Tell Me about Longhorns

[Running Arrow Bill]

Really great to hear these nice comments about Longhorns! We have horses too. Sometimes I think it is easier to train a Longhorn than a horse...lol. Usually only takes 2 or 3 sessions to get them trained to come to you and do what you want them to. We rotate ours through different pens/pastures on a regular basis. They all seem to know where their "home" pasture is. Just gently herd them down an alley leave their gate open and they go right in.

One of our very gentle bulls, a 4 year old red roan, was easy to train to let us scratch his neck, pet him on body. He'll let us move around him like one would a horse. Never tried to kick or buck to us.

Our Longhorns respond to voice commands, hand and body signals, and an occasional tap with a fiberglas sorting stick if needed. We can even "point" where we want one to go and they will do it. These are Longhorns that we have purchased from larger breeders in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma, as well as our own offspring.

Among our breeding heifers/cows we have only had a couple that were seriously overprotective with their first calf after they arrived here; since then, they now trust us. If one of our Longhorns has got their horns caught on something or a calf has got hung up they allow us to untangle them without any resistance.

A caveat: (As in John Lyon's horse advice)-- Take your time with them, don't rush them, never use force or punishment: "You Can't Get Hurt, The Horse (Longhorn) Can't Get Hurt, and the Horse (Longhorn) is calmer at the end of the lesson".

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

one more question. its about the meat. I read it very lean and better for you then chicken. so i was wondering from those that have ate it. Does it taste like other cow meat?

The meat tastes like other beef, however since it does not have as much fat in it as other breeds you do have to cook a little differently. Usually on a hotter flame and faster.

lol my kind of cooking. I always have things on to high cause i want it to cook faster. XD lol

Addendum: Some suggest to sear the Longhorn meat on both sides for 30 to 60 seconds to seal in juices and then finish cooking it over low heat. On the Longhorn roasts or thick steaks we usually cook at about 250 to 275 deg. F. Longhorn meat is approximately 95% lean and lower in cholesterol and saturated fat than chicken and other common meats. Almost no shrinkage with the ground beef and barely enough natural fat to cook it. Tenderness seems to depend on the animal, its age, how it was or wasn't fed, etc. We try to hang ours about 21 days before cutting up.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

there will be one longhorn cow being sold tomorrow a twin citys sale
in chahailis washington. DO NOT BUY HER !!!!

lol no worries. i am doing my reseach before buying anything.

but i have been searching the internet through google and there aint many northwest longhorn people on the internet with web sites. I did find two in idaho and two in utah. 90% are in texas. a little to far for me to go get cattle lol.

Go to the ITLA or TLBAA association websites for information. ITLA has a list of breeders around USA that you can contact. A lot of breeders are in TX, KS, OK, MO also.

On sidebar: If a longhorn cow, heifer, or bull is offered at a sale barn there are several reasons: Seller needed quick money, animal had a serious rare attitude problem (freezer beef), cow had one or more miscarriages or stillbirths due to mechanical injury, serious infection, etc. Seller was reducing herd of overstock calves (especially bull calves) for a quick sale. Or maybe even the bull had a rare fertility problem. And, a seller might even be "family" liquidating one or more quickly due to death of owner (and no other family wanted to raise cattle) or didn't want to bother with taking animals to a Longhorn sale or auction.

 

[Rustler9]

The meat is delicious and is recommended for people who aren't supposed to have beef-very low fat and cholesterol. When we brown the ground beef for chili or spaghetti there's no fat to drain. We usually cook steaks no more than medium as they can get a little tough due to less fat content.

Go to Dickinson Cattle Co website and check on their Longhorns-they have skulls for sale-275.00 and up I believe.

 

[TagandKiss]

thank you all again for all this information

 

[TagandKiss]

ok i have some photos of our pasture. its about i say 4ish acres. I was wondering if it be ok for a couple longhorns. =) I just took these photos today and the pasture a lil dead seeing its still winter. even through our weather lately says other wise. it nice a green during the summer.

i know the barn area needs a lil work
I feel stupid asking this but its better to know then not to know i guess.

 

[BC]

Longhorns are like every other breed -they have good qualities and some not so good.
On the opostive side - easy calving, lower maintenance, fertile, few udder problems and good longetivity in cows.
Down side - lack of muscling, lower feedlot gain. This makes pure Longhorns unacceptable to the feedlot and packing industry.

 

[Rustler9]

Your land looks fine to have a couple of Longhorns. You might think about getting a couple of steers, if you don't want to have to deal with cows having to be bred and having calves. Otherwise you might think about getting maybe two cows and either borrowing a bull to breed or using AI. It really wouldn't be feasible for you to have to keep up a bull on small acerage.

 

[TagandKiss]

yea. i was thinking about two cows and having them ai. I gonna read more about ai and stuff