We run an Angus based herd mostly, and rotate between Hereford, Angus and Simmental bulls. I know there's quite a few cattle traders and pure bred breeders on this site as well. Just curious as to the reasons behind y'alls choices of cattle and why?
What kind of herd do you run, and why?
- Thread starter ram
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TexasBred
Well-known member
I call mine mongrels. Every color in the world and mostly just good stout cross breed cattle. Where are you located ram??ram":3ttpzizj said:
Muddy
Well-known member
I run mostly commercial black angus cows and a small herd of commercial beltie cows. Few red Angus, a Shorthorn and recently we are adding Hereford cows in the mix. We runs Angus bulls on them for black calves. I like beltie cows better since they're outperformed Angus cows on nearly everything. Easy keepers, stays in better body conditions all year around (even droughts), weaning big calves off, can stay fat even if they are eating junk hay and they have better disposition than Angus cows.
Toad
Well-known member
I have mostly angus, simangus and charolais cross cows. Long term I want a herd of charolais/angus cross cows covered by a pb angus bull. I would run these as a cow calf operation and sell them at market. I also want an angus herd covered by an angus bull. I would use the steers off of this for my dreams of a grass fed beef business.
J&D Cattle
Well-known member
Black Angus cross cows because their readily available and their calves typically sell best in my local market. I'd love to eventually run a registered herd; love Herefords but just don't have the time to mess with it now. Looking at changing from Angus bulls to either Hereford, SimAngus, or Balancer. Can't decide and don't have time to attend any sales.
Jabes0623
Well-known member
Balancer cows, right now we're very small & don't own a bull so everything is AI. This year we used 2 PB Gelbvieh & 1 PB Angus bulls. Our eventual goal is to add a third breed for a 3way cross that will create excellent market steers & top flight replacement heifers.
We chose the Balancer cows due to their high fertility, early puberty, pounds weaned per cow exposed, disposition, & the well documented advantages of crossbred cows. We also have a very high quality local source for replacements.
We chose the Balancer cows due to their high fertility, early puberty, pounds weaned per cow exposed, disposition, & the well documented advantages of crossbred cows. We also have a very high quality local source for replacements.
M.Magis
Well-known member
I would consider my very small group mongrels as well. Mostly angus based with one char. Been using an angus bull but sold him last year and bought a Hereford this year. I’ve stuck to mostly angus cows because I have a much larger selection when looking for decent cows to buy. Chose a hereford bull because A, I like herefords. B, heterosis. C, I want to stick with what sells best around here. Char bull would have also worked had I found one.
If I had my preferences, I’d have a group of Hereford cows and a char bull. Growing up we raised Herefords and dad always wanted to get a char bull to try out. He never got that chance, so I’d like to try it someday.
If I had my preferences, I’d have a group of Hereford cows and a char bull. Growing up we raised Herefords and dad always wanted to get a char bull to try out. He never got that chance, so I’d like to try it someday.
Rafter S
Well-known member
Mostly Brangus cows, with Brangus and Hereford bulls (just one of each; I'm a small operator). This works well for me in my part of the country since I get good weaning weights, and good demand for the steers and heifers.
talltimber
Well-known member
Angus and Angus cross (but the cross is hard to see in some, easier in others). All black with an old bull that is reg. black angus and a young bull that's an AI calf out of a commercial angus cow.
It's what Dad had when I bought them/he sold out.
It's what I like to look at.
The calves are selling as good as any.
He had culled through these cows, and I wasn't scared of the quality he ended up with, and knew about how the calves were grading and their feed conversion.
They stay in good shape on fescue pasture and are breeding back fine. I had a cow calve last year a day or two before Thanksgiving, the day after the snow came. Bull turn is was Dec. 11. She calved a few days ago.
It's what Dad had when I bought them/he sold out.
It's what I like to look at.
The calves are selling as good as any.
He had culled through these cows, and I wasn't scared of the quality he ended up with, and knew about how the calves were grading and their feed conversion.
They stay in good shape on fescue pasture and are breeding back fine. I had a cow calve last year a day or two before Thanksgiving, the day after the snow came. Bull turn is was Dec. 11. She calved a few days ago.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Brafords
Why is self explanatory run what mashes the scales with low inputs.
Why is self explanatory run what mashes the scales with low inputs.
fenceman
Well-known member
I have a handful of pure brangus cows and a handful of pure Hereford cows. Everything else is crossed, all colors and a lot of them old. Have a registered Angus bull and a home grown brangus bull. They just work ed out that way. I keep the one's that do their work and sell the one's that don't.
My favorites right now are some beefmaster brangus cross that we raised.
Gotta couple of Bradford types.(probably not pure) I like how they raise calves. The ones I got are sure hard to handle.
My favorites right now are some beefmaster brangus cross that we raised.
Gotta couple of Bradford types.(probably not pure) I like how they raise calves. The ones I got are sure hard to handle.
A mixed herd that is mostly crossbred. I favor Brafords, Brangus baldies and Beefmasters as they seem to work best in my area. I picked up three open Charolais on the cheap that came from a large registered ranch. I really like them because of their size and disposition. They were starved when I got them and just seem happy to have someone take care of them.
Registered angus bulls over all of them.
I'm not real picky on breed. I just like a mid-sized beefy animal that is easy to handle and raises a good calf. I sold a great young cow and her calf yesterday for not as much as she was worth just because she was hard to catch and a wee bit loco.
Registered angus bulls over all of them.
I'm not real picky on breed. I just like a mid-sized beefy animal that is easy to handle and raises a good calf. I sold a great young cow and her calf yesterday for not as much as she was worth just because she was hard to catch and a wee bit loco.
WalnutCrest
Well-known member
Fullblood Aubrac
Fullblood Mashona
F1 crosses between the two (Mashona bulls to our Aubrac heifers; Aubrac bull as cleanup on everyone including the Mashonas)
Why?
Hardiness, fleshing ability, fertility, temperament ... and palatability ... on low/no inputs.
We run an off-the-farm premium beef business and so knowing how our animals taste when prepared on the plate is a key part of our selection decisions around here. Buy a bull from us, and the calves should be good eating (and the heifers should be spectacular cows). We plan on retaining some F1 females for adding to our group of recips.
Fullblood Mashona
F1 crosses between the two (Mashona bulls to our Aubrac heifers; Aubrac bull as cleanup on everyone including the Mashonas)
Why?
Hardiness, fleshing ability, fertility, temperament ... and palatability ... on low/no inputs.
We run an off-the-farm premium beef business and so knowing how our animals taste when prepared on the plate is a key part of our selection decisions around here. Buy a bull from us, and the calves should be good eating (and the heifers should be spectacular cows). We plan on retaining some F1 females for adding to our group of recips.
cow pollinater
Well-known member
I don't right now. I sold every one of them. :lol:
1982vett
Well-known member
As Rafter S stated. The Brangus/Hereford work here. I've done the Hereford/Hereford, the Angus/Angus, Angus/Hereford. Even done the Braford/Angus. As Caustic says...they mash the scale down...but they will run over you too. Yeah, you don't turn your back on the Brangus either but I have had more incidents in close quarters with the few Brafords than with the Brangus. The Charolais comes into play since I've been keeping replacements but with the loss of the Hereford bull I'm guessing I'll be shopping for Brangus replacements soon as the current ones are getting up in age.
We mostly have Black Angus and Simangus. We have a few Beefmasters. We run Black Angus bulls. I really like the Angus Beefmaster cross. The calves grow off so fast. I am working to get an all Black Angus herd to put in one of my pastures.
Backbone Ranch
Well-known member
We raise registered Murray Greys. We chose them because they are docile, can finish well on grass, good mothers, easy keepers, and can raise good calves. They have good longevity, are very heat tolerant, and have calving ease. My family has been in the cattle business for over 40 years and we have not been disappointed with our Greys.
Nesikep
Well-known member
I run a remarkably uniform herd of very crossed up cows.. except for two that show the shorthorn, most of them are (in reverse order of the bulls we've had).. Limo, Gelbvieh, Shorthorn x2, Saler and Red Angus.. the original cows were Herefords and Baldies, some with some Simm in them... This year only one calf had a little white spot on his face, my calves don't get split up at the auction anymore, and I'm pulling within 5 cents of the top price for everything, so my mutts are doing their job pretty good.
Going forward I plan on doing some small-scale line breeding and keeping a bull I raised every once in a while, the goal being better uniformity in the mommas performance and subsequent calves.. I foresee the Gelbvieh and Saler bulls getting a second go-round too.
Going forward I plan on doing some small-scale line breeding and keeping a bull I raised every once in a while, the goal being better uniformity in the mommas performance and subsequent calves.. I foresee the Gelbvieh and Saler bulls getting a second go-round too.
PB Angus.
Demand, versatility. I feel I have many options with our production. Anything from freezer beef to selling weaned calves at our nearby sale barn (big on black) to selling seedstock. Same with the females, plenty of options, sell young heifers, bred heifers, retain, mature cows ...... We were doing freezer beef, then with last 12 months market, sold calves at weaning (cha ching), now going to shift to some seedstock but if market is too low for yearling bulls we will probably go back to freezer beef and continue to take what the market gives us.
Demand, versatility. I feel I have many options with our production. Anything from freezer beef to selling weaned calves at our nearby sale barn (big on black) to selling seedstock. Same with the females, plenty of options, sell young heifers, bred heifers, retain, mature cows ...... We were doing freezer beef, then with last 12 months market, sold calves at weaning (cha ching), now going to shift to some seedstock but if market is too low for yearling bulls we will probably go back to freezer beef and continue to take what the market gives us.
slick4591
Well-known member
I want to run a full blood Piedmontese operation, but it seems to crap out on me at times. Just had to run 2 non-breeders thru the sale barn which really hurt when you only had 3 FB's. Leaning now to commercial and one copy myostatin animals and hoping to market as a niche beef product and using some for FB donors.
