Red Polls

[chukar]

What are different peoples experience with this breed. I have done what reading I can about them, but don't have anyone here in the area that raises them.

There may be a couple of reasons for that:
1. Color seems to bring a significant discount at the barn here
2. We are not located that close to a population center where a more "conscious" consumer would pay a premium for a grass fed animal out of their "back yard"
3. Our climate really doesn't provide for year round grazing, and most people seem to enjoy feeding hay (or loading them up and shipping them south for the winter - which I say cost wise is about a wash with fuel, rent, etc... but calves like the california sunshine rather than a snowstorm)

Just curious about this breed a bit. Some of you may know I have been asking about the Pharo Cattle and the OCC Cattle as we are snooping around for a new bull. This may be way off base, but seems like the "attributes" of the "easy keeping" from both of these programs are also talked about with the Red Polls. Perhaps the Reds have a bit more heat tolerance, and are obviously red (which would bring us a discount if sold inside the salebarn, but not necessarily outside to the "grass fever" guys this time of year).

What else am I missing?

 

[Kingfisher]

What are different peoples experience with this breed. I have done what reading I can about them, but don't have anyone here in the area that raises them.
Where are you located??

 

[dun]

We looked at them a while back. The main issues that made us decide against them is the small genepool and the lack of readily available seedstock. You ight look into Murray Grays, they're touted for the same traits you're looking for but have the same issues of genepool and availability

 

[KNERSIE]

We looked at them a while back. The main issues that made us decide against them is the small genepool and the lack of readily available seedstock. You might look into Murray Grays, they're touted for the same traits you're looking for but have the same issues of genepool and availability

Yes, but so is hereford, angus, sussex, simmental, senepol, limousin, charolais, beefmaster, santa gertrudis, bonsmara, jersey, and the list goes on .......

 

[Jovid]

What are different peoples experience with this breed. I have done what reading I can about them, but don't have anyone here in the area that raises them.

There may be a couple of reasons for that:
1. Color seems to bring a significant discount at the barn here
2. We are not located that close to a population center where a more "conscious" consumer would pay a premium for a grass fed animal out of their "back yard"
3. Our climate really doesn't provide for year round grazing, and most people seem to enjoy feeding hay (or loading them up and shipping them south for the winter - which I say cost wise is about a wash with fuel, rent, etc... but calves like the california sunshine rather than a snowstorm)

Just curious about this breed a bit. Some of you may know I have been asking about the Pharo Cattle and the OCC Cattle as we are snooping around for a new bull. This may be way off base, but seems like the "attributes" of the "easy keeping" from both of these programs are also talked about with the Red Polls. Perhaps the Reds have a bit more heat tolerance, and are obviously red (which would bring us a discount if sold inside the salebarn, but not necessarily outside to the "grass fever" guys this time of year).

What else am I missing?

Check your PM

 

[Jovid]

We looked at them a while back. The main issues that made us decide against them is the small genepool and the lack of readily available seedstock. You ight look into Murray Grays, they're touted for the same traits you're looking for but have the same issues of genepool and availability

The small gene pool is actually an asset. It is called consistency in calves.

Yes there is limited seedstock available. The reason is "demand". Our Red Poll breeders don't have to take their calves to the sale barn. We have a waiting list of people wanting to buy females, bulls, and steers.

 

[BC]

I had some Red Poll cows 20 to 25 years ago when I lived close to the Brenham area (there were several Red Poll breeders in that area). I bred them to a smaller framed Simmental and smiled all the way to the bank.

 

[chukar]

BC - With that cross, did most of them come out black? With or without the Sim blaze? Just curious to physical appearance on them. seems there are quite a few of the potential buyers in this local area who are dead set on color, unless they get convinced otherwise.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

BC - With that cross, did most of them come out black? With or without the Sim blaze? Just curious to physical appearance on them. seems there are quite a few of the potential buyers in this local area who are dead set on color, unless they get convinced otherwise.

chukar-

If you think about it - it seems that most cattle breeders are " - - dead set" against almost everything - until they get convinced otherwise! And most of the time, if they are "dead set against" something, they refuse to become convinced - regardless of why they are "dead set against" it!

"- - cause "Daddy" said?"

DOC HARRIS

 

[Jovid]

BC - With that cross, did most of them come out black? With or without the Sim blaze? Just curious to physical appearance on them. seems there are quite a few of the potential buyers in this local area who are dead set on color, unless they get convinced otherwise.

chukar-

If you think about it - it seems that most cattle breeders are " - - dead set" against almost everything - until they get convinced otherwise! And most of the time, if they are "dead set against" something, they refuse to become convinced - regardless of why they are "dead set against" it!

"- - cause "Daddy" said?"

DOC HARRIS

It is unfortunate that some people can only see one color when it comes to cattle. That is really not a bad thing if they would focus on the color RED

I'm not talking about hide color I'm talking about what color you see when cattle are hanging on the rail.

What we need to do as cattle producers is let the local consumer know that the preferred hide color of today doesn't always produce the best end product.

 

[dun]

What we need to do as cattle producers is let the local consumer know that the preferred hide color of today doesn't always produce the best end product.

What we need to do is let the consumer know that other colors make as good of beef as the preferred color. Downgrading somone elses product to make another one look good is never the right way to market

 

[highgrit]

If all the different cattle breeders did as much for beef sales as the Angus Breeders have, our export demand for all beef would be tremendous. Exporting beef is where the moneys at. Our dollar is worth less than in other countries. The more demand we have the better the price will be for everyone.

 

[ShuterSunset]

BC - With that cross, did most of them come out black? With or without the Sim blaze? Just curious to physical appearance on them. seems there are quite a few of the potential buyers in this local area who are dead set on color, unless they get convinced otherwise.

Chuckar,

The color pattern that you will get from the Red Poll cross will pretty much depend upon the color pattern of the other breed you use. The Red Poll's red color is recessive, just like any other red hide. If you use a homozygous black bull, the calves will be black. If the bull has a trait for a white face, you can get those two.

We have used some different breeds of bulls on some of our purebred Red Poll cows and those commercial females will work well. We used a black chi-angus bull 15 or 20 years ago to try to get some black show steers out of the Red Poll females. We got black one's and the cows were really good as well. One of our best commercial cows was out of a big Meyer Red Top Simmy female and one of our Red Poll bulls. She sure milks like a Holstien, although she is a bit bigger framed than ideal due to the Red Top cow she was out of. She was a product of the great space race of the 80's. We had a commercial black, white faced recip cow that ended up being cleaned up by the Red Poll bull last year and she threw a pretty little RWF steer calf that did pretty well.

If you use a homo black bull, they will all end up being black, just like any other red cow. Those steers would work great, but I would have trouble selling any of the heifers because they would all make dang nice cows from what we have seen with our commercial halfblood Red Poll cows. I don't intend to be pimping the Red Poll breed, just trying to share our results. We have been happy with the RP cross females for sure.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

What we need to do as cattle producers is let the local consumer know that the preferred hide color of today doesn't always produce the best end product.

What we need to do is let the consumer know that other colors make as good of beef as the preferred color. Downgrading somone elses product to make another one look good is never the right way to market

offer em free steak's,, they'll love it

 

[BC]

BC - With that cross, did most of them come out black? With or without the Sim blaze? Just curious to physical appearance on them. seems there are quite a few of the potential buyers in this local area who are dead set on color, unless they get convinced otherwise.

The calves were red brockled face and red baldies. I have never cared for black cows very much, just not as heat tolerant as red or yellow. A black calf weighing 550 @$1.50 is $825. A good yellow calf that weighs 600 will bring $1.40 or $840.

An old man told me one time, in the cattle business we keep score with dollar bills.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

BC - With that cross, did most of them come out black? With or without the Sim blaze? Just curious to physical appearance on them. seems there are quite a few of the potential buyers in this local area who are dead set on color, unless they get convinced otherwise.

The calves were red brockled face and red baldies. I have never cared for black cows very much, just not as heat tolerant as red or yellow. A black calf weighing 550 @$1.50 is $825. A good yellow calf that weighs 600 will bring $1.40 or $840.

An old man told me one time, in the cattle business we keep score with dollar bills.

Hm-m-m. - - But whose dollar bills are being considered?

A "good" (define "good") yellow calf that weighs 600 will bring $1.40, or $840. Comparing 'like to like', a black calf weighing the same 600 pounds @$1.50 will bring $900.00! Are you 'intimating' that "yellow color" weighs more than black? or - the yellow color is more "feed efficient" than the color black? The individual animals MAY show a differential in 'bottom line' PROFITS, but - is it a result of Single Trait color selection choices, OR - perhaps(?) Multi-Trait, balanced, common-sense utilization of EPD's, DNA Markers, observance of functional traits, and avoiding the "disease" of Barn-Blindness?

By giving prudent attention to the Terminal traits which combine for feedlot profits, a producer may be able to capitalize on factors other than just "color of hide" discrimination!

DOC HARRIS

 

[3waycross]

Don't take this wrong Doc but maybe he would just rather raise Red cows, and that's how he figures it!

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Don't take this wrong Doc but maybe he would just rather raise Red cows, and that's how he figures it!

thats the way i took his figures too

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

That yellow calf says hybred vigor the way no black calf can.

 

[3waycross]

That yellow calf says hybred vigor the way no black calf can.

Good observation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!