Faster horses
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Get us some pictures of those bull calves, would you, Soapweed? I'd like to see them. Any idea of what or who the sires are?
Faster horses said:That's sure what we like for our heifers, Soapweed. Easy calving, a live calf and the chance for a good breedback since the heifer isn't hurt calving.
And thanks for the compliment by the way. I would really like to keep them all, just as you suggested; but we just don't have the pasture to do that. Now that we sold some cows, we will keep all the heifers this fall and breed them all.
The man that bought our cows is interested in some kind of deal where he runs the heifers for us.
He seems to be a super guy, so I think we will pursue that thought.
Now days, by watching lineage of cattle, there is no need to use a longhorn bull to get easy calving, IMO.
When we first started in this business, back in the early 60's, the outfit we leased from (share lease) ran 3 year old herefords and we calved them out. That was something else. They were BIG and DUMB. I never saw so many heifers that didn't want to take their calf.
Luckily, they soon started breeding the heifers to calve as two's. Seemed like that sure helped their 'mothering instinct'.
RobertMac said:Most everyone believes that their home-raised cows are better than bought animals...why don't you believe the same about home-raised bulls(not AI calves)?
Soapweed said:The main problem with keeping home raised bulls is that cattle can easily become inbred. What would work good, though, is for a ranch to keep some good quality bull calves and do some trading with another similarily run ranch.
The home raised bull calves I kept this year are all from high quality purchased cows, so there will be an outcross by breeding these bulls to our home raised cows.
RobertMac said:Soapweed, every breed of cattle was developed through closed genetic breeding and selection!
Soapweed said:RobertMac said:Soapweed, every breed of cattle was developed through closed genetic breeding and selection!
You are undoubtedly right on that, BUT, there are already umpty-nine different cattle breeds. The incentive for "a closed genetic breeding and selection program" to develop yet another breed is really no longer there. I have watched different ranchers through the years that kept both their own heifers and their own bulls to make a mongrel inbred herd. It doesn't work. An outcross makes much better offspring.
RobertMac said:Not talking about developing anther breed...just perfecting the herd for the natural resources on the ranch and management. Wanting to understand why ranchers know their heifers are better than they can buy, but doubt their bull calves.
Soapweed said:RobertMac said:Soapweed, every breed of cattle was developed through closed genetic breeding and selection!
You are undoubtedly right on that, BUT, there are already umpty-nine different cattle breeds. The incentive for "a closed genetic breeding and selection program" to develop yet another breed is really no longer there. I have watched different ranchers through the years that kept both their own heifers and their own bulls to make a mongrel inbred herd. It doesn't work. An outcross makes much better offspring.
George said:Twenty or thirty years ago I bought a bunch of calves to feed out from Texas Santa Gretrudis (spell) - - - I understood them to be a cross of Shorthorn and Bramma but can't remember for sure. Seemed to do well but can't remember why I didn't go back for more.
Are they still popular in Texas - - or better still were they ever popular :?