Show Heifer Options

[SimmentalShowGirl]

I am in the market for another Simmental show heifer and have an option of three locally from a successful herd. I know most people here are VERY knowledgeable on show heifers and such and would really appreciate some advice. I am looking for a heifer that will be competitive at bigger shows next year as a yearling...

(1)Heifer One
Sire: Ebonys Grandmaster
Dam: Steel Force cow
Comments: I really like this heifer she is more moderate size compared to the two other heifers. But she is just as wide and thick as the other two heifers very feminine head and neck. Also she is one of the longest in the group Her dam is also a very nice cow nice udder moderate frame. This heifer has caught my eye ever since she was a couple weeks old. You could put a cowboy hat through her legs she has a pretty wide wheel base




(2)Heifer two
-Sire: The herd bull who is a BMR explorer son
-Dam: Black Perfecter and Black Joker grand daughter by previous herd bull
-Comments: She is the tallest out of the three heifers and I think she is very fancy.


(3)Heifer three
-Sire: The herd bull who is a BMR explorer son
-Dam: Trade Mark cow
-Comments: She is the deepest and fastest growing in the group.


What are your recommendations for feeding?
-Previously I have been mixing 50/50 with show rite and my own mix
-My mix is is a 13% protein and 3% fat this mix is corn,oats,soybean meal,molasses, and added minerals for our area
-Also some of these heifers seem a little red and dull in the coat vet recommended Copper Bolus... I have never had this in any of my cattle but have had this a couple times in my goats.

Comments appreciated thank you for your time to evaluate these heifers. Don't be too harsh I have not bought any of these heifers as of yet...

 

[DLD]

Personally, I like the first heifer best. If she moves well and has enough grow to her, she should have a bright future. If frame size is going to be a problem with her, my next choice would be the third one. I definitely prefer her shape of hip and pin and tailhead set over the second heifer. I'm not a fan of the second one, she's a little off in her hip, a little tighter middle and finer boned, and just not as well balanced.

We have good luck with our own ration alone. Same basic ingredients as yours, but we add some soy hull pellets and cottonseed hulls (loose when it's available - right now it's in a pellet, too). But if what you're doing is working for you, I see no reason to change. If you do end up with the first heifer, be careful not to let her get too fat - she looks like the easy keepin' kind. Probably once you get them on feed with a balanced ration including minerals, you shouldn't have to worry about copper bolus', but I guess there's no harm there unless you over do it.

Good luck!

 

[SimmentalShowGirl]

DLD thank you for your input on the heifers its greatly appreciated. She has a lot of body capacity and she is smaller than the other heifers but by a couple inches, I am no too worried about her frame size as a yearling.

I am really leaning towards the 1st Ebonys Grand Master Heifer at this time Also she is VERY laid back

Question
-When you say shes a little off in her hip what do you mean by that?
-When adding cotton seed hulls to a mix is that something that should be added to the year round ration of feed? I was told once only to do this 3mths before the show season starts but to accurately see results wouldn't I want to be doing it starting now up until shes done with showing next year?
-Would a 8ounces of top dressing for the cotton hulls on each animals feed twice a day be sufficient?

Comments/opinions appreciated about the heifers!

 

[DLD]

DLD thank you for your input on the heifers its greatly appreciated. She has a lot of body capacity and she is smaller than the other heifers but by a couple inches, I am no too worried about her frame size as a yearling.

I am really leaning towards the 1st Ebonys Grand Master Heifer at this time Also she is VERY laid back

Question
-When you say shes a little off in her hip what do you mean by that?
-When adding cotton seed hulls to a mix is that something that should be added to the year round ration of feed? I was told once only to do this 3mths before the show season starts but to accurately see results wouldn't I want to be doing it starting now up until shes done with showing next year?
-Would a 8ounces of top dressing for the cotton hulls on each animals feed twice a day be sufficient?

Comments/opinions appreciated about the heifers!

Her tailhead and her pin bones set too low in relation to her hooks (hips). Makes her hip slope downward on the profile, and tends to make one appear shorter hipped. Definitely detracts from her show ring appeal. Additionally, correct shape of the hip is directly correlated to calving ease (pins and tailhead setting too high is maybe worse than too low - level is best) and many (myself included) believe to fertility as well.

Actually, when I calculate out the amount of hulls in our feed, it works out to about a pound a day, so you're thinking along the right lines there. Only thing is, if we weren't feeding soy hull pellets, I'd add in that much more cottonseed hulls, so that'd be closer to 2 pounds/hd/day. And yes, we feed it to everything (all the show calves), year 'round. But if you're going to add it in, be sure to check how it affects the balance of your ration. That amount of cs hulls probably won't change it much, but if you were to add the soy hull pellets, they'll add some protein.

If you end up feeding that first heifer above, you may need to add something like that. Not because she needs added fill, but because she may need a lower % energy, as she looks to me like an easy keeper.

 

[KNERSIE]

The first heifer is the most feminine, but the neck shoulder attachment isn't great, the second heifer will tend to get too heavy fronted, the thirds just needs more power. Not crazy about anyone, but would pick the 1st if I have to pick one. I like the wide base of the 1st, but make sure she moves freely and in straight lines. Often the really wide ones have a kink in their step that just gets worse with age/weight.

 

[SimmentalShowGirl]

Thanks for the reply... I noticed that on the first heifer and that is the only picture where her shoulder/neck attachment is not great, I think its the clip job She is a very free moving heifer. I am keeping my options open as well with other animals...

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Have you seen these heifers in person, or just seen pictures? The first heifer, profile shot, does not match the rear shot. On a side profile, she looks like she is lacking in lower muscle in her rear, and she is very course in her shoulder. Maybe it is just the picture, but I would pass and look elsewhere. I agree she is the best of the three though. I love my grandmaster heifers, but she will be slow growing if she is typical. We always thought our Grandmaster heifer was good sized for her age, until we competed at Nationals this year ans saw she was out horsed by every other heifer in the class. She was at least two inches shorter than everything. She has won a ton all this year, but when you compare her to a class of 12 contemporaries at the National level show, she was the smallest framed. We will continue to use him, but we will try to keep him on bigger framed females from now on. Just our experience.
Try to get another side shot, without the shadows, of the first heifer. And if yo do buy her, slick all that hair off so she can grow a new, fresh coat for next year. Just my suggestion! Worth about nothing

 

[gabbyellepaige]

My favorite of the three would have to be the first one, would like to see better angles of the other two. But the first one i feel has a nice backside, nice hair, and clean throughout. The second is my least favorite her neck needs to be cleaned up, her front pasterns seem a bit off to me. The third is alright just an all around moderate heifer.

 

[RbarJ]

I feel like heifer #1 is weak in her front end. She looks a like she's built a bit downhill and a little "ewe necked". Both 2 and 3 look to be good options, though. If it were me I think I'd keep #3. Although she isn't as feminine as the others, all the important stuff is there. Though not perfect, they are all good in their own respect.
Also though these are just pictures and they could look completely different in person.
I do not claim to be an expert by any means.