if i was to go to tn to get about 15 - 20 longhorn yearlings to start a crossbreeding herd what would they cost in that area. looking for a lower investment with some rugged long lasting cattle that can raise a modest calf and breed back every year. has anyone ever did this with longhorns or is this a bad idea.
tx longhorn
- Thread starter trin
- Start date
warpaint
Well-known member
Are we talking about registered or commercial?
There would be a pretty wide margin.
There would be a pretty wide margin.
Rustler9
Well-known member
It's a good idea, of course I'll say that because that's the breed that I raise. However, they are much less maintenance and eat less than many other breeds. When crossed with a beef bull such as Charolais they will produce a big, beefy calf on less feed than other tradtional breeds. If you're going to cross them you probably want to find someone who has a herd of commercial Longhorns so you can get them for less money than if you were buying registered stock.
In part of the registered market the value of the longhorns are the horns...not the entire breed. They make a good cross because of their longevity, easy calving, disease resistance, great maternal attributes, high quality udders, low cost of maintenance, etc... generally, they are an easy keeping breed that has a lot of good maternal qualities.
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Bez>
Well-known member
Well, I lived in Alberta - a long time ago and did not have a lot of money - come to think of it that is still and has always been the case - but I digress.
We used to cross LH with British cattle. We found the following:
1. LH were very tolerant to cold,
2. LH did not require high quality feed to keep going and gain weight,
3. They were real good at calving out on their own,
4. There were very few wolf kills - for whatever reason,
5. They always managed to find something to eat during dry weather.
6. They crossed real well with everything we put in the field
7. They were cheap to buy.
8. Great moms.
I can think of a whole bunch more reasons to buy them - like putting an LH bull on heifers - the first calf is never a hard delivery, etc., etc.
This animal has been bastardized into an ornament by collectors - and good money has been made by people who raise them for things other than what I have mentioned.
To the point that others who have never used them are experts on how frigging lousy they are as a beef animal. You will see them bad mouthed on these boards regularly as being next to useless.
Having used them I now know they have a serious place in any commercial herd if the owner(s) is prepared to use them as they should be used.
To a certain extent, the same comparisom can be made with Shorthorns as well. There are people on this board that live to bad mouth the breed because of what has happened to it by the show folks. Well, go to Canada and see the huge herds of shorties - all pulling their own weight and doing as good or better than any other beef breed out there.
We do not have them any more - but I would not hesitate - if I were to change things around here on this place to add Shorties or LH to the breed mix.
And I know that you would not be able to tell - when I delivered the calf - what breed it was - other than the fact it was a good commercial animal to be used in the field or feed lot.
Regards,
Bez>
We used to cross LH with British cattle. We found the following:
1. LH were very tolerant to cold,
2. LH did not require high quality feed to keep going and gain weight,
3. They were real good at calving out on their own,
4. There were very few wolf kills - for whatever reason,
5. They always managed to find something to eat during dry weather.
6. They crossed real well with everything we put in the field
7. They were cheap to buy.
8. Great moms.
I can think of a whole bunch more reasons to buy them - like putting an LH bull on heifers - the first calf is never a hard delivery, etc., etc.
This animal has been bastardized into an ornament by collectors - and good money has been made by people who raise them for things other than what I have mentioned.
To the point that others who have never used them are experts on how frigging lousy they are as a beef animal. You will see them bad mouthed on these boards regularly as being next to useless.
Having used them I now know they have a serious place in any commercial herd if the owner(s) is prepared to use them as they should be used.
To a certain extent, the same comparisom can be made with Shorthorns as well. There are people on this board that live to bad mouth the breed because of what has happened to it by the show folks. Well, go to Canada and see the huge herds of shorties - all pulling their own weight and doing as good or better than any other beef breed out there.
We do not have them any more - but I would not hesitate - if I were to change things around here on this place to add Shorties or LH to the breed mix.
And I know that you would not be able to tell - when I delivered the calf - what breed it was - other than the fact it was a good commercial animal to be used in the field or feed lot.
Regards,
Bez>
Provided that the cows are able to deliver the calf it is always profitable to cross smaller low maintenance cows to growth sires as a termimal cross.
I have no experience of longhorns, but over here we have Nguni, Tuli and Afrikaner to do the same job when crossed with more beefy growthy sires. Conformation wise the longhorn seems very similar to our native Ngunis.
I have no experience of longhorns, but over here we have Nguni, Tuli and Afrikaner to do the same job when crossed with more beefy growthy sires. Conformation wise the longhorn seems very similar to our native Ngunis.
warpaint
Well-known member
trin":15i7ylv1 said:
I cant say for sure because I don't have any commercial. I would suspect that they would be very close to market price or slightly lower.
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
Ryan":2buum1ay said:
Dang Ryan! Can't believe you are selling bred heifers for that little! Sorry for my irritation! Those are roper prices... Bottom-end culls??
Don't mean to offend... Of course, fewer mouths to feed with current hay prices...
:shock:
Rustler9
Well-known member
Bez,
Excellent post. I appreciate your honesty and knowledge from using the breed previously. That's what really eats at me-these folks who know nothing of the breed but continue to bash it. When it comes right down to it-I think that most people who have not ever had any of them are basically afraid of them because of their horns. Longhorns are not for everyone but they were the first American beef breed and still have a place in crossbreeding and for lean beef. When the first Herefords and Durhams were brought over the Longhorn cow was used as a base to breed up to purebred status for those respective breeds. Many people either don't know that or have forgotten it. I don't expect everyone to have them but I would appreciate a little more consideration from other folks before they start downing them. There are breeds that I don't particularly care for but I certainly try not to bash them.
Ryan,
It sounds to me like you're selling your heifers too cheap. Even if they're not up to par horn wise or for showing, they surely would make excellent brood cows and be great for using another breed of beef bull on.
Excellent post. I appreciate your honesty and knowledge from using the breed previously. That's what really eats at me-these folks who know nothing of the breed but continue to bash it. When it comes right down to it-I think that most people who have not ever had any of them are basically afraid of them because of their horns. Longhorns are not for everyone but they were the first American beef breed and still have a place in crossbreeding and for lean beef. When the first Herefords and Durhams were brought over the Longhorn cow was used as a base to breed up to purebred status for those respective breeds. Many people either don't know that or have forgotten it. I don't expect everyone to have them but I would appreciate a little more consideration from other folks before they start downing them. There are breeds that I don't particularly care for but I certainly try not to bash them.
Ryan,
It sounds to me like you're selling your heifers too cheap. Even if they're not up to par horn wise or for showing, they surely would make excellent brood cows and be great for using another breed of beef bull on.
Shorthornguy
Well-known member
Good post Bez. They are good to have in wolf country as they will chase the wolf out of the pasture if they don't kill it. We cross ours with polled shorthorn and get some nice calves.
Rustler9 and RAB,
Those are just our very bottom end culls that we would be taking to the sale barn if we didnt sell them via private treaty as commercial females. very rarely do we actually have any females like this. right now for our bottom end cull females that might be growing wheels here shortly the price is more in the 600 to 650 range.
Ryan
Those are just our very bottom end culls that we would be taking to the sale barn if we didnt sell them via private treaty as commercial females. very rarely do we actually have any females like this. right now for our bottom end cull females that might be growing wheels here shortly the price is more in the 600 to 650 range.
Ryan
I will buy every friggin longhorn heifer that is bred for 400.00. Ship em up here.... Have em bred to an angus and I will up my price... Hell I will even send you a bull if you can provide me with 20 or more a year.
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
Ryan":947489eo said:
Glad you clarified this Ryan. I didn't really think you were selling any of your "good or better" young-uns for those prices...lol.
As I see it the Longhorns had a very long and profitably history, but when english cattle came along they(LH) all but went BYBY... If not for some state(GOVERMENT) keeping them alive....Now if they are half of what you Long horn people say, why did the breed all but die out...I think if there were millions of cows why did no one preserve them...I think they are beautiful, I love cowboy movies, and Yes John Wayne was my hero...But I do not want any Long Horns....
Running Arrow Bill":2fm02276 said:
More purebreeders (of ALL breeds) should be willing to admit that a heifer or cow just is not getting it done at the level that you should accept from that breed and dump it at the salebarn (preferably without the registration paper) instead of pawning off on a private treaty guy. Just because you CAN sell a female for a good price does not mean that it is in the longterm best interests of your operation to do so. Anybody who is selling EVERY female as a registered cow is asking for trouble. Ryan should be commended for having the discipline for not pawning off his decent looking culls on a past buyer who would buy them over the phone on the herd's reputation alone.
