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Saler Cattle

A

AngusCowBoy

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
112
Location
ND
Do you guys think Saler bulls would add some hair to an angus herd, and would the crosses be better suited for January grazing in ND than straight angus cows?
 
Ya we got a video this spring from MacDonald Ranchers by Bismark, ND and the bulls seemed to be pretty tame.

http://www.macdonaldranches.com/
 
Had some Salers cattle about 30 years ago when they came on the scene. They were advertised as "Great on heifers, awesome on cows!" Exotics were on the way out and Black Angus were on the way in, so maybe people were prejudiced against them. Nowadays it seems only a few die-hard Salers fans have Salers. About the first thing I notice about Salers is they appear to have a poorer appearing conformation than other exotic breeds.

About 10 years ago bought a few Salers cows and they had nasty dispositions and they weren't around long.

Would like some long-haired cattle but Galloways are too small and Salers are too big.
 
lightninboy said:
Would like some long-haired cattle but Galloways are too small and Salers are too big.
Click to expand...

I would also like some longer haired cattle so they would be better suited for winter grazing I am having the same problem as you
 
We used Saler cattle for years in a cross breeding program. Their disposition was terrible. It wasn't so much that they were mean, it was more like handling a lit stick of dynamite that you didn't know how long the fuse was. You just knew at some point they were going to blow. Then you didn't want to be in their way. They would clear fences, gates, whatever it took to get away. By the time you caught up to them they were a couple miles down the road and there was no changing their mind, short of shooting them.

As for production, I still wish I had a herd of quarter blood Saler, 3/4 Red Angus cows. They were so hardy and productive. The calves grew like weeds, the cows lasted forever and they didn't fall apart like some of our more straight Red Angus, or even worse the South Devon that we experimented with. This last winter I sold one of the few remaining 1/4 blood Saler cows we had. She was 15 and bred and I sold her on a local bred cow special and got $1000 for her. She sure didn't owe me anything at that point.

I think the disposition has been worked on pretty hard, but I am really not happy to see what they have done to them in trying to change their color. This stupid fad of chasing black hide is really starting to irritate me. Saler cattle are red, they didn't need to fix the color the breed needed to fix the disposition. Just changing the color isn't going to make them any more relevant to anyone's crossbreeding program. The only way to make them relevant is to fix the disposition and make sure it is fixed. Once that is taken care of the breed will be a legitimate option for crossbreeding.

I loved them from a production standpoint, but hated them for their disposition. The hate won and we quit using them. We will occasionally pick up a Saler bull to see if they have fixed the problems, but so far we still aren't going back.
 
Well it seems most people don't like them, what would you guys recomend for adding hair and maintaining fertility, weaning weights, and having a frame size of 5 to 6.
 
First time I ever saw a Saler bull was at the stockyards in Dillon, Mt.
in the early 80's.
The Saler Sale was held the day before we were there, and there
were a few left at the yards. BUT, almost every gate in the place
was flattened! They couldn't do a thing with the Saler Bulls.
They nicely said "they are really social." Meaning that when you
try to separate them they go nuts. :shock:

The Hereford breeders really tried to use them as a crossbreed,
but that didn't last very long.
 
AngusCowBoy said:
Well it seems most people don't like them, what would you guys recomend for adding hair and maintaining fertility, weaning weights, and having a frame size of 5 to 6.
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It looks to me that you just described a Hereford bull......will calm down the temperment question too! :lol:
 
Why didn't I think of Hereford lol. I order bought lots of Saler bulls-sort them off in a corner by themselves-if they'll stay put and calm your usually good to go. Try that trick at some Angus sales you better have a rubber chicken to throw because they'll be comin' lol.
 
The problem with using hereford bulls, is that when we haul them to pasture, I don't want to have to sort all the bladies off and run them in a different pasture, because most cows will be run in one big pasture. The plan would be to run half angus bulls and half bulls of a different breed and see which cows winter better side by side, then we will probably end up going to which ever breed seems to do best. They will be graze native grasses, with access to protien tubs if needed in the winter untill the snow gets to deep, then they will come home into the correls to be fed so we also need some calm dispositions.
 
AngusCowBoy said:
The problem with using hereford bulls, is that when we haul them to pasture, I don't want to have to sort all the bladies off and run them in a different pasture, because most cows will be run in one big pasture. The plan would be to run half angus bulls and half bulls of a different breed and see which cows winter better side by side, then we will probably end up going to which ever breed seems to do best. They will be graze native grasses, with access to protien tubs if needed in the winter untill the snow gets to deep, then they will come home into the correls to be fed so we also need some calm dispositions.
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I'll try one more time. :D

What about Welsh Blacks?
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
AngusCowBoy said:
The problem with using hereford bulls, is that when we haul them to pasture, I don't want to have to sort all the bladies off and run them in a different pasture, because most cows will be run in one big pasture. The plan would be to run half angus bulls and half bulls of a different breed and see which cows winter better side by side, then we will probably end up going to which ever breed seems to do best. They will be graze native grasses, with access to protien tubs if needed in the winter untill the snow gets to deep, then they will come home into the correls to be fed so we also need some calm dispositions.
Click to expand...

I'll try one more time. :D

What about Welsh Blacks?
Click to expand...

Sorry about that BMR, could you tell me more about them, I have never herad of them.
 
Angus cattle are hard to beat.

The hardy Angus black cattle features outstanding economic characteristics:A coat of hair that is thick and can remain long or sleek depending on the climate; Tough, hard black hooves less prone to injury and a rumen capable of breaking down relatively course fibre. These qualities make the cattle easy and inexpensive to maintain.

http://cattlemanslp.com/black.html
 
I had some Salers 1 time for 3 days. That was long anuff. Well 5 minites was anuff, but it took the next 3 days to get them caught & back on the trailer. I will put snow boots & a coat on my angus daily before I would use a Saler, unless I was breeding bucking stock.
 
AngusCowBoy said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
AngusCowBoy said:
The problem with using hereford bulls, is that when we haul them to pasture, I don't want to have to sort all the bladies off and run them in a different pasture, because most cows will be run in one big pasture. The plan would be to run half angus bulls and half bulls of a different breed and see which cows winter better side by side, then we will probably end up going to which ever breed seems to do best. They will be graze native grasses, with access to protien tubs if needed in the winter untill the snow gets to deep, then they will come home into the correls to be fed so we also need some calm dispositions.
Click to expand...

I'll try one more time. :D

What about Welsh Blacks?
Click to expand...

Sorry about that BMR, could you tell me more about them, I have never herad of them.
Click to expand...


Here's a link http://www.canadianwelshblack.com/

Also do a search on ranchers and you will find some of R Kiasers pics.
 
BMR, I have seen plenty of Welsh Blacks in the Welsh hills, great conformation, docile and while they have a good winter coat, they are quick to shed the hair as soon as it starts to warm up.
The North (or red) Devon is another overlooked breed, similar in appearance to Saers, but very docile, and more marbeling in their beef.
 

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