Cattle Question

What do you want to know?

We(really my father) have a registered Herford bull and a nice mix of Charolais F-1's, and other mixes. Would it be beneficial to start working in other Herefords into the mix? Is there an advantage to going to one breed type?

The 3 breed cross is the most beneficial for hybrid vigor.

Brahamn F1 plus outcross bull.

If your trying to bring in hereford heifers to try to produce your own bulls, I'd say your going to spend more money trying to develop those bulls than just purchasing from a breeder.

If your just selling your calves to meat buyers there's no benefit to focusing on 1 specific breed unless you want to go to the certified beef route. You'll have to have a certain % of hereford to certify.

I'm in NWLA. Similar to you, most of our cows are my mom's. I technically only own 4 head right now. I manage all the branding, vaccinating, sorting and selling decisions though for us.

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have a registered Herford bull and a nice mix of Charolais F-1's, and other mixes. Would it be beneficial to start working in other Herefords into the mix? Is there an advantage to going to one breed type?

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Depends on where you are at in your operation management wise. Are you happy with the calves you are getting? Are your cows getting older and needing replacement? Is it time for a major reshuffling?

There are advantages to one breed type, in that it brings you back to step 1.

In your position, this is what I would do...

Step 1. Replace older cows with herford cows. Over the next 3 years start collecting and saving your best herford heifers. When they get breeding age and you need a new bull, sell remaining cows that aren't herford and the bull leaving you with only herford cows and straight herford heifers.

Step 2. Come back on straight herford cows and heifers with new bull... A Brahman. Begin 3 year process of collecting the best daughters until you have herford cows and multiple F1 Braford heifers.

Step 3. When you need a new bull, come back on your herford cows and braford heifers with a black angus bull. Start the 3 year process again and you'll be collecting F1 black baldy calves off your herford cows and (50% Angus 25% Brahman 25% herford calves) off your braford heifers.

That's a decade long plan to producing 2 of the most highly desirable types of beef calves and you already have the herford bull to get started.

ETA: You'll be selling bull, steer, and cull heifer calves the whole time to finance the deal.

interesting. There is talk of adding a few new mom cows since we sold 1, and 1 is sick (non calf bearing this year). The one we sold charged at my neice so "she gone." If we were to add a few herfords, where do you suggest getting them around our part of the world?

side note: bull is only 4-5 years old and throws mostly bulls. I think we had 23 bulls and like 8 heifers this past year.

I've got a couple of contacts. I went and looked and the guy I'm thinking about has 12, not 18 head of herfords. $1400 for the dry cows and $1900 for the pairs (a couple have black baldy calves on them) All exposed to brahman bulls this go round.

The guy is out of SE Texas, but he travels all over TX, LA, OK. If you want cows, he can find them, and shipping is not as big of a deal as you may think.

Do you have facebook? The guy I'm talking about does professional cattle consulting and management and has a page. He's always pimping something legit.

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Black sells.

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Truth.

Nah. I'm sure he wants his name out there. This is his business FB website. cowboysales.com

Check it out.

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Beefmaster is the way to go.

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Nolan Ryan fan huh?

Although I like beefmasters, they price themselves out of being a bred that could be widely used.

Lots of good info in here, Clyde is on point.