What is important to you

[dave_shelby]

Fescue tolerance. It seems to make or break most cows around here particularly fertility, feet, weight gain on calves, condition going into fall.

 

[SPH]

1. Calving ease/ birth weights. If you don't have a live calf you lose a year of productivity from that cow. A poor calf is always worth more than a dead calf.
2. Consistency. This may mean something different to everyone but I want to see cows that you know even on a bad year is going to give you a calf that you have some options with.
3. Phenotype. Structurally sound and are not high maintenance.
4. Udder. This is just as important as the previous 2 points. Want females that milk well but also have good teets and not milk too hard that it may affect their ability to breed back.
5. carcass traits. Bottom line is the product you put on the consumer's plate has to taste good.

 

[Dave]

Making money and not getting killed trying to do that.

 

[gman4691]

As we were passing a herd of cows belonging to someone else, i noted something there that i find important to not have. If you drive through our herds, you will not find one bad udder. I put my foot down on crap udders. Big teats, low bags, nonworking quarters, nope nope and nope... I look at others cows and the amount of bad udders i see in others herds would never work for me. As our herds become what we've worked hard to make in 45 years.. Our mostly old simbra udders from the 90s were ok at first, but, as they aged the lower they got not to mention they are one of the breeds i dont like working with when they have a new calf and when, and it almost always happens, the udder gets so low the tall calf cant nurse (LUTC syndrome) . Our cows have simbra mixed in now, but they have the better udder from the mixes than did our reg simbras.. Most of our last century reg simbras are washed out now, but kept the fast growing trait they have. Back in the day, before i was involved with what we keep, we had way too many floppy udders. Its taken years..
What is the #1 important thing you want to see on your cows? Note, not a huge weanling, we all want that....lol

I guess the main things I look for is a big frame capable of supporting a lot of muscle, low maintenance, and disposition.

 

[alacowman1]

I guess the main things I look for is a big frame capable of supporting a lot of muscle, low maintenance, and disposition.

I want good bones for muscle attachment. not so much bigger framed ..done been down that road..

 

[Travlr]

I guess the main things I look for is a big frame capable of supporting a lot of muscle, low maintenance, and disposition.

I agree. I chose my cows with the idea of topping the market and to do that they had to have the genetics to put meat on their calves... and they had to be workable. If they are hides over bones it doesn't matter what color they are, what their udders look like, or how much paper they have.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

What is important to me??
Remember, males are just a cash flow for me, but the better they are, the more $$ they make me.
I breed every cow with the goal of getting a female calf ....with the goal of making a great COW.
I want a cow that LOOKS like a female, clean fronted with smooth flat shoulders, exploding into big rib, wide top line and big butted. You should be able to fit a 50 gal drum in her. She needs lots of space to grow a calf and still have room to be able to survive easily eating hay or grass.
Next, must be structurally sound having great legs and feet. To me, they must have good bone to go with this animal. I don't care if they are any specific "size". I don't want all elephants like we used to have. Mine range from 5 to 6.5 frame size (guessing).

 

[WFfarm]

Some of our best producing cows are only milking on 3 cylinders. Temperament is important too. Don't need to get an up close look at that perfect udder while she's running over you.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I guess I would add to my list - temperament. We calve every cow in a pen situation. I don't care if they are aggressive mom's while they are in a pen. But, when I open the gate and turn pair out, I better not have to watch my back out in the field.