Underweight or just the Breed?

[lancemart]

I have Polled Herfords and one 5 month old Holstein calf. When the Herfords were 5 months old they looked really healthy. The Holstein looks very thin. I give her grain and plenty of grass. Is it just the breed, for them to be bony looking, or is there something wrong? Do they not grow as fast as Herfords.

 

[Herefordcross]

The holstein;'s tend to stay boney for a while and then with enough feed they'll plump up but, be careful or they'll get pot bellied and look like crap. I have about 25 head of hereford in addition to the Angus herd. I love my herefords, they're slower growing but, far gentler than the angus.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Most dairy breeds tend to be on the lean side. They have been bred to be producers of milk, not meat.

Katherine

 

[brianna]

We buy and raise bottle calves. Holstein calves will never compare to Hereford calves, but if they are healthy, they will not look thin.
I think this calf looks "thin and boney" because he has a problem.
He's been wormed? Is he being knocked off the feed by the larger herefords. Seems like Milkmaid is the expert. Try to PM her.
In a group of calves, when 1 falls way behind, there's always a problem. Jump on it now. At 5 months they can go downhill very fast. good luck.
B

 

[somn]

I am assuming you are planning on feeding these calves out to slaughter weight. The best thing you can do for the holstein calf is to take away the grass and feed it more grain. If you do that you will have a calf capable of producing more pounds of meat than your hereford calves will ever produce. The longer you leave it on grass the bigger the hay belly it will have and a hay belly is never a good thing. But also remember she is a heifer and probably a free martin so that takes away from her potential. But if fed properly a holstien steer calf will grow as fast or faster than a herford in a feedlot. It will certainly produce more pounds of meat on a close out sheet.

Even if you are not planning on feeding these calves out to slaughter weight still take the holstein calf off the grass and put it on more grain. It would be a bad business decision to sell the calf light and let someone else put on the cheap pounds of gain. You will always get paid more for the pounds of meat you put on the calf than what you spent in feed. I know this is hard for some people to understand but feedlots make their money that way. The feed never costs as much as the amount the meat gets sold for.