Stocker Steve
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What do you think of SH as a maternal breed, and why are they not more popular?
Shorthorn X Cows?
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The real Shorthorns were the original maternal breed. The show ring folks stuck their oar in and started crossing them with maines, chi, probably rhino and who knows what else and pretty well got away form the old traits. If you cna find some othe non-appendix shorthorns you will have the potentail for some great momma cows.
Stocker Steve
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I bought a small SH and Herf herd from an Angus hater who said they trace back to his Grandfather in the 1880s.
They are teenage cows that like to deliver big bull calves, so I am not been able to build numbers from them.
You see a few SH in the sales barn but they are usually pretty rough stuff.
One (show?) guy has ads in this area but he wants $1400 and up for heifers.
Any "pure" maternal SH bulls in the Genex line up?
They are teenage cows that like to deliver big bull calves, so I am not been able to build numbers from them.
You see a few SH in the sales barn but they are usually pretty rough stuff.
One (show?) guy has ads in this area but he wants $1400 and up for heifers.
Any "pure" maternal SH bulls in the Genex line up?
Lucky_P
Well-known member
There are some good commercial-type Shorthorns out there, but the club calf crowd has concentrated on 'hair and bone', 'neck extension', etc., and selection for those traits (and the genetic defects that some think are coupled with hair/bone/big butts) has resulted in some unacceptable birth weights.
We are breeding halfblood Shorthorns out of cows that are 3/4 or greater Angus or Simmental, with plans to use those halfblood Shorties to produce 'terminal' calves by high-growth Angus or Simmental bulls.
Only have a few on the ground so far, and have not bred any of the heifers, but that's the plan. Currently have been breeding to a couple of Waukaru bulls(Goldmine 2109 and Coppertop 464 - available from Origen/ABS); plan to use some Rob Sneed-bred bulls this fall ( 034 - if I can locate semen, 329, if I can't).
Genex carried Waukaru Carnegie for years; can't remember what SH they have right now, but it wasn't even slightly interesting to me. Looked. It's a Double Stuff x Cunia - lots of Maine in there, and TH Carrier, to boot. Not what I'd want in a commercial herd.
We are breeding halfblood Shorthorns out of cows that are 3/4 or greater Angus or Simmental, with plans to use those halfblood Shorties to produce 'terminal' calves by high-growth Angus or Simmental bulls.
Only have a few on the ground so far, and have not bred any of the heifers, but that's the plan. Currently have been breeding to a couple of Waukaru bulls(Goldmine 2109 and Coppertop 464 - available from Origen/ABS); plan to use some Rob Sneed-bred bulls this fall ( 034 - if I can locate semen, 329, if I can't).
Genex carried Waukaru Carnegie for years; can't remember what SH they have right now, but it wasn't even slightly interesting to me. Looked. It's a Double Stuff x Cunia - lots of Maine in there, and TH Carrier, to boot. Not what I'd want in a commercial herd.
HOSS
Well-known member
I have 2 shorthor x angus cows. They both milk like holstiens and raise big calves. One is a hard doer and the other looks at grass and gets fat. Both have udder issues with over-sized teats. One I had to get up this year a few times and drain 2 teats with drain catheters. They are young cows but I will be culling the one with the 2 bottle teats. I like their calf raising ability and their dispositions however.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Mine were in a countinous graze pasture with some sheep :shock: so you know they are good doers.
Unfortuately, they were pretty old (most were 10 to 15) when I got them so the culling rate is about equals the heifers born.
I have culled some Simi cross for bad udders but the SH are not ideal either.
My best udders on on some fat old herfs...
Unfortuately, they were pretty old (most were 10 to 15) when I got them so the culling rate is about equals the heifers born.
I have culled some Simi cross for bad udders but the SH are not ideal either.
My best udders on on some fat old herfs...
piedmontese
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i had about 15 shorthorns but now i only have 2 fullbloods left.alot of mine were too maternal.they would let anyone nurse them even b4 they had calved.i do have a sh x maine/angus heifer that is bred to a saler bull that looks real nice.also got a nice looking sh x pied heifer that i may keep if she keeps it up.not looking to add anymore sh's.
CKC1586
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Had some of the best beef in my freezer from a Piedmontese/Shorthorn cross steer!
turning grass into beef
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I have heard it said many times that there is more variance within breeds than across breeds. That is especially true with shorthorns.
If you want to raise hardoing, long necked, long nosed, narrow muzzled, narrow between the eyes, shallow, and in some peoples eyes "pretty" or "fancy" females, then you can find shorthorn breeders that raise this type of animal.
If you want to find females that are thick, deep, long, wide muzzled, wide betweene the eyes, shorter necked, and easy keeping there are also shorthorns breeders that raise this type.
I don't have any personal experience with how many breeders in the U.S.A. are raising the easy keeping, traditional type of shorthorns. I can only state that they are unfortunately in the minority when it comes to voicing there opinion on how the association should be run. Once again that is only from what I have been told, not from first hand experience. There are shothorn breeders in the U.S.A. that run their cows under commercial conditions, you just have to search for them.
If you want to come to Canada you will find that by far the majority of shorthorn breeders raise their cattle just like any average rancher. Hard doing cattle just don't make it under this type of management.
If you want to raise hardoing, long necked, long nosed, narrow muzzled, narrow between the eyes, shallow, and in some peoples eyes "pretty" or "fancy" females, then you can find shorthorn breeders that raise this type of animal.
If you want to find females that are thick, deep, long, wide muzzled, wide betweene the eyes, shorter necked, and easy keeping there are also shorthorns breeders that raise this type.
I don't have any personal experience with how many breeders in the U.S.A. are raising the easy keeping, traditional type of shorthorns. I can only state that they are unfortunately in the minority when it comes to voicing there opinion on how the association should be run. Once again that is only from what I have been told, not from first hand experience. There are shothorn breeders in the U.S.A. that run their cows under commercial conditions, you just have to search for them.
If you want to come to Canada you will find that by far the majority of shorthorn breeders raise their cattle just like any average rancher. Hard doing cattle just don't make it under this type of management.
I agree with Turning Grass into Beef.Do your homework find the right kind and make some money.Functional maternal type Shorthorns compliment the Angus based cowherd and get you the money left on the table from loss of hybrid vigor.Not only that but these cattle feed efficiently as well.A partner on one of our herd bulls feeds his steers out at a major western Kansas feedyard,Montezuma I believe.Last year his cost of gain was 90 cents.You know what feed costs have done since then, well this year they were .89 and he was kind of ticked off because his neighbors pen of Shorthorns came in at .88
When I started in the cattle business I saw a herd of brockle faced cows and another herd of blue roans that made a big impression on me.I picked the common denominator and have never looked back.
When I started in the cattle business I saw a herd of brockle faced cows and another herd of blue roans that made a big impression on me.I picked the common denominator and have never looked back.
turning grass into beef
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Stocker Steve; I just noticed that you asked about semen available through Genex. Lucky_P got it right, lots of Maine influence in the only shorthorn bull that I could find on their website.
If you are interested in shorthorn Genetics that don't have any appendix blood, a couple of options come to mind right of the top of my head. We have semen available on Saskvalley Ramrod 155R (pictured below) availble in the U.S.(I realize that this is a shameless plug for our bull
).
Another options is Muridale Shorthorns (http://www.muridale.com). I think they have semen on some of their bulls available in the U.S. Check out their website.
If you like the look of the bull on the front page of our Website, semen may be available on him in the U.S. as well. We sold him to a guy in Indiana.
To answer your original question about why shorthorns are not more popular I will give you one reason. Remember this is only my opinion and it is given free of charge, so take it for what it is worth ;-) . I think people have seen the type of shorthorns that are brought out to shows and they feel that if all shorthorns are like that then they don't want to raise shorthorns. Thankfully not all shorthorns are like what you see at the shows.
P.S. I have been told that shorthorn shows in Canada are quite differen that those in the U.S.
If you are interested in shorthorn Genetics that don't have any appendix blood, a couple of options come to mind right of the top of my head. We have semen available on Saskvalley Ramrod 155R (pictured below) availble in the U.S.(I realize that this is a shameless plug for our bull
). Another options is Muridale Shorthorns (http://www.muridale.com). I think they have semen on some of their bulls available in the U.S. Check out their website.
If you like the look of the bull on the front page of our Website, semen may be available on him in the U.S. as well. We sold him to a guy in Indiana.
To answer your original question about why shorthorns are not more popular I will give you one reason. Remember this is only my opinion and it is given free of charge, so take it for what it is worth ;-) . I think people have seen the type of shorthorns that are brought out to shows and they feel that if all shorthorns are like that then they don't want to raise shorthorns. Thankfully not all shorthorns are like what you see at the shows.
P.S. I have been told that shorthorn shows in Canada are quite differen that those in the U.S.
You'll have to check pedigrees but these folks have a ton of Shorthorns, mostly appendix stuff but some aren;t
http://cattlevisions.com/
I bet if you called their 800 number they could tell you off the top of their head what non-appendix bulls they have
http://cattlevisions.com/
I bet if you called their 800 number they could tell you off the top of their head what non-appendix bulls they have
Engler
Well-known member
The problem with shorthorn cross cows in my neighborhood is they have shorthorn cross calves.
When you sell at the sale barn you get hammered on anything that looks like a horn cross, either 1)the oldtimers remember dad talking about them back in the day when it was a dual purpose breed and they did neither well 2) they see any white/chrome and automaticly discount saying dairy/holstein or longhorn influence or 3) they see roan and think about the bad showsteer cross stuff that they got stuck with several years ago that were total zeros.
When you sell at the sale barn you get hammered on anything that looks like a horn cross, either 1)the oldtimers remember dad talking about them back in the day when it was a dual purpose breed and they did neither well 2) they see any white/chrome and automaticly discount saying dairy/holstein or longhorn influence or 3) they see roan and think about the bad showsteer cross stuff that they got stuck with several years ago that were total zeros.
