killingtime":1d5ryq1q said:
The friend bull is a purebred black angus, that from what I have seen makes a nice calf. I'm not sure about birth weights though. I plan on getting the moma cow and the 1 1/2 year old bred back pretty soon.
I do have grass available but my pasture is limited until I get some fence work done( It's hot in NC in July!). I'm not feeding right now, but I know I will have to feed this winter, especially if I increase my herd. I agree that feeding will definately eat up all your profits.
I attached some pictures that I took this afternoon. Thanks for all the info!
3 years old
6 months old
1 1/2 years old
It is a kinder and gentler board here so I will be nice and polite.
After making a comment about not often commenting on cattle - I feel obliged to make one here - and once again it is a person who thinks he is getting quality Angus. What I see here is a person who thinks he will raise purebred and registered cattle - when in fact he has not got the quality he would need.
And he has been ridden all the way to the bank by an unscrupulous seller preying on a newbie.
I am seeing more and more of this as colour and trend chasers belatedly get on the band wagon of "black is best".
First off that cow looks very dairy to me - and she is typical of what many think a purebred registered cow should be - especially those new to the business. In fact she is a relativle poor example of a decent Angus.
In my opinion she might also be lacking in minerals.
Pull that calf off her now and sell it or put it in a separate pen. Whatever the cow is getting - give her more. I think she needs it
All calves / yearlings look skinny and rangy - they are either hungry, wormy or just bad genetices - or a combination of all three. Other than the genetics - fix them and feed them.
I do not care how hot it is - I am far hotter here than you will ever get and we still get the work done - so get off your butt and get the fencing done so these animals have some decent grass. Get ready the night before and put in four or more hours the next day - start just before daylight and you will be fine - you can get a pile of work done in a week like this. No more excuses.
Put some wormer into them as well - they look more than just hungry to me.
Probably better to sell that bottom pic for whatever you can get for it - looks very inbred to me - head far too large for its body - and no amount of feed will widen that funnel shaped hind quarters.
Your six month old is ready to go and would not come close to being a breeder - fatten (bet that is an exercise in futility) and eat or sell.
Use any monies to buy one quality replacement!
Time for all to come back and tell me I am a prick - but none of these are real good animals from the pics - and I think you personally were sold a bill of goods - we see this ALL THE TIME with new folks on these boards - not your fault - your seller - in my opinion - was a person of low moral standing who was quite happy to do this to you.
In all honesty I might keep the top one as a commercial prospect for the herd after seeing a few additional pics of her and after her being fed and wormed - but the others would have been gone long ago.
Do some additional due diligence - and DO NOT over stock your place - which most small holders seem to do when they start out.
1. Weaning? Separate them and make it a solid separation - let them bawl as long as they want - or sell that calf right off the cow - probably your best bet.
2. How much feed? Lots of info on this - but here is a good way to judge it - put a pile of feed out on the ground every day - if you do indeed feed every day - when the cows almost clean it up - you are there. I know some will disagree - but these animals look hungry to me.
3. Life expectancy? Do not ask Angus - ask "COWS" - they are all pretty much the same - just like Europeans, Americans, French, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, etc - all breeds live as long as their individual genetics allow - plan on 12 good years - some less and some more - then judge from there - I have a couple that are going strong in their late teens and have seen them go more than twenty.
4. General info? You better not have paid more than about 300 bucks for any of those animals. Lots of good Angus folks on this board - you should be talking to them - your seller was a person I would never go back to.
5. Breeding - We do not breed on age as much as weight - if the calf is a normal calf and growing well - we generally breed in the 8-900 pound range and sometimes in a bit heavier (1000 pounds plus) range if the breeding dates do not match our desired "calf on the ground" date - we try to drop everything on the ground in a 4 week period with a one week on either end allowed for "misfits and such" making our calving period six weeks in total - and that is just us.
It generally makes our cattle around 12 - 13 months of age when they are bred and that generally gives us her first calf at around or just before the two year old point - plus or minus a month or two depending on a bunch of other factors that do not need to be discussed here.
That is how WE do it - what you do will depend upon you and your operation. I would not breed any of your younger stock - they would not make our program.
6. General info? Papers for cattle are schitt! Does not mean anything - so forget those magic words - purebred and / or registered. Lots of commercial herds out there are topping yours right now. In fact I ALWAYS recommend a commercial bred cow calf pair for the newbie to start off with - three way - makes them realize how little importance should be placed upon papers and has a whole bunch of benefits that the newbie will come to realize on his own.
7. General info? You have entered a business that will take your @ss and kick it every chance it gets - so hang on and go for the ride - or become a leader and pave the road - either way good luck and welcome.
Suggest you stay at no more than 5 animals total - including calves - until you actually know what you are doing. That would be for several years my friend - it is not an easy game and that dirty, growly, crusty old b@st@rd farmer driving the pickup truck that should have been replaced years ago is probably me - and yeah, we really do know what we are talking about - so find one of them in your area to help you out - the guidance you are receiving now is poor at best.
Finally - you sell those bottom cattle as breeders or anything other than meat - then you are no better than the person who sold them to you - remember that.
Regards
Bez+