Whats your Breed and Why???

[VtMapleGal]

As many of you know im new to cattle. I am familier with many breeds looks, and some traits. My husband painted a dump truck and we got our first heifer calf, a simmintal, last year. We than got a red angus weanling heifer, whom has been a total brat sence we got her. so in our barn we have 2 simmentals (1 1/2 and 2 1/2 yrs old), a red angus (1 yr), a 3/4 angus steer(1 yr) and 2 beefalo steers (1 yr). The only ones i really trust are the simmentals. SO, is the simmentals known to be quieter, calmer cows? I am having a hard time deciding on one breed to stick to. I really want to get a beefalo heifer, but dont want to "get attached" and then have her be a jerk and have to sell her like the red angus. Its to hard on the kids at the barn. Its one thing to raise them knowing they are gonna be hamburg. So, what are the traits you like BEST about your breed?

 

[bigbull338]

my breed is beefmasters.but im here in texas an the climate is mild compared to yours.my cows are gentle calm easy to handle an walk around.the bulls that i have are real easy going.i wont have or keep a cow or bull thats crazy.because im on foot with the cows an bulls a good bit.an i work them on foot.

 

[ALX.]

So, what are the traits you like BEST about your breed?

A - angus - marbling,growth,feed conversion
L - limo - carcass traits,
X - multiply the above by 15 %

 

[Victoria]

We are currently in the process of making our whole herd purebred Red Angus. The biggest factor in our decison was that it is what sells best here but other than that we chose to go with them for the following reasons:
1) Easy calving
2) Calves are tough -30 C doesn't stop them from getting up having a drink and playing in the snow.
3) Mothering ability- the cows are good milkers, tough on predators but great with us
4) Longevity, I spend too much time training my cows to replace them every 8 years due to old age
5) Like the taste of the meat
6) High pain tolerance (helps for fewer pulls and the cows don't go "pain crazy" if they do need help)
7) They are easily trained. They are very much ruled by their stomachs. Once you oat train them you can make them do anything.
8) Most important- I LOVE the disposition. I have found them to be less high strung than Simmental, at least the ones I have dealt with. I can easily do any work that needs to be done with them alone. There are good and bad dispositions in all breeds, sounds like you just got unlucky. We've had a couple that we shipped for temperament but less than any other breed we've had and we've had few.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I raise fullblood Limousin because i like red cattle wirh lots of muscle.And so folks like ALX can use them to put a carcass under them angus hides. :lol:

 

[TheBullLady]

We have Simmentals and Brahmans... we've had the Simmentals for 20 years, and I love the breed. They are docile and make great momma cows. The Brahmans are wonderful for their disposition ( you have to get the right bloodlines and handle them differently) and for their heat tolerance here in Texas.

 

[brightspark]

south devons & dexters , both are quite easy to handle , the dexters because do not have much land any more , south devons will do it in 0c - 40c + they work hard .

 

[TexasSimmentals]

Simmentals are the breed for me,
they really put the pounds on the calves
many are calm, quiet, good natured
make great mothers
seem to calve easily
they are also easily trained -- ours come when we say "Come On"

 

[ALACOWMAN]

brangus, great moma's, heat and insect tolerant, low maintenance. their the working class cattle ;-)

 

[Frankie]

Angus. I like to look at black cattle. The breed association is the best in the business (IMO). Reliable EPDs. Demand for the breed has increased for the last 20 years. Fertility, maternal traits, variety of genetics available in the breed. Did I mention EPDs? :D

 

[ALACOWMAN]

i like looking at the green the black cattle make..but red is my favorite color.. cattle,horse,car,truck,tractor, barn. :P

 

[Aero]

Angus and Aubrac

Angus - calving ease, marbling, moderate size, polled
Aubrac - calving ease, muscle, moderate size, great structure, great udders and feet, foraging instinct.

 

[bandit80]

As many of you know im new to cattle. I am familier with many breeds looks, and some traits. My husband painted a dump truck and we got our first heifer calf, a simmintal, last year. We than got a red angus weanling heifer, whom has been a total brat sence we got her. so in our barn we have 2 simmentals (1 1/2 and 2 1/2 yrs old), a red angus (1 yr), a 3/4 angus steer(1 yr) and 2 beefalo steers (1 yr). The only ones i really trust are the simmentals. SO, is the simmentals known to be quieter, calmer cows? I am having a hard time deciding on one breed to stick to. I really want to get a beefalo heifer, but dont want to "get attached" and then have her be a jerk and have to sell her like the red angus. Its to hard on the kids at the barn. Its one thing to raise them knowing they are gonna be hamburg. So, what are the traits you like BEST about your breed?

No matter what you choose to do, you must match you cattle to the environment and feed sources that are available.

For instance, if you are in the south, you should have some brahman/brangus in your herd to tolerate the heat and insects.
If you are in the west where feed/grass can sometimes be sparse, should probably have some hereford influence.

For me, I raise Gelbvieh and balancers. I like the gelbvieh for their docility, milk, muscling, mothering ability. I like crossing them with angus to make balancers to boost marbling, carcass traits, and fertility. I really like my balancer females I have put back in the herd.

 

[TexasBred]

brangus, great moma's, heat and insect tolerant, low maintenance. their the working class cattle ;-)

A great breed of cattle for all the above reasons and more. :clap:

 

[texast]

Brahmans all the way!! Gyr cows.Just love them smart animals. They just work well here in Texas and Louisiana.Can cross them with just about anything and get alive calf and wean it. There are several breeds developed from their crossing.

 

[tup]

we raise limos here in the hills, they are so hardy and just a tad longer in the leg which makes it easy for them to get around. simmentals are much the same as far those two points, but we only have one.
bandit 80... uncle next door raises gelbviehs and i drool over them everyday, they are good mothers and i have to admit thier calves grow twice as fast as ours, with coats like butter. my father in law who is still apparently fighting a war with the germans won't let us get any, calling them (kraut cows lol) have you ever heard of such a thing? the gelbviehs do just as well in these hillsides, by the way. one more thing in favor of gelbviehs, they are such a docile natured cow even the bulls seem mellow, though i don't know if that is a gelby trait or if its just my uncles herd.

 

[bandit80]

my father in law who is still apparently fighting a war with the germans won't let us get any, calling them (kraut cows lol) have you ever heard of such a thing? the gelbviehs do just as well in these hillsides, by the way. one more thing in favor of gelbviehs, they are such a docile natured cow even the bulls seem mellow, though i don't know if that is a gelby trait or if its just my uncles herd.

I believe Geblvieh were brought to this country from Germany, so that must be where he gets it. Krout cows, that 's pretty funny.

When my herd was mostly purebreds, I had no temperment problems. I have had to cull a few because of temperment that were half angus, but not very many. I really like Gelbvieh mommas, and I like the balancers mommas as well.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

Question... are you sticking with what you have or open to new suggestions?

We have Murray Grey... I won't give you a sales pitch but if you take the time to look into the breed, it might be just what you're looking for. We LOVE them. :D

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

Herefords.

Typically known for the best of dispositions, feed efficiency, easy keeping, good average daily gain, great tasting beef, available in horned or polled varieties, in a variety of sizes to fit your environment, and they cross well with about any breed already named above. Plus, I like the red and white color pattern. In this area, there is getting to be a good demand for Hereford bulls to go on the nation's black cowherd.

 

[SRBeef]

I like Herefords (polled) my particular situation. They outwinter well in a northern climate. They also calve easily and seem to be incredibly good Mommas, even first calf heifers.

I have a group that are as tame as teddy bears. Except you need to be aware that any cow may seem like a 1200 lb teddy bear most of the time but can still be dangerous due to their size.

In your situation however, I think it is important to find an individual animal with a gentle disposition. This is a result of previous handling and just plain genetics within any breed. I had one trouble maker and she is now making hamburgers. Her daughter seems flighty too and will be steaks and hamburger this fall. Watch for ones that like grain - (most of them) I have another that doesn't want to come into the corral for grain like the others. She will be some really good steaks this fall after her calf is weaned also.

I would find someone locally with Herefords to sell, go look at them and see which ones seem to be curious about you, not skitish. Some seem really laid back even with a stranger in the pasture. Other similar looking animals will always seem like their front legs are braced and ready to bolt. I like cows that if you hold out an ear of corn missed by the combine they will come right up and take it our of your hand. That's a cow that will make the cattle business more pleasant than one that stands there waiting for you to toss the ear to her (flight zone too big).

You might want to buy two. You might want to stay away from horns in whatever breed you choose. Be aware also that the cattle thant folks are giving you are not likely to be their favorite animals and ones that they may want to be rid of for some reason. There are a couple of my cows that I amnot going to part with for a long time at any price. The couple mentioned I'd sell readily. Hope you get the idea I am trying to share but not saying very well. Some cattle in a small operation make life fun. Others make you dread working with them, as you have found.

Even my vet tells me that "black cattle bring more at the sale barn" but from what I've seen of Herefords they have traits which more than offset 5 cents a pound at the sale barn. Try to find a local seller with cattle raised on grass or whatever you intend to use as primary feed. jmho. Best of Luck.