Hello, and breed comparison

[Hopeful Rancher]

hello to all. I am new to you all, but I have been a long time reader. Decided to come out of the closet.
Got a question. I am trying to spice up my straight bred angus herd with some heterosis. I was wondering if I could get opinions on what breed is prefered between Gelbvieh and Simmental. Please explain to me why, what is your perceived strengths and weakness.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

If somebody was twisting my arm I'd pick Gelbvieh

I like your name Aren't we all? :lol: :lol:

 

[Soapweed]

hello to all. I am new to you all, but I have been a long time reader. Decided to come out of the closet.
Got a question. I am trying to spice up my straight bred angus herd with some heterosis. I was wondering if I could get opinions on what breed is prefered between Gelbvieh and Simmental. Please explain to me why, what is your perceived strengths and weakness.

If you have a taste for really hot and spicey, there is always Chianina. :wink:

 

[Bar M]

Go simm!!!!!! Puts a hind leg on the steers and if you use the right bull one heck of a mama cow.

 

[Justin]

if you're lookin to take the azz end out of your cattle, go with Simmental. :wink:

 

[Nicky]

Welcome, where abouts in Oregon?

 

[Silver]

if you're lookin to take the azz end out of your cattle, go with Simmental. :wink:

In my experience the exact opposite is true :wink: The only time Simmental ever hurt a cow is when it didn't have any in it.

If you are considering GB anyway, I would go all the way and use Blonde if you can find them. One of my reasons for that might get me in hot water, but feet is one area that Blonde's seem better in than GB. The rest of my reasons I'll keep to myself. I'd hate to see this thread disolve into a shouting contest :wink:

 

[BRG]

I don't want to put down any breed, but we deal with quite a few feeders and if the calves have Gelbvieh in them, they almost always shy away, while Simmi seems to attract them a little.

 

[gcreekrch]

We've got both mixed up in our Angus based herd. I don't really care for any straight breed of cattle so as long as they are the right kind most anything will work to give some added heterosis.

If I had to pick a straight bred herd it would be AAAA........ either red or black, they both make good cows.

 

[leanin' H]

I like the right simmy bull on angus cows. But my experience says it will increase frame scores, which you may or may not care about. And make sure the bull you choose isnt too coarse through his shoulders or calving might be an adventure. I havent had any experience using Gelbviehs so your on your own that direction. Welcome! Hope to see ya around.

 

[rancherfred]

There are quite a few of these red non-spotter, non-diluter Simmental that are hard to tell apart from Red Angus. I have used several of them over the last three or four years and we haven't seen them take the hind quarter off. If anything they just look like an even thicker Red Angus.

 

[lefty]

I have a black angus based herd & have use black simmies bulls for years . A quarter simm cow is hard to beat .years ago you would get some greys thats real bad the calves I mean . You cant sell them to any one . the angus simm x cows have way better feet & legs than most straight bred angus cows they are more up on there feet for the most part . Like every breed of cattle there are some good 1s & some bad . xbred simmangus calves will score pretty high on the grid for the most part . the biggest calf I have on the place this year is a 21 year old 3 quarter simm cow with a simm calf at her side .

 

[lefty]

I have a black angus based herd & have use black simmies bulls for years . A quarter simm cow is hard to beat .years ago you would get some greys thats real bad the calves I mean . You cant sell them to any one . the angus simm x cows have way better feet & legs than most straight bred angus cows they are more up on there feet for the most part . Like every breed of cattle there are some good 1s & some bad . xbred simmangus calves will score pretty high on the grid for the most part . the biggest calf I have on the place this year is a 21 year old 3 quarter simm cow with a simm calf at her side .

 

[per]

Hopeful, those cattle in the pics I just posted have a percentage of Fleckvieh Simmental in them. Other that calving ease and horns (they can be polled) I really liked the offspring and they always are easy to sell. No experience with Gelbvieh and Blonds were a failed experiment on my herd. (not sure why)

 

[Sagebrush]

I have a red angus X red simm cow herd and use red angus X red simm bulls to maintain the cross. A crossbred cow is hard to beat.

 

[perfecho]

No question....Gelbvieh....but then I breed them so I may be partial. ;-0

 

[katrina]

Simmie..... Like everyone else says....

 

[RSL]

The GV have some good cattle, but we use SM on our AN cowherd and sell all the heifers privately and the steers through a buyer. The reason for SM is the added growth and muscle over the AN, the better marketing opportunities in this part of the world for SMAN heifers. We use reds and blacks. In the last 3 or 4 years of this program over several hundred calves we have assisted 1 cow with a malpresentation and a cow that was 22 years old.
The cross calves are tougher than our AN calves, get up just as fast at birth and grow quicker.
The last 2 years our heifers have sold for more than our steers and the phone rings off the hook.

 

[cowwrangler]

i cross mine with gelv and more times then not the same buyers are after them,same with the hefeirs,people calling after the sale to see if i have more

 

[Hopeful Rancher]

Thanks for all of the great insight. HOPEFULLY I will put it to good use