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New Shorthorn Heifers

mytfarms

mytfarms

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Well, here are the new heifers at MYT Farms. Kinda like 'em myself. They'll be at National Western on the Hill under the MYT Farms banner. Stop in and say hi if you see us.

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Dark red roan heifer. Cheaper buy of the two, but she's turning out to be a really soggy, stout female.

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The looker , and hence, more expensive of the pair. Maybe just a little more show ring look and a little to hard ribbed for my personal taste, but she'll be a fun breeding piece.
 
Really love the first one.
Second one looks more like a steer to me, and her hind legs seem to straight...but the pics at different angle so that might be it.
 
Just from my experience, she really isn't what I'd call a terminal female. Her flaws are more obvious next to the her broodier pen mate. If you check out some of the calves over on Steer Planet, you can see a lot of straight ones. Check out this Troubadour calf from a recent post. That's a straight one. He's compensating with a round hip and that break behind the shoulder blades. She is indeed straighter compared to her pen mate who has almost too much hock set. Not trying to give a lecture here, but I have won my fair share of judging awards.

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Nice looking heifers! The darker one is my favorite from the pictures. Good luck with them.
 
MYT Farms said:
Just from my experience, she really isn't what I'd call a terminal female. Her flaws are more obvious next to the her broodier pen mate. If you check out some of the calves over on Steer Planet, you can see a lot of straight ones. Check out this Troubadour calf from a recent post. That's a straight one. He's compensating with a round hip and that break behind the shoulder blades. She is indeed straighter compared to her pen mate who has almost too much hock set. Not trying to give a lecture here, but I have won my fair share of judging awards.

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8)
 
MYT Farms said:
Not trying to give a lecture here, but I have won my fair share of judging awards.
Click to expand...

I don't mind. Talk away. :D It's why I came to this forum - to learn.
To be honest, I have never even touched a heifer in my life. I've only ever showed 4-H steers. ;) Will likely be showing my first heifer next year though so I'm glad for your words of experience. :)
 
I wouldn't classify all my words as experienced ones. :-) But when it comes to selecting livestock, I like to think that I can do so accurately. It doesn't really matter whether we're dealing with steers or heifers. In todays show industry, even with sexed semen a lot of heifers are being shown in market classes. I wouldn't say this particular female is made like a steer because I've seen a lot who are. But I also enjoy keeping in practice in the off season of judging. Best of luck with your new endeavors with those new calves.
 
Nice heifers, from the photos my preference cosmetically would be the second one, deeper ribbed and flanked and nicer tail head, ultimately though beauty is as beauty does so after they have weaned 3 or 4 calves then you will know which of them them are of any real value, maybe one, maybe both or maybe neither.
 
Dylan Biggs said:
nicer tail head,
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Why about it do you say makes it nicer?
When I look at it, it definately gives this heifer a more square appearence. But it also seems flat and squashy.

When I look at the first one, it's placement higher up in relation to her shoulders are what add an appearance of grace for her.

I'm just trying to understand what i'm looking at. I might be out looking for my first show heifer sooner than later, so these small things help. For me, if this second one was a steer, I would take it over the first one.

Sorry MYT if you feel like i'm hijacking your thread...I can take my ?'s to pm?
 
Dylan nailed it. How nice they are is how profitable they are and can't be judged fulling for a few years. I am always attracted to a larger barrel. To me it is an indicator of a more efficient bovine.

I don't think anyone minds you asking your questions on the thread Buck. Being as MYT is one of the more gracious posters on here I doubt he would mind either.
 
BuckJones said:
Dylan Biggs said:
nicer tail head,
Click to expand...

Why about it do you say makes it nicer?
When I look at it, it definately gives this heifer a more square appearence. But it also seems flat and squashy.

When I look at the first one, it's placement higher up in relation to her shoulders are what add an appearance of grace for her.

I'm just trying to understand what i'm looking at. I might be out looking for my first show heifer sooner than later, so these small things help. For me, if this second one was a steer, I would take it over the first one.

Sorry MYT if you feel like i'm hijacking your thread...I can take my ?'s to pm?
Click to expand...
I can't answer for Dylan, but I agree with him on the tailhead and my reasoning is that the higher tailheads with their 'grace' can sometimes mean a harder fleshing animal that's higher maintenance.......as most of the "graceful" ones are. :wink: Maybe they work for show heifers now, but what matters most is will they work 10-15 years from now at keeping your program in the black?

Best of luck MYT.
 
You know Pure Country, maybe red heifers weren't such a good idea for staying in the black ink. :wink: Ya, as far as tail heads, I really can't say that either one is "better". That white heifer has the most gosh awful hair on the hail head that I can't hardly get to stand up. On the other hand, the dark one has great hair that goes where it should. Fit up with glue and paint at Denver and I'll bet money you won't be able to tell which has the flatter tail head. The white one has the blood lines being out of TM Gus (white) and an Augusta Pride cow. The red heifer is out of HD Swagger and bred fairly similar on the bottom side to a big time donor at the ranch I got them from. But, they'll probably spit out a black calf their first round and we'll wait to get some higher powered calves later on.
 
BuckJones said:
Dylan Biggs said:
nicer tail head,
Click to expand...

Why about it do you say makes it nicer?
When I look at it, it definately gives this heifer a more square appearence. But it also seems flat and squashy.

When I look at the first one, it's placement higher up in relation to her shoulders are what add an appearance of grace for her.

I'm just trying to understand what i'm looking at. I might be out looking for my first show heifer sooner than later, so these small things help. For me, if this second one was a steer, I would take it over the first one.

Sorry MYT if you feel like i'm hijacking your thread...I can take my ?'s to pm?
Click to expand...

It is just a personal preference of mine to see the tail head set in even with the rest of the top line. That being said it is always hard to tell from a single photo, some things appear in photos different then they actually are. It may also be that the top heifer is holding her tail up a bit also which makes her tail head appear higher then it actually is. That is why I always preface my comments on photos with "from the photo".

Cattle beauty pageants IMO are mostly about presentation and cosmetic preference and as such the appealing or unappealing aspects of any animal is left to the discretion of the observer.

Twenty some years ago I watched Jim Leachman judge the Gelbvieh show at the Nile and was astounded at his placement of the mature bull class, I asked him after the show for his reasoning and he explained to me that the bull I preferred was a much better bull in the pasture but in the show ring the bull he chose was better because he had more show style.
 
Well, it's absolutely all a matter of the judge's opinion on the day you happen to be in the show ring. Now, ideally, good cattle always win. However, there is one grand champion animal at every show, and it's not always the best one. Show cattle tail set can sometimes get carried away a little much to the high side so that the tip is dang near level with the poll, but you've got a big dip in the back in between. Searching for a photo to show this....
 
I agree with the folks that say it will be a few years before you know which heifer out do's the other. Pictures are tough to judge, but I would say the red heifer will give you a few live calves, the roan will give you none.
 

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