What do you look for when buying cattle

[KYFarmKid]

When buying registered angus cattle what are some things you guys look for? Some people I talk to say EPD's and others don't look at EPD's at all and focus on their blood lines. So I was wondering what are the things y'all put emphasis on when buying bulls and cows/heifers to add to your herd.

 

[backhoeboogie]

You are looking at a specific breed. Look for the strong traits that breed is known for.

For any cows, look for conformation. Structure. It is not about how she is going to look now but how she will perform a dozen years down the road. If the legs are not right, pass on her etc. Top line. Length. Body.

There are a whole lot of links that you can look at that will tell you how to select. That doesn't necessarily give the "the eye".

I have never reall had an "eye for cattle". My grandaddy did. He was amazing. He could look at a pen of cattle and tell you traits on each and every one of them. Which would be okay to take and which ones to pass on.

At the sale barn I look long and hard. Often times the bidding is over before I am ready to start. I think the key is to get a look at them from the get go when they hit the ring. How do they move etc. A cow may look good standing in a pen out back in the presale viewing but you are not looking at how she moves.

Read read and read some more and then get with a mentor who can show you things with a group of cows.

Conformation has been discussed over and over on the forum and there are a lot of links if you search it out.

 

[pdfangus]

Most of all I would look for an honest seller....
a breeder who has been around a while....
a breeder who has a great reputation.....
a breeder who has cattle you can live with....

 

[John SD]

Good advice in the above posts.

I would add that any registered breeder worth his salt will welcome and answer questions about the livestock he has for sale.

Don't wait to check out the cattle until they come into the sale ring. Go back into the yards and look at the cattle before the sale, and visit with the consignor.

 

[Son of Butch]

The animal appearance trumps epds. The 1st thing I notice on any animal is the hair coat, I want them to have a nice healthy sheen. Hair coat health is a good tip off as to the strength of immune system or if the animal has had good nutrition and a good life or a rough life. Then how comfortable the animal moves, tracking straight, smooth and graceful or clumsy or any signs of injury. Attitude, 'high headed' cattle are a deal breaker for me, life is too short to put up with cattle that have bad attitudes. After you find animals you like then epds become important, not before.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Ya all know that I like big bu#s!! :banana:

Seriously, all good advice. I don't have any thing to add except avoid sale yard cattle if you can. Private treaty or ranch dispersions can usually yield more information for a novice buyer.

 

[SPH]

As a breeder of registered cattle I would not ignore EPD's entirely but you definitely want to use them as a tool in your selection process. Like SoB said, they need to pass the eye test first then start digging into their pedigree and EPDs. If you notice high birth weights or poor milk and growth EPDs then you may want to think twice about that animal. A good looking animal that may not perform is just as risky as a poor looking animal with good EPDs. Ideally you want both appearance and EPDs to be good.

Buy from a breeder that will guarantee their animal is sound for breeding. Last thing you want to do is spend good money on a female that won't breed or a bull that is shooting blanks and the breeder won't make the deal right by either refunding you or providing you with an equal replacement. You probably can't get that from a sale barn/yard purchase obviously but if you are starting a herd going the private treaty route is probably the best way to do it. A honest and reputable breeder will have no issues providing a guarantee, his reputation is on the line with every sale and repeat business is a big part of being successful. For bulls I would be cautious if the seller is not able to provide you with papers from a Breeding Soundness Exam or would not be willing to have one done as part of the sale terms. We not only take our sale bulls to the vet each year for a BSE but we take our mature herd bull every year too because you want to be sure your bull is fertile before he is turned out for breeding season and have heard way too many stories of guys thinking their bull is OK since he just bred a bunch of cows the prior year only to found out he is not settling cows or failed an annual BSE. You never know if something might have happened to him during his down time to cause him not to be fertile.

Most important is trust your gut feeling. If something doesn't seem right to you then pass on it, there is a lot of cattle out there to buy. Find another breeder you trust and ask them to come along with you to look at animals you are looking at and get their opinion. Not everyone will have the same advice or selection process but someone that has been in the business awhile and does it the right way is a good person to get to know and use as a mentor. As much as I hate to say it there are dishonest breeders out there that will take advantage of uninformed buyers and not feel guilty about doing it if they make a few bucks off it which is why dealing with reputable breeders is worth a few extra dollars you may end up paying but you will at least have peace of mind that you bought a good animal that they will have your back if something goes wrong beyond your control.

 

[houstoncutter]

Buy cattle that have been raised like you run cattle.

 

[Nesikep]

I don't think I could disagree with anything said before, but I have a few things to add

For females,
They need to have good wide hips and pelvis, That I find of utmost importance, because if they can't deliver a calf, no other trait is going to matter anymore.
A good udder, because the calf shouldn't have a hard time finding the teats, and will need to have good milk to make it grow
Good legs and hooves, they need to be able to follow the calf and graze, and sometimes they'll have to stand around for 3 or 4 months.. Hoof trimming is a PITA.
Then you have all the other things that make them look nice... I certainly appreciate a nice topline, but I usually look at the bottom line first... a deep chest that stays about level with the ground right back to the udder is what I like... On a young cow, I like the bottom of the teats to be about level with the belly, and that usually makes it so as they get older and things start to sag, the bottom of the udder would be level with the belly, which is still OK for a calf to find. As long as we're talking about beef animals, they have to show muscle, the best cuts are on the back and hind end, so you want to be sure that's where they carry meat.. When looking at calves in particular, I like seeing a "rectangle" when looking from the shoulders to the hips where they are of uniform width... this is reduced with age, but it sure makes for nice looking calves.

For bulls, pretty much all the criteria for heifers applies but I'll add a few
Firstly, I don't like sharp corners anywhere on them... a long smooth head.. Frog eyebrows are a dealbreaker for me! Smooth, broad shoulders and that same "rectangle" I mentioned for calves down the back. I like when their spine is below the back muscles.. He should again have balance between the front end and hind end, I find many bulls look front heavy. He should look masculin, and have a good set of nuts and a tight sheath too.

I've probably forgotten a bunch of things I look for... and others will put importance in different areas...

 

[branguscowgirl]

Nesi what are "frog eyebrows"? A large brow?

 

[cowgirl8]

We've always raised ours. But when we wean, we pull out the ones who have deep bodies, good spring to their ribs. If they qualify, we then see how they act in the pen. Doesnt matter how beautiful they are, if they act like a nut they get sold. We now mainly keep the more sim/angus ones, but other will make the cut if we like them enough.
Most of them i have picked out months before we wean, so i already know what i want about them except for how they act penned up. We cull as the year goes on, we may start out with 60 and end up with 50...

 

[WalnutCrest]

I'd recommend getting older breed cows from someone reputable who raises cattle in your area and raises them similarly to how you want to do it, and who won't mind answering questions our giving unbiased advice after the sake is long over.