AngusCowBoy
Well-known member
If you could have 200 or more cows, what would you choose for your herd as far as breeds and if you crossbreed?
Ideal herd
- Thread starter AngusCowBoy
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Soapweed
Well-known member
Straight Angus, with no crossbreeding. There are no horns to contend with. Angus steers sell well, or do great as grass yearlings or in a feedlot. Heifers sell equally as well, and just about all heifer calves can go on to be wonderful mother cows. By not crossbreeding, you don't have to worry about where to find replacement heifers. Another advantage to not cross-breeding is that you have more uniformity and saleability in the cattle you sell. Straight Angus are as trouble-free and labor-unintensive as you will find, and are very easy to liquidate if you ever decide to go into another profession.
Justin
Well-known member
Soapweed said:
does this mean you decided against using those hereford bulls? :lol: :lol: :wink:
Soapweed
Well-known member
Justin said:
Kinda. :wink:
Well, I guess everyone has had their own experiences. Out of high school I worked for a couple of years for a ranch that ran a couple thousand mainly black mother cows and the best black bulls. I swore that would be the end of that and it has been.
I have come to believe that if you have a herd that is less labour intensive than the norm, and produces better mother cows than the norm it is more than likely a product of good management and very little to do with the breed of choice. I guess a lot of folks just aren't willing to give themselves enough credit. :wink:
I have come to believe that if you have a herd that is less labour intensive than the norm, and produces better mother cows than the norm it is more than likely a product of good management and very little to do with the breed of choice. I guess a lot of folks just aren't willing to give themselves enough credit. :wink:
roger dodger
Well-known member
Silver, you could not have said it better!!! :agree: :agree:
gcreekrch
Well-known member
If wishes were horses.....
It wouldn't matter what colour they were but they would all calve at 1 in the afternoon unassissted, raise an acceptable calf that was always a sale topper to 15 years, have a 2 speed rear end to run from grass clump to clump in years when grass was short, be able to paw snow like a horse, and have a set of teeth at the back end to fend off predators. :wink:
Did I miss anything?
It wouldn't matter what colour they were but they would all calve at 1 in the afternoon unassissted, raise an acceptable calf that was always a sale topper to 15 years, have a 2 speed rear end to run from grass clump to clump in years when grass was short, be able to paw snow like a horse, and have a set of teeth at the back end to fend off predators. :wink:
Did I miss anything?
Jinglebob
Well-known member
Wouldn't care if they was all paid for. I think Silver summed it up. Any breed would work fine as long as you culled to fit your country and your way of running cattle.
More difference in each breed than between them.
Blacks are hot right now. If that doesn't change, I think most will run blacks. My son is building ah herd of red and blacks. We like the guy and how he runs and raises his cattle , where the reds come from. Put a black bull on and we will have black calves.
But when it is all said and done, even tho'; they can be a pain, ain't nothing prettier to me than a bunch of the right kind of longhorn crosses with horns. Varmints don't bother them and they can take care of them selves and you don't need a bunch of sheds and corrals to calve them in. Just a horse and a rope. ;-)
:wink:
More difference in each breed than between them.
Blacks are hot right now. If that doesn't change, I think most will run blacks. My son is building ah herd of red and blacks. We like the guy and how he runs and raises his cattle , where the reds come from. Put a black bull on and we will have black calves.
But when it is all said and done, even tho'; they can be a pain, ain't nothing prettier to me than a bunch of the right kind of longhorn crosses with horns. Varmints don't bother them and they can take care of them selves and you don't need a bunch of sheds and corrals to calve them in. Just a horse and a rope. ;-)
:wink:
I am with Jinglebob on this one. A paid for herd of Longhorns would suit me just fine. Be even better if the ranch, and everything else was paid for too, then I could just play the whole time. Oh, I am that way already!! 
Soapweed
Well-known member
LazyWP said:I am with Jinglebob on this one. A paid for herd of Longhorns would suit me just fine. Be even better if the ranch, and everything else was paid for too, then I could just play the whole time. Oh, I am that way already!!
If making a profit wasn't necessary, Longhorns would be just fine. :wink:
They do qualify as being picturesque.
Larrry
Well-known member
To many guys building their herds look at what others do and try to adapt to their herds. Instead of building their herds with the ideals they want they look to others and no one runs cattle like you do. Pick your type of cattle.
Like my dad said it's what puts the most money in your pocket. I can remember people telling my son he neeeded another breed of cattle when he started. He did his own picking even though he was told he wouldn't top the market. Well moretimes than not he tops the market. And by gosh those cows take care of themselves without the babysitting others do. Many times they will be out grazing while other cows are hunched in the corner during bad weather. He did good.
Like my dad said it's what puts the most money in your pocket. I can remember people telling my son he neeeded another breed of cattle when he started. He did his own picking even though he was told he wouldn't top the market. Well moretimes than not he tops the market. And by gosh those cows take care of themselves without the babysitting others do. Many times they will be out grazing while other cows are hunched in the corner during bad weather. He did good.
Bent C Angus
Active member
Soapweed said:LazyWP said:I am with Jinglebob on this one. A paid for herd of Longhorns would suit me just fine. Be even better if the ranch, and everything else was paid for too, then I could just play the whole time. Oh, I am that way already!!
If making a profit wasn't necessary, Longhorns would be just fine. :wink:
They do qualify as being picturesque.
My thinking exact. Especially after just watching the Lonesome Dove films. It sure woulda been nice to be a part of those cattle drives
Jinglebob
Well-known member
If you had paid for longhorn x cows and couldn't make a profit, you better quit ranching. Maybe get a job at the ASCS office and tell ranchers how to do it, like some have done.Soapweed said:LazyWP said:I am with Jinglebob on this one. A paid for herd of Longhorns would suit me just fine. Be even better if the ranch, and everything else was paid for too, then I could just play the whole time. Oh, I am that way already!!
If making a profit wasn't necessary, Longhorns would be just fine. :wink:
They do qualify as being picturesque.
Jinglebob
Well-known member
Well, those were no longhorns. those were corientee's. big difference. tho' I like corientee's also. Many people do not understand that weaning weight has nothing to do with profitability on a ranch. It ain't what they gross, it's what they net. :wink:Bent C Angus said:Soapweed said:LazyWP said:I am with Jinglebob on this one. A paid for herd of Longhorns would suit me just fine. Be even better if the ranch, and everything else was paid for too, then I could just play the whole time. Oh, I am that way already!!
If making a profit wasn't necessary, Longhorns would be just fine. :wink:
They do qualify as being picturesque.
My thinking exact. Especially after just watching the Lonesome Dove films. It sure woulda been nice to be a part of those cattle drives
I have the head of an old longhorn cow on my wall. Had a neighbor mount the head for me. Nice old cow. Never gave any problems to us in any way or she would have went down the road. Finally came up empty when she was 19 yeas old. She had and raised 18 calves. Which conservatively would have weighed 400 pounds at least and many years would have weighed up around 600. Almost all were solid colored and sold right alongside of the rest of the calves. I have quite a few of her daughters and grand daughters in my little bunch of cows I own. I am sure there are Angus and Herefords and other cattle breeds with individuals like this. Just never been my luck to own any of them. Replacing cows cost money. Do the math.
Hereford76
Well-known member
Soapweed said:
you wouldn't be worryin about horns if you weren't already x breeding... darn pointy heads anyhow - gonna ruin it all over again!
Larrry
Well-known member
Some people just can't accept doing it any other way than the way they have been doing it :wink: :lol:
Jinglebob
Well-known member
:wink: No sense trying anything new. Heck it was good enough for great great grampa wasn't it? :shock:Larrry said:
Most money we ever made was back grounding a pot load of long horn steers one summer.
I personally run black but I would love to have some white cows crossed with red angus, making the sandy colored calves. Those sell real well around here.
I personally run black but I would love to have some white cows crossed with red angus, making the sandy colored calves. Those sell real well around here.
