year of half her body weight just to justify keeping her in the herd - - - 750# EVERY year is a pretty difficult chore for her. If any additional feed is required other than grass and hay to achieve that end, there goes the potential PROFIT from that cow! In my opinion, this little lady is a GEM of a producer! Would that every producer could have all of their cows as successful a momma as this girl!

A sharp pencil is required to realize a PROFIT from "--just runnin' a bunch of cows."

Don't think that you don't know what you are doing. You probably are doing more 'thinking' along realistic lines than a lot a producers who have the mistaken idea that "Raisin' BIG cattle" is the proper way to make a profit. You will hear a lot of them say things like "Well, we are selling POUNDS aren't we??" That is true, but HOW you arrive at those NET pounds determines whether you can stay in Bu$ine$$ - or NOT!

DOC HARRIS

 

[hillsdown]

For those of you who cannot read I never said this cow was fat and I did say my too fat comment was in reference to what was being posted earlier by certain posters regarding so-called fat cattle.. Maybe I should have started a new thread so not to confuse some of you.. ;-)


All I said about this pair was that it was a nice pair no more, no less. Read what I wrote again and take it in the context as to which it was referred........ :tiphat:

BTW this cow is far from fat and in moderate condition. I also need more info on the pasture she is in to judge on how well she really is maintaining.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

For those of you who cannot read I never said this cow was fat and I did say my too fat comment was in reference to what was being posted earlier by certain posters regarding so-called fat cattle.. Maybe I should have started a new thread so not to confuse some of you.. ;-)


All I said about this pair was that it was a nice pair no more, no less. Read what I wrote again and take it in the context as to which it was referred........ :tiphat:

BTW this cow is far from fat and in moderate condition. I also need more info on the pasture she is in to judge on how well she really is maintaining.

Get off your "high horse", hillsdown! - - - and get your feelings off your sleeve! I wasn't being critical of you OR your comments. Perhaps YOU should read what is referenced before you respond. I love this cow AND her calf.

Take a breath,

DOC HARRIS

 

[hillsdown]

Maybe take some of your own medicine Doc, why take offence to what I wrote ???????

I was just reiterating what was stated in my earlier post that was misconstrued by you and Alacatt because the next person will take it completely out of context.

I never said the cow was fat. AND I do agree that this is a nice pair and yes I did read what you wrote and do understand the context to which it was written.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

hillsdown-

I wasn't stepping on your toes.

Case closed.

DOC HARRIS

 

[alacattleman]

For those of you who cannot read[/b] I never said this cow was fat and I did say my too fat comment was in reference to what was being posted earlier by certain posters regarding so-called fat cattle.. Maybe I should have started a new thread so not to confuse some of you.. ;-)


All I said about this pair was that it was a nice pair no more, no less. Read what I wrote again and take it in the context as to which it was referred........ :tiphat:

BTW this cow is far from fat and in moderate condition. I also need more info on the pasture she is in to judge on how well she really is maintaining.

well i can read fine,cant spell worth a dam "" but its not that big a deal"" aleast not to me.

 

[HOSS]

For those of you who cannot read I never said this cow was fat and I did say my too fat comment was in reference to what was being posted earlier by certain posters regarding so-called fat cattle.. Maybe I should have started a new thread so not to confuse some of you.. ;-)


All I said about this pair was that it was a nice pair no more, no less. Read what I wrote again and take it in the context as to which it was referred........ :tiphat:

BTW this cow is far from fat and in moderate condition. I also need more info on the pasture she is in to judge on how well she really is maintaining.

hillsdown, to answer your question about the pasture she is on..........she is rotated off and on good and not so good pasture. The good pasture is a mixture of fescue, orchard grass and red / white clover (pretty heavy on the clover). I rotate the cattle from this to a rougher pasture of fescue, crabgrass, weeds, some clover and various other grasses. This pasture is slated to be redone this fall as it is about worn out. In the pic she is on the rough pasture and had been for about 3 weeks at the time of the pic. She and the herd will stay on it till they get it ate down real good. Then I will rotate them out, spray, till and resow sometime late august or early september.

Thanks to all for the nice comments about the pair.

 

[mnmtranching]

Now and then there are fat cattle posted on these forums. Fat is NOT a good thing in breeding stock.
This pair is NOT fat. The calf is putting on flesh just as it should. I would call this good condition on grazing. This cow is getting proper nutrients to gain as she is obviously milking well.
And I very much give the thumbs up on this pair.

 

[HOSS]

Here is another pic of the steer from behind doing what he always seems to do......eat. You might be able to tell more about the cows condition since more of her body is exposed. This calf is very long also so the cow seems far away in the wide angle lens of my cell phone because I was staying out of kicking range when I snapped it. This cow has got a big ol' butt. All of my red cows seem to have good hindquarters.

 

[cypressfarms]

I like her, her big 'ol butt and her nice calf. :clap: