I want cattle

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Quote:
Iowa roo mom, that bull is HUGE!!!

Are you sure you want something like that? Do you know how much damage he can do to you? He's gorgeous though.

Yep and yep.

As soon as I get myself a cowboy, of course

 

[Wifezilla]

Beautiful animals herefordlovinglady!

 

[herefordlovinglady]

Quote:
Why thank you Wifezilla, I appreciate the compliment. I love all my critters. And they are big babies too.


I laughed at your screen name!

 

[aussieheelr]

Ours are pretty much beef mix cows. A lot of Angus influence but now crossing Limosine in the line to ad length to them for helping to add on more lbs on the calves. We had a holstein steer this last year due to a cow loosing her own... he only took 55cents per pound at the sale! The others being beef took 85 cents per lb or more, over all the beef market is very poor for sale. It seems to raise your own for yourself it's ok but making money off them... not so much.
Personally if you wanted a beef/milk on both sides I'd get a Gurnsey. They're supose to be kind of like the Barred rock of the cow world. instead of eggs and meat they're milk and meat... not to mention they're pretty with a doe look to them.

 

[Quadog]

How much should a calf cost?

 

[destiny_56085]

We raised 2 jersey steers last year for the first time. It takes them forever to pack on the pounds compared to any of the beef breeds. The resulting meat was very tasty and had a decent amount of marbling. It did however have a lighter yellowish shade to the meat than I was used to. Did a few calculations on the feed, milk replacer, vet bills, etc stuck into them and we figured that it cost us about $2.34 per pound to raise those buggers (not including any of the labor). Beef breeds on the other hand have a much higher feed to gain conversion and are ready for market sooner. If you even look at the meat section in the supermarket you can tell a beef from a holstein carcass just by looking at the ribeyes. The beef will have a round ribeye and the dairy breeds will have an oblong one.

The guy that rents out our main pasture has a mix of charlais, herford, simmental, and angus cows heifers and a gigantic gelbvieh bull out there. Some of the charlais cross old cows are kind of onery right after calving. The meanest bulls I've ever encountered have always been holsteins though.

 

[karl lutz]

I have black angus ross cows . this winter I am planning to cross them with a dexter bull and raise the little ones for the meat. I have a friend with the dexter bull and I think the cow would through the calve real easy so i'm going to try one at least.

 

[lilwhispers]

Myself, I want heritage breeds They may be harder to find but most are THREATNED breeds. My choices would be Scottish highlanders, Dexters (the little ones in the pic), Watusi (because their horns are AWSOME x 10), and Randalls. With Randalls being at the top of my list mostly because my last name is Randall, but also because they are a triple purpose breed, Great for milk, meat, and Draft. They produce milk that is somewhere between Jersy and Holstein on just plain old grass. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy would be a great place to do some research on heritage breeds if that interests you. Here is their website just in case www.albc-usa.org .

 

[Fudgie]

Quote:
OMG I agree, go with angus cross is ok, Maine Anjou is a good calm breed

 

[Fudgie]

here is my honest to goodness I been doing this for a while opinion.

If you want a bottle baby for your kiddos, get a couple(they need a buddy really and honestly) of holstein bulls/steers(if they are bulls have them cut! go to the local dairy and they will more than likely GIVE you a bull calf or sell it to you rather cheaply(ours around here go for 50-60 bucks each). They are worth nothing to them and are more trouble than they are worth. Make sure they have had the colostrum from the momma. Then raise it up for a 4-H bucket calf project and let them show it at the local fair. Ask me for the specifics of showing a dairy calf. Been there done that got the tee shirt and have it signed!

If you want one for meat, get one from the sale barn that has already been weaned 200-350 lbs. They cost the SAME amount of money to buy as an angus steer baby and you don't have to worry about the baby sicknesses that come with having a baby calf. Then you just feed it out for a few more months and butcher. No one is attached to them and it is easier to get bubba into freezer camp without the little ones hating you forever for killing him.

Again that is my honest opinion take it or leave it.