Red Polls

[Anonymous]

What are the negatives for raising Red Poll cattle. I have received lots of positive information from Red Poll breeders. I am looking at the breed because of their gentle disposition, color, calving ease, etc. Now who can tell me some negatives and why I should not consider this breed.

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[Anonymous]

The main disadvantage to them from when we researched them several years ago was the limited gene pool, low accuracies on their EPDs, and at that time no reliable carcass data

dun

> What are the negatives for raising
> Red Poll cattle. I have received
> lots of positive information from
> Red Poll breeders. I am looking at
> the breed because of their gentle
> disposition, color, calving ease,
> etc. Now who can tell me some
> negatives and why I should not
> consider this breed.

 

[Anonymous]

A couple other things to consider is: -in general Red Polls won't add as much muscle expression to their offspring as other red breeds such as Red Angus, Gelbviehs, Limousins or Salers, -if you plan on selling breeding stock, there isn't as much demand for Red Poll bulls and replacement females as there are for the other breeds listed above.

With this being said, I do think Red Polls do a lot of things right. Because of their calving ease I believe it makes good sense to use a Red Poll bull on heifers. Also, 1/2 blood Red Poll females should make some good mama cows, as long as the other half of the genetic make-up of the cows is a more moderate milk breed (i.e. Limousin, Charolais, Hereford, etc.).

 

[Anonymous]

> A couple other things to consider
> is: -in general Red Polls won't
> add as much muscle expression to
> their offspring as other red
> breeds such as Red Angus,
> Gelbviehs, Limousins or Salers,
> -if you plan on selling breeding
> stock, there isn't as much demand
> for Red Poll bulls and replacement
> females as there are for the other
> breeds listed above.

> With this being said, I do think
> Red Polls do a lot of things
> right. Because of their calving
> ease I believe it makes good sense
> to use a Red Poll bull on heifers.
> Also, 1/2 blood Red Poll females
> should make some good mama cows,
> as long as the other half of the
> genetic make-up of the cows is a
> more moderate milk breed (i.e.
> Limousin, Charolais, Hereford,
> etc.).

Thanks for the information. May be I should go with Red Angus females and use my Red Poll bull for a couple of years then get Red Angus bull. Might make more sense.

Jerry

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[Anonymous]

Unless you plan on selling purebred breeding stock, I wouldn't use a Red Angus bull on Red Angus females. They will make fine cattle, but you will give up a lot in hybrid vigor. If you really want to maintain a red hide, I would encourage you to use a red Gelbvieh, Limousin, Simmental, or South Devon bull on your Red Angus cows.

> Thanks for the information. May be
> I should go with Red Angus females
> and use my Red Poll bull for a
> couple of years then get Red Angus
> bull. Might make more sense.

> Jerry