What do you think of my 09 show cattle?

[Ryan]

Thats what I've been thinking, but I realized there was no point in saying that as he will not listen to anyone.

I am willing to listen to any comments as long as the commenter does not insult my selecting skills or my calves.

If your going to post pictures of show cattle you should expect people to point out every flaw they have.

Its also the best way to learn. Fresh eyes on an animal, or a set of animals, should not be discounted. Most everyone can become "barn blind." Sometimes, someone strongly disagreeing with you on a subject regarding an animal is just the right thing to open one's eyes to an issue. It might come off as "insulting" at first, but generally if someone is taking the time to respond, they genuinely are trying to be helpful.

Ryan

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I am willing to listen to any comments as long as the commenter does not insult my selecting skills or my calves.

You cannon expect an HONEST opinion on your "SHOW" cattle without "insulting your seclection or your calves". Obviously, there were "poorer" cattle in the competition.
If your cattle had been fed better, they may have exhibited more natural muscling, but they appear "unthrifty". You said, AFTER the show, you started feeding 2% of their body weight.
When a calf is weaned, they should receive 1% of their body weight & keep increasing until they are consuming 3% of their weight (for finished steers).
Don't waste your money on expensive feed. You can feed whole shell corn mixed with a protein pellet. Your feed mill can mix it for you. You want a bottle calf getting about a 16% protein ration, dropping to 14% by 600# and 12% by about 800#.
When someone says "my cattle are more like REAL cattle", I figure they don't have the knowledge or money to feed them properly for the showring. You are young, and depend on your dad for feed. You will learn. Good luck.

 

[LazyARanch]

Iowa-Angus,

if you read all the various boards on here, it will soon become apparent to you that you will learn from EVERYONE on here, even the ones that at times come across rude or insulting. You've been given some VERY good advice for FREE, which is what you were looking for. You asked for comments and suggestions and you got exactly what you asked for. All of the folks on here will teach you something, some are patient, some are not, some are GOOD teachers, others will teach you other kinds of lessons. Don't react to the ones that make you angry, just read and learn. The point we all want to get to is not to make the same mistake again, and to always improve on what we have.
Enjoy your time on here, think about what you learn, move forward, and don't forget the lessons.

Best wishes to you and your cattle :tiphat:

Vickie

 

[blackcowz]

When someone says "my cattle are more like REAL cattle", I figure they don't have the knowledge or money to feed them properly for the showring. You are young, and depend on your dad for feed. You will learn. Good luck.

Ditto! I used to pull that same excuse. If you really want "show cattle", that statement about "real world" is boloney. "Show" cattle aren't always, and to be blunt, rarely are "real world" cattle. You have more "practical" cattle for a commercial operation, but get involved in judging. If you get a coach like mine, you'll learn really fast how little you know about selecting plain good stock. And I've been judging for 3 years. Stick with it, work your tail off, and it'll show up in the quality of your cattle and improved showring success.

 

[hillsdown]

A bottle calf, if raised properly, will look as good or better than a calf that is raised by it's dam. You get to choose the feed the amounts and the schedule..You are in total control. You need to put a little more effort and do some more research if you want to raise a "real life'' practical bottle calf.

All those bottle fed calves look pathetic ..

Please do not take offence because I do have tons of experience in raising awesome bottle calves that go on to be excellent cows.

 

[VasquezI]

In my opinion
your on the right path no one unless they have the money to back them up starts with perfect cattle get what you can affort and work your way up with genetics you have the fundementals so use them in selecting animals to produce your next set of show animals and keep improving its the name of the game well Good luck and dont let any haters get you down

 

[S&WSigma40VEShooter]

i am talking about a realistic pasture cow.... and i was only talking about the heifer....

Still have alot to learn. The only reason you probably did win in the show as you pointed out earlier is because the others were more pee poor than yours and that is hard to believe.

 

[S&WSigma40VEShooter]

Watch yourself on the implants. You can mess a calf up real fast with implants

ok... How often should i implant then? I don't want to mess them up....

Get you some better genetics and you wont have to implant. Most people I know would never buy an animal to eat (and that is what happens to steers after their show career) that have been implanted with hormones.

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

Watch yourself on the implants. You can mess a calf up real fast with implants

ok... How often should i implant then? I don't want to mess them up....

Get you some better genetics and you wont have to implant. Most people I know would never buy an animal to eat (and that is what happens to steers after their show career) that have been implanted with hormones.

Yet they are used everyday in feedlots.

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Get you some better genetics and you wont have to implant. Most people I know would never buy an animal to eat (and that is what happens to steers after their show career) that have been implanted with hormones.

Yet they are used everyday in feedlots.

I suppose it's the same for the US. We only used to implant the smaller animals. Animals that we were sure were going to make the supermarket weight requirement never got hormone implants. Having said that they all went on the truck together so it'd be roulette at the shops as to whether you got one or not :nod:

 

[S&WSigma40VEShooter]

Get you some better genetics and you wont have to implant. Most people I know would never buy an animal to eat (and that is what happens to steers after their show career) that have been implanted with hormones.[/quote]

Yet they are used everyday in feedlots.[/quote]


My customers buy my meat because of that fact. They wont buy from the stores because of what you are doing. PERIOD! Now the average consumer that buys store bought meat doesnt give a second thought about it but everyone that buys from me said you dont know whats in that store bought meat I want to buy it from you because its cheaper and there are no hormones or antibiotics used.

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

Well, isn't that dandy. I really had no care where my calves went after the show so I didn't pay much mind to it.

 

[S&WSigma40VEShooter]

Well, isn't that dandy. I really had no care where my calves went after the show so I didn't pay much mind to it.

I hear ya. Each operation is different. I just know that if I did that to my freezer beefs I would have no customers.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Implants get a bad rap. Because of "perceived" issues, we don't implant, but everyone that does not implant is losing money.
It has been proven many times that there is more HORMONES in broccolli (sp?) than in implanted beef. There are several common "healthy" foods that contain more hormones.

 

[Sean M]

Implants get a bad rap. Because of "perceived" issues, we don't implant, but everyone that does not implant is losing money.
It has been proven many times that there is more HORMONES in broccolli (sp?) than in implanted beef. There are several common "healthy" foods that contain more hormones.

Soya has a huge hormone level. Far, far higher than beef treated with hormones. I can still understand why consumers, including myself, would be against it though. It does seem a little unnatural and I find the thought of eating hormone treated beef a little 'wrong'.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Implants get a bad rap. Because of "perceived" issues, we don't implant, but everyone that does not implant is losing money.
It has been proven many times that there is more HORMONES in broccolli (sp?) than in implanted beef. There are several common "healthy" foods that contain more hormones.

Soya has a huge hormone level. Far, far higher than beef treated with hormones. I can still understand why consumers, including myself, would be against it though. It does seem a little unnatural and I find the thought of eating hormone treated beef a little 'wrong'.

But the implants are just putting "more" of what the animal is already producing in it's own body - and still not raising it to a level more than what you get in other "natural" foods. Like I said, we don't use them any more, but it's really a shame, because the industry is losing money by NOT using implants.