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Cattle Question

P

pburchett

Member
I am looking for some help in selecting some gentle temperament cattle. Currently I have 2 Angus/Limousine bulls that are about 15 & 16 months old, and one is about to be hamburger. When I bought them (400lbs) they looked like the perfect little Angus bulls, but shortly after that they begin to show their Limousine characteristics. At 500 lbs I had them castrated and that helped their temperament a lot, but they have still been cantankerous. The vet said that was the Limousine side in them.

With one bull soon going to the slaughter house I thought it was a good time to introduce some more friends into the field to keep the other one in till it was his turn to meet the butcher. I was looking for about 4 or 5 weaned youngsters (400 lbs) to raise as beef and resale.

Currently I have plenty of pasture grass as I have only cut the stems off the field twice this year. As the neighbors were cutting their hay I would trim the stems from mine with the bush hog as high as I could get it, so I have blade grass at least knee high and plenty of square bales and grain. Along with the grass I have plenty of water, a 3-strand barbed wire fence with one strand of VERY HOTT electric, but I think I will add another strand of electric. Shelter and shade in the form of a shed and trees are available from the rain, wind, and snow.

With a full time job teaching and two children I want a very gentle breed if not a lazy bunch of cows. The children never enter the field without dad, but I still do not want a bunch of crazy cows getting out or causing any trouble.

Which of the following would be the best? Jersey, Holstein, Angus, Hereford, or Guernsey. I definitely need polled or naturally hornless cattle. Would heifers be gentler than bulls?

Any help, advice or experienced stories would be greatly appreciated.
 
Polled Shorthorns are also well respected as calm cattle. It's hard to tell what feeders will be like, if the parents(herd) were high strung, then the calves will probably have that intilled in them until the are going out the door of a trailer into a locker.
 
Polled Herefords, they are very gentel, easy to work with, and have no horns to worry about. Angus, seem to be more popular, but are a little nastier, and I was told harder on fences. I dont know if I believe that because the few black angus we have had were prety good.J
 
I guess I disagree with the other posters; was in the business (not a hobby) for 47 years; for bulls, owned most of the English breeds, some of the Continental and some cross-bred Bos indicus. Tried to keep the brood stock (Angus and Polled Hereford) reasonably 'pure', but sometimes those first-cross heifers looked so good and grew so good that I kept some of 'em. As far as the bulls, pretty much had 'em all at one time or the other. Best bull I ever owned was a Beefmaster; kept him about 7 or 8 years, which was way too long, but I never pulled one of his calves and they hit the ground growing. The only generalizaions I would make is that the humped/eared cattle were more easily led than driven. There were crazy ones and pets in all the breeds; it's more about the individuals than about the breeds. Out of all the cattle I owned, only had a handful that a little feed wouldn't gentle down.
 
You say you want to keep a lazy bunch of cows and then you mention holstein, gurnsey, and jersey. Those are dairy cows. Are you going into the dairy business? Get yourself some gentle old mixed breed beef cows that are mostly black and a gentle black bull. It don't matter what kind he is as long as he has a good shape to him and he is gentle. If he gives you trouble, get rid of him and get another one.
 
Well said. Guy I worked for in college had some old F1 CharolaisXBrama momma cows left over from when his dad had a brama bull for a few years just to make the neigbors mad. You couldn't push them old girls with a D6 dozer, but with a pocket full of range cubes he could lead them right into a trailer.

From all I have seen the temperment of a group of calves has alot more to do with the temperment of the folks around them than hide color.

Dave
 
thats exactly what i'm raising 50/50 angus/limo...had no problems at all till weekend rancher south of me put a bunch of longhorn cows [with no bull DUH!] in pasture adjoining mine...then they got mad when my bull went over fence...never had a problem with him with neighbors on north and east side of ranches except some digging and bellering.
when i sold him this spring i led him into trailer with a pan of cubes.
i raised my whole herd from calves...very rarely do i raise my voice with them and they follow me like a pack of dogs
 
I agree with thurlow i have had most of them over the years and i know some won't agree but i have a few head of longhorns thier gentle as puppys.
 
I got a smaller Lents Anxiety 4 th Herford bull for grass fed beef. That strain has been linebred for 126 years. Super tame and its personalty and build genetics will dominate in crosses.
 
I had some black angus that would get spooked at the drop of the hat, airplane flying over, thunderstorm, you name it. They could go through a fence.

Ever see Steve McQueen go up a hill to jump the fence with his motorcycle in the Great Escape? Mine did that one time when I was trying to round them up. The whole bunch of them ran up a hill by the pond and jumped the fence.

I hear the white faced shorthorn angus mix are better for beef.

You really need to decide what kind of beef you like to eat first. Lots of fat and marbling or more leaner meet. If you are selling them locally, ask your butcher but around here pasture and corn fed herefords sell well at the butcher shop.

Let us know what you like and what your butcher says.
 
Big Mac is a Reg. Purebread Limousin Bull he is very gentle but don't hurt one of his calves. When he gets out ocaasionally all i do is tell him to go home. He is big that ring in his nose is the largest I could find. 7/16 dia. 3.5 wide.
He stands 5'4" at the shoulders his head is 19" across. But he is just one great big Teddy Bear. I think that you just have to find one that is like him well trained and gentle. I had one years ago that one of the boys would lay down on his back and go to sleep he wouldn't move till the kid got up.
Walt
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I've been raising pure bred Black Angus cattle for over twenty years, both registered seed stock, and commercial, so I'm partial to them. In terms of beef quality, my last load of fed steers graded 96% choice or prime, and 88% Certified Angus Beef. Heifers were 100% choice or prime, and 92% Certified Angus Beef. If you go to a high end steak house, and order a rib eye steak that costs you $35.00 or more, chances are very good it's Certified Angus Beef. Here locally, you can buy that steak for $20.00. I have a sister living in NY state, who travels to NYC regularly on business, and after eating one of those $20.00 steaks here this summer, she commented that the same steak would start at $75.00 in Manhattan. As other posters have said, the disposition of cattle usually has way more to do with the way they are handled, than with the breed, or anything else. At calving time, when a cow will be in her most nervous and cranky state all year long, I can put most any of mine in a 12'X12' pen in the barn, and do whatever I may need to do with them, with no further restraint. Some blood lines are noted for having hotter dispositions, I just stay away from them, and the American Angus Assn. has actually begun rating cattle for docility. So there are lot's of tools available to help make decisions, but the smartest decisions can be made in throwing away the clubs, whips, and hot-shots, and handling your cattle as slowly, and quietly as possible. When you go to buy your cattle, observe how they behave when you walk into the pasture, lot, corral, or pen. If they automatically run to the far side, with their heads and tails in the air, you may not want them. If they come after you, you definitely don't. At any rate, I guess I've shared some of what I've learned and know, after owning cattle for over thirty one years, and thrown in a little propaganda for the Black Angus breed as well. I hope it helps, and good luck with your cattle enterprises!! :wink:
 
I was all set to suggest Scotch Highlands, until you said you wanted a breed with no horns.

Easiest keepers I ever had...Well mannered, they'll eat anything, very hardy breed.
 
stay with the old English breeds. usually black angus will have calm disposition depending who you get them from as some breeders have some spooky blacks, red angus are noted for being docile, I personally like black baldies, I have a hereford bull that is too calm, gets in the way and won't move. I haven't heard of any good use for the exotics yet unless you have a high jump contest.
 
I've found that the Angus are the most gentle of the beef breeds. I've got some Hereford and Hereford/Angus cross that give me fits. I hadn't heard that Limos are a problem. I have several Angus/Limo cross cows that are OK. I'd stay away from the dairy breeds for beef. Takes too long to finish them out.
 
At one time or the other I ve had most breeds in the herd . Cant say any one of them was crazyer than the other . Dont bring in any cattle off the farm any more and just keep heifers that are calm but still get a calf or two every yr. thats a little goofy . I ve got alot of Angus and they are very calm and easy to work with , next door neighbor has all angus and they are 90% ding dongs . I ve seen people take calm calves and haul them to a new place and they get goofy , happens alot when there s just one or two . Just get out in the pen with the calves and pick some that dont act jumpy and move tord you not run away .
 
You need to look at the mama of the bull to know how he will be. If his mama is nervous /hard to handle he will be the same.

Kent
 
Ditto on the Polled Herefords. We aren't out in the country, relative to a lot of you folks, so we can't afford to have cantankerous animals when they're standing in the neighbor's yard eating their expensive shrubs. We raise Polled Herefords almost exclusively - they are like big dogs.

I've had 2000+ pound bulls that I'd send my 10 year old daughter to walk down the road home with nothing but a halter...
 
Had Hereford's and Angus all my life. Angus bull, Hereford and Black White Face cows. Most are pretty calm in the pasture where they can see open space. When you look at them talk to them so they know your voice. I can get more done by myself as far as moving them, then with two people. A tight spot (pen) will let you see which ones hold their heads high.
 
I think you are correct. While I know very little about cattle, because of my spanish studies, I know that on the breeding farms for the bulls that go to the ring for bull fights, they are more concerned with the temperment of the cow than that of the bull.
 
We had polled Shorthorns for several years, and they were always very gentle. The kids always liked the fact that you got several colors (white, red or roan) and couldn't predict which it would be. Our bull was very gentle as well.
 
Every breed has even temprement animals and you have to select for that trait as well as the economic traits. I raised Polled Herfords for many years and while most were pretty docile, I had a few owly ones also. I raise Red Angus now and as I am just starting this herd, I have a few that are harder to handle then I"d like. A lot of people say "aw that"s just the angus chacteristic. They are all like that". You have to remember there is more variation WITHIN breeds than between breeds. and you can find all the characteristics that you desire in any breed, BUT YOU HAVE TO SELECT FOR THOSE CHARACTERISTICS in your breeding program.

What generaly happens is the "That"a a mean ol" cow but she brings in a 780 pound calf at weaning time..." syndrome that helps people forget how mean the ol" cow really is. And it"s a learned behavior so the calves of those jumpy or mean cows learn that behavior from their moms and will also be that way. So if you have skittish cows, don"t hold their heifers for replacemnts.

I have just read a note on some behavioral research at some University that ammout of white showingaround a cows eyes directly correlates with with their skitishness and difficulty to handle. (IN other words, more white, more wild)I"ll see how that relates to my herd.

So in my opinion, pick what ever breed you like and use temprement as an additional selection variable til you get what you want. It"ll take time to develop your cow herd but you just can"t assume buying a particular breed will automatically give you docile cows.
 
I have a small herd of Limousin cows, bought a purebred bull a little while back, halter broke, you can put a weight tape around him standing in the field and all he does is look at you. Breeding and hnadling have more to do with temperament than anything else. Limousin Association did studies with a university that found the bulls temperament has more to to with the calf's attitude than the mommas' does, that said a flighty cow will teach her calf to be the same.
 
I would recommend Polled Shorthorns. My grandfather started a herd in 1917 and I still have some of their descendants. I"ve got Angus, Shorthorn, brangus and black baldies, of those the Shorthorns and black baldies are by far the easiest to handle most of them are almost like pets. I"ve never had polled Herefords but when I showed cattle I helped show them for others and they were easy to handle. Angus would be my 3rd pick. I would stay away from anything with Brahma, they are very good mommas but their temperament is unpredictable
 
WOW!!! Your comment about the 'white showing around the eyes' made me remember a study from long ago about the position/type of hair whorls on the head; a quick search brought this up.
hair whorls
 
Get Murray Grey cattle. Gentle even disposition, bulls are easy and quiet, calves have small birth weights and no problems. They are easy to raise and handle.
http://www.murraygreybeefcattle.com/
Rogers Smith
[email protected]
 
I have lowline black angus, and they are great little animals. I have a bull and 5 heifers (hopefully 5 calves due in spring,) and I'm finishing 2 steers. At about 18 months, they are all around 36" tall and max. out around 800 to 1000 lbs. They are the same as black angus, but they were bred in Australia for small size (about 2/3 size of regular angus) and docility, and easy calving. Do an internet search on them and you will find lots of breeders with a lot of info.

My bull and steers are fullblood, and the heifers are 3/4 blood commercial. Very easy animals to work with. The bull is pretty calm, but I wouldn't turn my back on him. Another advantage of small cattle is they eat less, and they are easier on the fences and the ground.
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