what about crossing with a dairy cow

Help Support CattleToday:

A

Anonymous

i like the idea of using beefmaster cows with a sim bull. it is probly going to be hard to find good beefmaster cows for a reasonable price around my area. tell me why you would have beefmaster cows and not simm cows. my question is about using a jersey or holstein cow to cross with is that a good idea or not.
 
If starting with dairy cows, your best bet is one of the very high carcass trait low milk Angus bulls. Knock out some of the milk so they keep easier, get some marbeling in, decrease frame size, keep fertility and add some muscle.

dun

> i like the idea of using
> beefmaster cows with a sim bull.
> it is probly going to be hard to
> find good beefmaster cows for a
> reasonable price around my area.
> tell me why you would have
> beefmaster cows and not simm cows.
> my question is about using a
> jersey or holstein cow to cross
> with is that a good idea or not.
 
I prefer a beefmaster female b/c then you have the heat tolerance of the brahman, the rustling ablility of the hereford and the milking of the shorthorn in your COWS, not just calves, not to mention their docility. I dont have any experience with simmental cows but i hear they milk quite well and would probably perform well in your area. i hear conflicting reports of their nuttiness so i'm sure you could find docile simmentals as well. we have some beefmasterXsimmental heifers that should be calving any day now. i expect them to be quite good mothers. We have commercial beefmaster cows and use continental bulls like simmental, charolais and black limousin to stretch our calves out. you might want to consider using simmental cows and a brangus bull. then your calves will be black, black n white, gray, gray and white, etc which will be good at the salebarn since angus is the cool thing right now. plus you'll probably have some white markings and a little ear so your calves wont be just like angus, which you seem to be tired of seeing. (dont blame you)

I wouldnt use a dairy breed unless its for the sole purpose of producing replacement heifers. and in that case you would need to use an angus or hereford bull to beef up the calves. its hard enough to get a good, solid colored calf that wont be discounted for being part holstein using angus, but if you used a simmental or beefmaster bull you would most definitely have some spots, white feet, etc that will get discounted.

if you are looking for a niche to sale bulls when all those angus breeders around you start looking for soemthing more, you could look into a charolais or simmental seedstock operation. this will involve more recordkeeping and stuff so you may or may not want to look into that. last year the simmentalXangus cross was the hot commodity at the georgia sale barns.
 
I agree with everything you said but we can consider Normande bulls,think it will be a better choice than Simmental (I'm a Simmental breeder)

> I prefer a beefmaster female b/c
> then you have the heat tolerance
> of the brahman, the rustling
> ablility of the hereford and the
> milking of the shorthorn in your
> COWS, not just calves, not to
> mention their docility. I dont
> have any experience with simmental
> cows but i hear they milk quite
> well and would probably perform
> well in your area. i hear
> conflicting reports of their
> nuttiness so i'm sure you could
> find docile simmentals as well. we
> have some beefmasterXsimmental
> heifers that should be calving any
> day now. i expect them to be quite
> good mothers. We have commercial
> beefmaster cows and use
> continental bulls like simmental,
> charolais and black limousin to
> stretch our calves out. you might
> want to consider using simmental
> cows and a brangus bull. then your
> calves will be black, black n
> white, gray, gray and white, etc
> which will be good at the salebarn
> since angus is the cool thing
> right now. plus you'll probably
> have some white markings and a
> little ear so your calves wont be
> just like angus, which you seem to
> be tired of seeing. (dont blame
> you)

> I wouldnt use a dairy breed unless
> its for the sole purpose of
> producing replacement heifers. and
> in that case you would need to use
> an angus or hereford bull to beef
> up the calves. its hard enough to
> get a good, solid colored calf
> that wont be discounted for being
> part holstein using angus, but if
> you used a simmental or beefmaster
> bull you would most definitely
> have some spots, white feet, etc
> that will get discounted.

> if you are looking for a niche to
> sale bulls when all those angus
> breeders around you start looking
> for soemthing more, you could look
> into a charolais or simmental
> seedstock operation. this will
> involve more recordkeeping and
> stuff so you may or may not want
> to look into that. last year the
> simmentalXangus cross was the hot
> commodity at the georgia sale
> barns.

[email protected]
 
I have used Jersey, Holstein and rescently Normande bulls bulls with Simmental, Charolais, Simbrah, Limousin and Brahman; Normande are as fertile and milk as well as the Jerseys, that are alot more fertile than Holsteins, and Normande has a bit better carcass traits than Simmental, so I will prefer the use of Normande bulls with Beefmaster cows if you are looking for milk

> i like the idea of using
> beefmaster cows with a sim bull.
> it is probly going to be hard to
> find good beefmaster cows for a
> reasonable price around my area.
> tell me why you would have
> beefmaster cows and not simm cows.
> my question is about using a
> jersey or holstein cow to cross
> with is that a good idea or not.

[email protected]
 
If you are considering a Jersey or Holstein for the added milk, I would encourage you to go with a better milking beef breed instead. Gelbvieh, Simmental, South Devon, Normandie, and Braunvieh all milk well. You can probably find some half blood females (of the breeds above) at reasonable prices.

If you use dairy cows as your base, the first generation of calves will still pocess many dairy characteristics and lack muscling. Consequently these calves will be discounted significantly at the sale barn. I think you will be surprised just how much of the Holstein or Jersey will still be apparent in the 2nd generation (25% dairy animals) and also be docked significantly in price. So if you are considering buying some Holsteins or Jerseys because you can buy them cheap, they still won't be a good investment.
 
I've been to a few replacement sales in SE Texas where some guy had lots of young Brahman x Holstein cows that were sold safe in calf to a Black Angus bull, and for whatever reason they sold like hotcakes. I never have given much thought to that sort of cross, and it certainly isn't common around here, but it may be worth looking into. I guess you could try to establish essentially a "niche" market and sell Brahman x Holstein heifers or cows that were bred to a Angus, Black Limo, etc. Of course you would get hammered real hard when selling the bull calves of the initial Brahman x Holstein mating.
 
> i like the idea of using
> beefmaster cows with a sim bull.
> it is probly going to be hard to
> find good beefmaster cows for a
> reasonable price around my area.
> tell me why you would have
> beefmaster cows and not simm cows.
> my question is about using a
> jersey or holstein cow to cross
> with is that a good idea or not.

In our area, the Holstien,Brahman x heifers are the result of the local dairy farmers breeding the first calf heifers to a Brahman bull, for easier calving the first time. The calves go to sale at one day old, are picked up by the folks who buy them to bottle,sold again as yearlings, picked up by folks who grow them out, and then breed them to Angus bulls, then back to sale as bred heifers.They are the toughest, most resilient cows you'll find and excellent mamas. Wish I had a pasture full.But you don't need to breed for them, in the south they are a valuable by-product. Buy some and breed them to an Angus.If you live where it's hot, you'll like the calves. At least the buyers do.

[email protected]
 

Latest posts

Top