chuckie said:
i don't have a word to say about calving, never done it like most of these folks have, but it reminds of of recent previous discussions of dogs/dog breeds/usefulness/etc. i'm sure there are good herefords in this world--they HAVE to be better than the ones i've seen. and i think there can be no doubt they're awful good mother cows.
who was it (one of you canucks) who posted all those pics of the AWESOME herefords? just goes to show--there's good in most, it's just what your program's about. i think. :roll:
Chuckie, hope those comments are directed towards my cattle. I do love comments on my cattle, good or bad.
I haven't posted any pictures for a while, so I think it's time once again.
My 4-H steer for 2004. Slaughtered at 16 months @ 1225 lbs, with yield of 668 lbs or 57%, grade of 2 and score of AA. He would have made a darn good bull, but the border changed that plan. Have his dam bred to the same bull to calve in a few weeks....hoping for a heifer.
The above steer's maternal brother, the youngest (3yrs) of 4 bulls that will be working our herd this summer. Note the big difference in frame size and fleshing ability. Genetics is everything. Not a terrible fan of this bull as an individual, but his heifers could walk in off the pasture and put many grain-fed show girls to shame. Sadly, I don't have any pics of them to put on here.
Our oldest bull (7yrs) that will be walking the pastures this year. Only now, are we beginning to understand just how much of an impact this bull's daughters will have on our herd.
A son of the above bull, a 4 year old that will see alot of cows this summer. This is a picture of him as a coming 2 year old. He resembles his sire quite a bit now.
Dam of the above bull, pic taken just before she was shipped @ 11 yrs. Darn good cow that weighed a little over 1000 lbs and brought home steers over 500 lbs and bulls over 600 lbs every year. Only about 45 inches at the hip.
Our 4 year old calving ease specialist. Calves just slide right out and keep on growing.
On backward calves, all I can say is that it is just luck of the draw. I looked back on records from the last few years and found backward calves at 84 and 80 lbs., so weight has nothing to do with it. Have had them with old and young cows and heifers. Just never seems to be any reason to which cows have them. I don't think it is genetic as off the top of my head, I don't ever recall any one particular cow of ours ever having more than one backwards calf.
On the quality of Herefords, a lot has changed. Alot of poor cattle in the breed when I started buying and breeding them in 1991. Alot of people can easily recall many bulls at studs looking like the one in the second picture. Have come a long way, and the quality, both in the yard and on the rail, is progressing closer to Angus all the time. A few breeders, such as myself and whiteface, are starting to breed the horned and polled lines together. This new combination has been a taboo for many years, and the new possible combinations could open up a brand new path for the breed. I always advise people to go out and buy a couple of young solid-looking Hereford cows to add to their cowherd and then give me their opinion. Alot has changed and I think people need to sample the breed today as it is a total flip from 25 years ago.
