Red Bull Breeder
Member
I think er herf is saying that polled bull are apt to have a lazy prepuse novatech. I think there might be something to what he says.
as far your red calves go this year out of 31 fall calvers we had to 2 red neck calves and thats with 12 baldies in the bunch and 1 set of horns and thats on a red neck calf one sire is horned and I know he breeds more than one cow a year. just something to put under your hat I know your numbers are proably alot more than that.Justin said:WyomingRancher said:I've got a quick question Justin, what are you specifically hoping to improve in your herd by changing sire breed? Would you want to keep heifers out of this cross?
We all know there can be big benefits to crossbreeding, and I definitely utilize those perks in this herd. Just looking at your cattle pics, they sure look like a solid bunch of cattle the way they are. Not saying improvements can't always be made in any herd, I'm just curious what you'd like to see different in your cattle.
thanks WR, but i only post pics of the good ones :wink: and i've been asking myself why fix something that isn't broke? i'm in no way saying that there aren't any improvement to be made in my herd because there are. but at the same time, i've been pretty happy with performance. trying to do to much can sometimes backfire. but to answer your question, replacement is my #1 priority as it always as been. so i guess having some of those good ol black baldy mommas would rank #1. and adding a few pounds to the steers is always welcomedthe only thing that would concern me is getting some red/red baldy calves. every year i seem to get a couple red calves out of black cows that were bred to black bulls. so how many would i get using hereford bulls... there is only one way to find out :???: there are a fair amount of cows around here, and i wouldn't bet the ranch they are all 100% angus....most of them are, but i'm certain that not all of them are.
novatech said:What is your end goal? What is your buyer willing to pay the most for? Are you going to sell F1 replacements or terminals?Justin said:WyomingRancher said:I've got a quick question Justin, what are you specifically hoping to improve in your herd by changing sire breed? Would you want to keep heifers out of this cross?
We all know there can be big benefits to crossbreeding, and I definitely utilize those perks in this herd. Just looking at your cattle pics, they sure look like a solid bunch of cattle the way they are. Not saying improvements can't always be made in any herd, I'm just curious what you'd like to see different in your cattle.
thanks WR, but i only post pics of the good ones :wink: and i've been asking myself why fix something that isn't broke? i'm in no way saying that there aren't any improvement to be made in my herd because there are. but at the same time, i've been pretty happy with performance. trying to do to much can sometimes backfire. but to answer your question, replacement is my #1 priority as it always as been. so i guess having some of those good ol black baldy mommas would rank #1. and adding a few pounds to the steers is always welcomedthe only thing that would concern me is getting some red/red baldy calves. every year i seem to get a couple red calves out of black cows that were bred to black bulls. so how many would i get using hereford bulls... there is only one way to find out :???: there are a fair amount of cows around here, and i wouldn't bet the ranch they are all 100% angus....most of them are, but i'm certain that not all of them are.
Make yourself a list of questions. Answer them. Then formulate a plan on how to get there. Or you can be indecisive and just go around in circles.
As far as horned/poled I have herd more old wives tales on here than one could have ever imagined. At one time the poled cattle had a fairly small gene pool to chose from. This is no longer true. Figure out what you need that will complement your herd the most. Forget about what is growing out the top of their head and go for it.
If you decide you are going to sell replacement heifers I would lean toward the poles. It gives your buyer more assurance of no horns. If you are going to sell terminals then it really makes no difference as you already have primarily Angus so the odds of horns are limited. If you don't mind dehorning a few then who cares.
There is no doubt in my mind that there is a much larger selection with the horned. I know of several people that have poled and do not have any breeding problem as far as the bull is concerned. No lazy prepuce or bad sheath. I have seen individual bulls of many breeds. I will certainly not criticize the entire breed for individual faults.Red Bull Breeder said:I think er herf is saying that polled bull are apt to have a lazy prepuse novatech. I think there might be something to what he says.
Justin said:novatech..go back and read my response to WR, slower this time if you have to. replacement females to go back into my herd is the first priority
Question? If The Horned Hereford is so great and has so much over the Polled Herefords, why are so many horned breeders are switching to polleds or at least running both. Rausch 's ,K&B, Hoffman's Ravine Creek and others just in South Dakota. I am sure there are many more in the north central USA. Just a question.
Hereford76 said:pigment is a funny thing in herefords - I've always believed that if a hereford bull has pigment in their snout his daughters would have it in their teats. that cow has pigment in her nose and not much in her eyes or teats by the looks of her.
looks like its too late for any salvage on her?
Big Swede said:Justin, when I found Ranchers.net my very first post was a question much like yours was. Everything you read tells us that crossbreeding is the only free lunch in the cattle industry and not using it is a big mistake. Finding not only the right breed but also the right bulls is a risk and a task that if you screw up you have set yourself back at least 5 years. You don't know what you have until the F1's have had a few calves. I don't know the answer. The latest article I read said that feeders want at least 25% but no more than 50% Continental breeding in the calves they buy to feed. That statement right there knocks Hereford out of the equation unless you go to a 3 way cross. Breeding Hereford Angus females to a Continental bull would give you the most heterosis but then you need two different breeding programs and it begins to get complicated.
Why don't you try it and let me know how it goes. Until then I guess I'll keep breeding straight Angus. I'll let you make the mistakes. :wink:
Big Swede said:The latest article I read said that feeders want at least 25% but no more than 50% Continental breeding in the calves they buy to feed. That statement right there knocks Hereford out of the equation unless you go to a 3 way cross.