Best potential cows

chippy78

I buy weanling heifers every year and sell them as stores. This year im gonna retain 2 and put them in calf. I have never done this before. The heifers I have at the minute are mainly Lmx and Chx and 1 Bbx. What do I need to lookout for in a Heifer when choosing 2 to become cows. ie, age, shape, muscle, length, temperament, milk ect. thanks folks. Please dont tell me im mad to go into suckling!!!! I probably am!!

Mad4simmental

From behind, good square back end, wide hips(room for calf to exit)

If your picky I like the spins to be slightly turned in.

Nice wide back, level and not broken down.

The tale should be slightly hidden or level and not standing proud.

Good feet and legs. Walk them around, make sure they don't drag their feet around(potential problims later in life)

Good shape/mussel but not to much.

Looking from the front I like a good shoulder that's not much more narrow than the back half of the animal.

Good powerful animal but not to much legs.

If your going to keep her, TEMPERAMENT is huge. You don't want hassle every time you go to move her. It's not worth it. Plus her calf has more chance of being wild to.
Two things with this. You will be sick of her every time you go to work with her & if her calf is half wild and always stressed it's not going to put on the KGs the same quit animal will do.

jd06

Mad4simmental wrote: »

From behind, good square back end, wide hips(room for calf to exit)

If your picky I like the spins to be slightly turned in.

Nice wide back, level and not broken down.

The tale should be slightly hidden or level and not standing proud.

Good feet and legs. Walk them around, make sure they don't drag their feet around(potential problims later in life)

Good shape/mussel but not to much.

Looking from the front I like a good shoulder that's not much more narrow than the back half of the animal.

Good powerful animal but not to much legs.

If your going to keep her, TEMPERAMENT is huge. You don't want hassle every time you go to move her. It's not worth it. Plus her calf has more chance of being wild to.
Two things with this. You will be sick of her every time you go to work with her & if her calf is half wild and always stressed it's not going to put on the KGs the same quit animal will do.

I've a heifer with de tail high, what does that mean?

Miname

A high tail means some lads won't like her. Buy a speckled roan or a simm and you won't go wrong, there's always a lad for either.

Limestone Cowboy

Best breeding cows I have are lim x sim. You get weight and shape in the calves off them. Length, width, depth, a tight enough gut and growth is what I'd be looking for and preferably knowing where she came from to know if she will have milk. I'd prefer a looser heifer for breeding than a right tight muscled one aswell if that makes any sense.

Kovu

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Best breeding cows I have are lim x sim. You get weight and shape in the calves off them. Length, width, depth, a tight enough gut and growth is what I'd be looking for and preferably knowing where she came from to know if she will have milk. I'd prefer a looser heifer for breeding than a right tight muscled one aswell if that makes any sense.

A sluh of a heifer :pac:

Agree with you on lmx sim. Give a nice shaped animal but keeps the milk and also the size & bone of the sim. Usually a nice deep colour too.

Although I'd also be happy sending Mad4simmental off to buy me heifers any day. I don't think I can add any more to his list! I can't stress the good temperment enough, especially if they're going to be the first breeding animals you have around. Nothing worse than a heifer dancing around a pen and you don't know if she's getting sick to calve or just wants to fly up the walls because you're standing close to her.

And don't overdo the nuts with them either, you'll have puppy fat on their udders. I'm sure there's some science or technical bit behind this but I was always told not to over do breeding heifers as they'll put up fat in their udder area very easily.

chippy78

Spins??!!

Count Mondego

chippy78 wrote: »

Spins??!!

Pins I'd say. Ligaments connecting the "arse bones" (that's the best I can do). When she starts calving they slip down and you can't feel them. Good indication that she'll calf in the next 12 hours.

ted_182

chippy78 wrote: »

Spins??!!

Tits. Or teats, whichever u prefer

onyerbikepat

Agree with all the above. Two things I'd add, one is backbreeding and the other is muscle. Can you talk to the farmer you bought them off and find out what bull they are off. What is the mother like? Has she milk? Is she quiet? Some clues in the heifers might be colouring, roan for Shorthorn, white in the udder or head, might be simmental or whitehead.

Muscle - Muscle means different thing in different breeds. Stay away from BB as they tend to be too tight at the hips. I've yet to see muscle in a limousin being a problem, provided it is not too tight around teh hips like a BB, but more down the back leg, if that makes sense.

chippy78

That's all great info guys thanks. These were all bought in stock trough the mart this spring all from different farmers. Do ye think it would be worth trying to contact each farmer to find out Bull and Dam?!

blue5000

chippy78 wrote: »

That's all great info guys thanks. These were all bought in stock trough the mart this spring all from different farmers. Do ye think it would be worth trying to contact each farmer to find out Bull and Dam?!

Ya was going to suggest that, ask them for the bull's tag number or ai code, then look them up on icbf. If they tell you the truth you'd have a lot of info before bulling them.

Mac Taylor

Chippy, are you a subscriber to ICBF? I get a lot of info off it for €60. As long as the previous owner recorded the sire ( not always done or truthful) you can see the animals back breeding. I bought one heifer last year for breeding on looks only, turned out she was sired by a rocky son (lm) who is not noted for his milk. We'll see how things turn out. Agree with all the other advice and can only add that I like my cows to look like cows and the Bulls to look like bulls and not vice versa

Future Farmer

chippy78 wrote: »

I buy weanling heifers every year and sell them as stores. This year im gonna retain 2 and put them in calf. I have never done this before. The heifers I have at the minute are mainly Lmx and Chx and 1 Bbx. What do I need to lookout for in a Heifer when choosing 2 to become cows. ie, age, shape, muscle, length, temperament, milk ect. thanks folks. Please dont tell me im mad to go into suckling!!!! I probably am!!

Hi Chippy

Listen yoo could get super smashing CHx or SIx heifers, that will big cows and very impressive looking when finished growing, if I was you I would go for a few handy AAxFr-Ho that'll calve anything, have plenty of milk and are docile - bucket reared, plus you can even pick them up as calves yourself.

Having really impressive cows is fine but that doesn't mean they are economically viable.

The brother has 15 AAxBr-Fr they reared their calves plus 10 Hol-Fr Bull calves too, and they got nothing but glass, there was no hassle with them, they are lovely to work with.

chippy78

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Chippy, are you a subscriber to ICBF? I get a lot of info off it for €60. As long as the previous owner recorded the sire ( not always done or truthful) you can see the animals back breeding. I bought one heifer last year for breeding on looks only, turned out she was sired by a rocky son (lm) who is not noted for his milk. We'll see how things turn out. Agree with all the other advice and can only add that I like my cows to look like cows and the Bulls to look like bulls and not vice versa

Thanks for that I'm gonna check that out now

chippy78

Future Farmer wrote: »

Hi Chippy

Listen yoo could get super smashing CHx or SIx heifers, that will big cows and very impressive looking when finished growing, if I was you I would go for a few handy AAxFr-Ho that'll calve anything, have plenty of milk and are docile - bucket reared, plus you can even pick them up as calves yourself.

Having really impressive cows is fine but that doesn't mean they are economically viable.

The brother has 15 AAxBr-Fr they reared their calves plus 10 Hol-Fr Bull calves too, and they got nothing but glass, there was no hassle with them, they are lovely to work with.

Some of the limos I have at the moment are blacks out of dairy stock by the looks if them, there are 2 who seem to have a nice temperament. One is a pure pet I'd say she was bucket reared. I agree with your point about going for classy cows. I wouldn't really either, I'm not going to be trying to produce heavy muscled export types just nice solid calves

chippy78

Does any one have calves from EBY ElderberryGalahad from dovea on the ground? Just wondering about shape and calving ease?!

Bullocks

chippy78 wrote: »

Does any one have calves from EBY ElderberryGalahad from dovea on the ground? Just wondering about shape and calving ease?!

I have a heifer from him out of a HE 1st calver , calved herself ant a bad looking calf but not a showwinner either .