Why have Herefords

[SRBeef]

Fallen out of favor
I don't want to start a breed war or anybody bashing one another
Around here they take a beating at the sale
But I like them, look at this bull
Why do they discount then at the sale ?

Promotion, promotion, promotion.

I think as good calves of any breed become harder to find due to the shrinking US cattle herd the abilityof "promotion" to cause a discount among equal quality calves will gradually disappear.

The few Hereford calves I have sold at our local sale barn sold right with good blacks in the same weight range. Most of mine so far have been sold for freezer beef and those customers don't care what color the hide was, just how good is the beef when they put it on a plate.

There are exceptions in any breed but I think my Herefords are about as docile and easy to work with as any. Sometimes they remind me of 1300 lb teddy bears. Even my bulls, while still bulls, defer to me and I am never afraid to be around them in their winter pasture.

My vet raises registered Angus. He says his get pinkeye more than my Herefords do. He has more cows but the point is pinkeye is spread by flies, not hide color. Cancer eye was a problem with herefords in some areas years ago. However that has largely been bred out. There is also an emphasis on eye pigment in herefords these days.

Herefords outwinter well in my low input rotational grazing system.

My goal is to create a herd of pure Hereford cows then experiment with different bulls on them for F1 heterosis on terminal calves.

Jim

edit: I see no reason to sell calves like these at a discount

 

[Deepsouth]

Any breed that can produce this has got to be good.
http://www.cattlerange.com/310C331-201/310C331-201.html

Hard to argue with that.

 

[glacierridge]

There are many reasons why feeders don't like them in the feedlot. But I am not here to bash my own breed.

Cross, think opposite - they gain too well.

I think that can be said for many good cattle breeds, too efficient, folks don't like you for being better than what they have/are used to having.

 

[TexasBred]

Any breed that can produce this has got to be good.
http://www.cattlerange.com/310C331-201/310C331-201.html

Jed I have one (1) of those. Great cow but haven't been able to get her in the corral since I bought her. :lol2: :lol2: Not mean or anything. Just very cautious. Guess she will die here.

 

[WalnutCrest]

There are many reasons why feeders don't like them in the feedlot. But I am not here to bash my own breed.

Cross, think opposite - they gain too well.

I think that can be said for many good cattle breeds, too efficient, folks don't like you for being better than what they have/are used to having.

Too efficient?

 

[regenwether]

I think some people here are getting too hung up on "Breed" and not bloodline. There are tremendous bloodlines in all the breeds as are there poor ones. Do what makes sense for your operation to make $$$.

I recall a few years back having a Hereford bull that I crossed with purebred angus cows for their black white faced heifers. What an education :roll: . Those Heifers milked like a deer, held their body condition like a milk cow, was as hyper as my ex-wife :lol: . Needless to say, That bull did not stay around.

With that said, I've got a Hereford now that produces offspring that are very fertile, docile females that have excellent udders and rebreed. It's all got to do with bloodline. I still consider myself very green with my knowledge of bloodlines but I'm trying.

Remember the thread "Idaman". I'm still very distraught of his passing. His life experience with the cattle business and Bloodline's gave his thought's much to be listened too. What I wouldn't do to be able to sit down and have a cup of coffee with him and soak in some of his wisdom. :cboy:

Ron

 

[Jake]

There are many reasons why feeders don't like them in the feedlot. But I am not here to bash my own breed.

Cross, think opposite - they gain too well.

I think that can be said for many good cattle breeds, too efficient, folks don't like you for being better than what they have/are used to having.

Too efficient?

Some can get burned up or will convert feed into too much fat instead of putting lean gain on.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Converting inputs into "too much fat" doesn't sound efficient to me ... for the animal or the person writing the check to the guy selling the feed.

 

[jedstivers]

Any breed that can produce this has got to be good.
http://www.cattlerange.com/310C331-201/310C331-201.html

Jed I have one (1) of those. Great cow but haven't been able to get her in the corral since I bought her. :lol2: :lol2: Not mean or anything. Just very cautious. Guess she will die here.

I think deer would be easier to get in a trap than some of those girls. Water is the only way to catch some of them and as soon as that gate shuts you can dee it in their eyes how pizzed they are.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Any breed that can produce this has got to be good.
http://www.cattlerange.com/310C331-201/310C331-201.html

Jed I have one (1) of those. Great cow but haven't been able to get her in the corral since I bought her. :lol2: :lol2: Not mean or anything. Just very cautious. Guess she will die here.

I think deer would be easier to get in a trap than some of those girls. Water is the only way to catch some of them and as soon as that gate shuts you can dee it in their eyes how pizzed they are.

That is the problem they smell a rat and are good at it. I only feed cubes in the pen.
When they go in I close the gate the chute is open to the pasture, pen doesn't bother them.
A stranger will have heads up and tails out.
I don't have to worry about someone stealing my cows as no one else is going to pen them but me.
You try and pen them I will have to call them up out of the thicket for the next week.
I can pen them all right now by myself, you pull up while I am penning they will scatter like a covey of quail.

 

[highgrit]

I plan on going to FL and working cows this spring again. And most of the older cows will be tigers, and all will have their influence bred into them. It will be fun like always, and a real rodeo at times. He's always run Hereford or Brahman bulls over cracker cows, till the last 10 years. Now it's been Brangus bulls, but he's going back to Hereford next year.

 

[salebarn junkie]

:

Converting inputs into "too much fat" doesn't sound efficient to me ... for the animal or the person writing the check to the guy selling the feed.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[jedstivers]

I have led a whole herd a mile to the catch pen several times by holding one range cube out the truck window with the lead cow trying to get it.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I have led a whole herd a mile to the catch pen several times by holding one range cube out the truck window with the lead cow trying to get it.

Thats funny and I believe it.
You didn't have any strangers or ten gallon hats playing cowboy I bet.

 

[dryfork2]

I have led a whole herd a mile to the catch pen several times by holding one range cube out the truck window with the lead cow trying to get it.

Possible YouTube moment? ??

 

[jedstivers]

I have led a whole herd a mile to the catch pen several times by holding one range cube out the truck window with the lead cow trying to get it.

Thats funny and I believe it.
You didn't have any strangers or ten gallon hats playing cowboy I bet.

No, I could work them by myself of with a friend that they were use to.

 

[jedstivers]

I have led a whole herd a mile to the catch pen several times by holding one range cube out the truck window with the lead cow trying to get it.

Possible YouTube moment? ??

That one cow would have her tongue stuck out trying to get it too.

 

[TexasBred]

I have led a whole herd a mile to the catch pen several times by holding one range cube out the truck window with the lead cow trying to get it.

I just tote a feed sack with a few rocks in it. :mrgreen:

 

[jedstivers]

I have led a whole herd a mile to the catch pen several times by holding one range cube out the truck window with the lead cow trying to get it.

I just tote a feed sack with a few rocks in it. :mrgreen:

I've used rocks in a bucket a lot.

 

[JWBrahman]

Call it whatever you want. I personally pulled 6 dead calves from my neighbors small herd and he only had 11 calves last year. Two dairies went to beef operations and literally I didnt believe it until I poured a floor for them and seen two other family members that told me the same thing that they nearly lost half the calves and pulled most. They said they picked the best looking angus bull twice. Guess they didnt learn the largest calf without seeing and epds isnt the way to go.

This actually sounds more like an overfeeding issue more than a genetic issue. If they were used to feeding dairy cattle they could have easily overfed the beef cattle.