WHAT KIND OF COWS SHOULD I USE?

[BRAFORDMAN]

We are going to be building our numbers again in the spring or maybe fall.
We have a herd of hereford and a herd of brangus.
I have three bulls. A reg. black angus, a black white face braford cross bull, and a reg. red angus plus (3/4 red angus).
I plan to use the braford on the hereford and the black angus on the brangus. Braford cross and angus bull throw good calves. Braford bull was used on black baldies before, and the tigerstripe calves i got were awesome and brought good money and made good replacements, so the herefords should throw good tigerstripes as well. And the angus plus calves i got from the angus amd brangus cows were very nice and brought good money.

IF i do decide to keep the red angus plus bull, when we build our numbers again what kind of cows would you guys recommend to use with him?

 

[Baldie Maker]

Just from the outside looking in I'd switch that around so that the braford is on the brangus and the red angus plus on the herefords; doing it the way you stated will cut down the non additive effects of heterosis. If you are wanting to take some ear off of those calves, the way you stated it would probably work better, but since you have Nelore and Brahman cows I'm not thinking you're all to concerned about that.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

Just from the outside looking in I'd switch that around so that the braford is on the brangus and the red angus plus on the herefords; doing it the way you stated will cut down the non additive effects of heterosis. If you are wanting to take some ear off of those calves, the way you stated it would probably work better, but since you have Nelore and Brahman cows I'm not thinking you're all to concerned about that.

the nelore and brahman are going to be kept pure for registered use.

The black angus plus and tigerstripes bring top dollar at our sale barn or anything black with little ear. Tigerstripes a the only thing that will not be docked for having too much ear.

I like the heifers( 2 he got in with the brangus and bred two cows) i got from the brafordcross bull and brangus cows, i am keeping them to see how the will turn out, but i think they have too much ear to sale at the sale barn and i will be docked.
the angus brangus and braford hereford will give me the least amount of ear. the braford bull IS PROBABLY CLOSE TO 3/4 BRAHMAN, HE IS THE ONLY CROSSBRED bull i use and will ever use unless . he is good when bred to cows with little ear.

Thats why i thought black angus for the red brangus.

 

[Kingfisher]

The neighbors........

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

EDIT: unless i get a good son out of him. He is 8 now and i have sold some good bull calves that would have been good replacements for him.

 

[Ryder]

We are going to be building our numbers again in the spring or maybe fall.
We have a herd of hereford and a herd of brangus.
I have three bulls. A reg. black angus, a black white face braford cross bull, and a reg. red angus plus (3/4 red angus).
I plan to use the braford on the hereford and the black angus on the brangus. Braford cross and angus bull throw good calves. Braford bull was used on black baldies before, and the tigerstripe calves i got were awesome and brought good money and made good replacements, so the herefords should throw good tigerstripes as well. And the angus plus calves i got from the angus amd brangus cows were very nice and brought good money.

IF i do decide to keep the red angus plus bull, when we build our numbers again what kind of cows would you guys recommend to use with him?

That must be some bull. Maybe it would be better to look for some good cows you like and then find a bull to complement them. That way you would have to look for one good bull to suit the cows rather than find a bunch of cows for that particular bull.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

i would build up some uniformity in my moma cows, before i turned a motley crew of bulls loose on em... that braford bull would be the first to take a final journey

 

[1982vett]

Just from the outside looking in I'd switch that around so that the braford is on the brangus and the red angus plus on the herefords; doing it the way you stated will cut down the non additive effects of heterosis. If you are wanting to take some ear off of those calves, the way you stated it would probably work better, but since you have Nelore and Brahman cows I'm not thinking you're all to concerned about that.

the nelore and brahman are going to be kept pure for registered use.

The black angus plus and tigerstripes bring top dollar at our sale barn or anything black with little ear. Tigerstripes a the only thing that will not be docked for having too much ear.

I like the heifers( 2 he got in with the brangus and bred two cows) i got from the brafordcross bull and brangus cows, i am keeping them to see how the will turn out, but i think they have too much ear to sale at the sale barn and i will be docked. the angus brangus and braford hereford will give me the least amount of ear. the braford bull IS PROBABLY CLOSE TO 3/4 BRAHMAN, HE IS THE ONLY CROSSBRED bull i use and will ever use unless . he is good when bred to cows with little ear.

Thats why i thought black angus for the red brangus.

Can't help but wonder how much you will be "docked" over 2 or 3 years if you find they don't turn out as expected or end up having "mongrel" calves. Just a thought.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

Just from the outside looking in I'd switch that around so that the braford is on the brangus and the red angus plus on the herefords; doing it the way you stated will cut down the non additive effects of heterosis. If you are wanting to take some ear off of those calves, the way you stated it would probably work better, but since you have Nelore and Brahman cows I'm not thinking you're all to concerned about that.

the nelore and brahman are going to be kept pure for registered use.

The black angus plus and tigerstripes bring top dollar at our sale barn or anything black with little ear. Tigerstripes a the only thing that will not be docked for having too much ear.

I like the heifers( 2 he got in with the brangus and bred two cows) i got from the brafordcross bull and brangus cows, i am keeping them to see how the will turn out, but i think they have too much ear to sale at the sale barn and i will be docked. the angus brangus and braford hereford will give me the least amount of ear. the braford bull IS PROBABLY CLOSE TO 3/4 BRAHMAN, HE IS THE ONLY CROSSBRED bull i use and will ever use unless . he is good when bred to cows with little ear.

Thats why i thought black angus for the red brangus.

Can't help but wonder how much you will be "docked" over 2 or 3 years if you find they don't turn out as expected or end up having "mongrel" calves. Just a thought.

I have never kept any from him and the few brangus he bred a couple years ago because they were all bulls. These are the first heifers i have gotten from him and brangus cows. All his heifers have been great mothers that raised good calves and there is no reason that the 2 heifers i have from him and brangus cows shouldn't be the same. I have kept heifers from him for the past 5 years and none have ever dissapointed me. And my last herd was built of mostly his offspring.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

I decided on what to do. I will choose the cows then get a bull to fit them

I am going to breed my brangus to my black white face braford and my herefords to my black angus bull.

As far as the third herd. I am going to get some half angus british white heifers and some black angus heifers in the summer. They half british white black angus heifers are black. And the cross makes darn good cows. Half blood british white cows bred to bulls of other breeds will not throw british white marked calves most of the time. I may breed them to a hereford bull. Not sure in that yet.
I will also keep any promising heifers from this years calf crop.

Tiger stripe,black angus plus,smokies,black white face and anything black is what sells good in texerkana where our calves go.
I do not mind having these three different herds because i can switch bulls to what ever the market is demanding.

My braford cross herd was mostly the braford bulls daughters from black baldie and super baldie cows they were the best cows I had. He is the only crossbred bull I will ever use. He was born on my place and will die on my place. He is a true grass fed bull. He is about 2700 pounds. And he keeps his condition on grass. He does not fall off during the winter or while breeding cows. When he is not with cows he is not fed. He eats hay and grass and some cubes to bring him up.He was raised on grass . HIs calves are born small and hit the ground growing

The red angus plus if for sale now haha anyonw want to buy him? :lol:

Thanks for the suggestions

 

[kenny thomas]

He was born on my place and will die on my place(quote)

I think by this statement you really like him but 2700lb at .80 per lb is $2,160. Never let one die on my farm if it is worth $50 much less that much.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

He was born on my place and will die on my place(quote)

I think by this statement you really like him but 2700lb at .80 per lb is $2,160. Never let one die on my farm if it is worth $50 much less that much.

:lol2: Well maybe I will change that haha he is going to stay until he is not fertile.

 

[kenny thomas]

There you go. A lot of money down the drain otherwise.

 

[Kingfisher]

My braford cross herd was mostly the braford bulls daughters from black baldie and super baldie cows they were the best cows I had. He is the only crossbred bull I will ever use. He was born on my place and will die on my place. He is a true grass fed bull. He is about 2700 pounds. And he keeps his condition on grass. He does not fall off during the winter or while breeding cows. When he is not with cows he is not fed. He eats hay and grass and some cubes to bring him up.He was raised on grass . HIs calves are born small and hit the ground growing.

Have you got a picture of this bull you can share? Thanks.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

I willtry and get one this weekend

 

[irked]

why in the world would anyone even consider saving replacements from a bull with a mature weight of 2,700 pounds? have you given any thought to what those daughters will weigh? of course, i think most of us know that an actual trip across the scales will often change a lot of guesses about weight.

you should also keep in mind that while it's not impossible for a crossbred bull to sire outstanding calves, it's more often the exception rather than the rule. if your braford bull is really getting great calves, you should consider yourself lucky. you certainly shouldn't expect the same from his sons, however.

we'll obviously never put to rest the questions you have regarding which bull, which cows, etc. that's part of being youthful and wanting to learn. fortunately, you have plenty of time to experiment and prove us all wrong. given your questions, this is what i would do if i was in your position with a herd of brangus and a herd of herefords:

certainly, i would sell the 2,700 pound mongrel. considering the price of slaughter cattle, you will never find a better time to convert an older bull to a younger bull with proven genetics. in fact, i would sell all of the bulls you have and replace them with all brangus bulls. the brangus bulls will start to give you some uniformity in a calf crop and that will pay you the biggest dividends in the future. the brangus on your brangus cowherd will allow you to save replacements and keep a pure brangus cowherd if you so choose. alternatively, the brangus females should bring you top dollar should you decide to sell them. and the brangus steer calves shouldn't hurt you too bad in your area.

the brangus bull on your hereford herd will allow you the same alternatives. a female that will be much in demand for replacements, either for yourself or to market. also, the brangus baldy steer calves will probably do okay in your area. any discount you receive on your brangus-sired steer calves will probably be made up for by the increased value of your heifer calves, considering current demand for replacement females.

you could possibly do the same thing with hereford bulls, but the straight hereford calves will probably have to be sold at a discount. the alternative to not taking that discount would probably be to feed them yourself and it would take greater numbers than you have to make that work.

brangus bulls would be my choice, considering your location and the two cowherds you already have established. and you'll never find a better time than now to trade older, bigger bulls for younger bulls out of proven genetics.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

his daughters mature betwen 1000-1500 lbs

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

I have used this bull for about 7 years. HIs heifers range from 1000-1500 lbs.
I have kept heifers for the past 5 years. He is a big bull, but his heifers never get that big. They are what I would call average size cows.

Just asking. What is wrong with the black angus? He will give me a uniform calf crop.
I just bought him last year from a well known angus ranch i east texas. He is a mytty infocus son. Proven gentics.

Tigerstripes,black baldies, brangus, and black angus plus sell well in my area.

And wouldn't using a bull for 7 years and keeping heifers for replacements for 5 years and I know how good they turn out, be a proven bull.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I have used this bull for about 7 years. HIs heifers range from 1000-1500 lbs.
I have kept heifers for the past 5 years. He is a big bull, but his heifers never get that big. They are what I would call average size cows.

Just asking. What is wrong with the black angus? He will give me a uniform calf crop.
I just bought him last year from a well known angus ranch i east texas. He is a mytty infocus son. Proven gentics.

Tigerstripes,black baldies, brangus, and black angus plus sell well in my area.

And wouldn't using a bull for 7 years and keeping heifers for replacements for 5 years and I know how good they turn out, be a proven bull.

it takes a few generations to demongeralize a herd... i know, im going trough it now.. but i had to transform them into mongrels to go the direction i needed to go.. if i seen a bull like yours near my cows now,, id drop him like a buffalo :cowboy:

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

I have used this bull for about 7 years. HIs heifers range from 1000-1500 lbs.
I have kept heifers for the past 5 years. He is a big bull, but his heifers never get that big. They are what I would call average size cows.

Just asking. What is wrong with the black angus? He will give me a uniform calf crop.
I just bought him last year from a well known angus ranch i east texas. He is a mytty infocus son. Proven gentics.

Tigerstripes,black baldies, brangus, and black angus plus sell well in my area.

And wouldn't using a bull for 7 years and keeping heifers for replacements for 5 years and I know how good they turn out, be a proven bull.

it takes a few generations to demongeralize a herd... i know, im going trough it now.. but i had to transform them into mongrels to go the direction i needed to go.. if i seen a bull like yours near my cows now id drop him like a buffalo :cowboy:

Haha.
Well what i can say is he is a helluva bull and none of the mothers of my cows were mongrels, they were big stout santa gert crosses or big stout black baldies. I do not think he is a mongrel. And i can honestly say none of his heifers have been mongrels.

I have seen some people with some cross bred bulls that were not worth looking at. It is nice to hear people that I buy fullblooded cows or heifers from deliver them and see my crossbred bull and say what an impressive bull he is.

I will try my best to get some good pictures of him. BUt haha he is camera shy and I havnt been able to get pictures of him that showed his greatness. PIctures are hard to judge cattle by, but I will get some for you all to see. BUt when someone sees him in person all I can hear from them is wow.