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Oh boy I am so excited!!!

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Kelly C

04-29-2006 13:14:27




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Wife gave in and said I can get a couple of cows!!! Suppose I better get busy and fence me a cattle lot.
I am going to get 2 to raise for our selfs.( to start with)
What do you suggest? My Gramps always had Red/ White faced herfords. But I donr know what to get for my 1st ones.




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karl f

04-30-2006 10:57:27




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
no one has mentioned any of the dairy breeds. they are even more calm as they have daily contact with people. bad part is a dairy cow/heifer will make a lot of milk once they calve. and calves screw up the udders for returning to a milk production life. although an old cow nearing hamburger stage might fare well as a mother and fall freezer filler. dairy cow beef is just as good or better, just not as much per animal, which for yourselves is still plenty of meat. and it doesnt matter what age of cow a calf comes out of, (as long as good genetics) it's a brand new animal. dairy heifer calves are worth $$. shorthorns in our dairy herd seemed to be the wooliest in the winter months when heifers were kept outside (near st cloud mn), although all grow nice winter coats. you might consider raising heifers for a dairy farm near you too, there is always a need for that with the bigger farms. definitely a lot of choices for you!

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Barbell

04-29-2006 19:05:42




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
Kelly, I have no idea what part of the country you are in. If you go with a few cows, you will likely keep them at least several years. That means in most places, hay or some kind of forage for the winter. Water must be available. Frost free waterers are best but not cost effective for a small herd. Otherwise, an ax for cutting ice and the willingness to do it EVERY day, maybe twice a day in very cold weather is a necessity. Fences have to be good enough to keep them in. You have heard "good fences make good neighbors". Black baldies (Angus Hereford crossbreds)do well most places, make very good mother cows, are not difficult to handle most of the time, not as likely to get cancer eye as some other breeds and they can survive on stalk fields or other low quality forage where some of the more exotic breeds will be bawling at the gate for you to bring them hay. On the other hand, If you have grass and water for the warmer months, running a few yearlings, either steers or heifers and selling in the fall might be the way to start. Hope I did not talk you out of it.

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W4

04-29-2006 18:59:46




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
We had a herd of Herferds but changed over to Angus when the vet bills got too high with the big heads and larger calves mainly with the young Herferd heifers.



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RNicholas

04-29-2006 18:33:39




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
My 2 cents--find someone you TRUST that's in the business that will go with you to make a buy or that will sell you a couple of bred cows, cows that you know will calf well, milk well and are MANAGABLE, even gentle. Wild cows are the Good Lord's punishment for an ignorant cow man. That's the VOE. (Voice of Experience) An experienced friend in the business can expain to you what calfing well and milking well mean. Once you get any size herd started you will routinely weed out cows that don't meet this criteria. Raising cattle the right way is an art form which can be rewarding. The wrong way is frustrating and costly. You've already shown some good sense by asking first. Sure wish I had.

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Delbert

04-29-2006 18:15:07




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
Go herford cows and use angus bulls to dehorn the calves. Just my thoughts on the subject.



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WyoDave

04-29-2006 17:40:39




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
I run hereford/angus cross cattle here. Works good for my area. I'm warning you though, that fencing stuff is a lot of work. Thats what I've been doing this last week. Its starting to take shape though.
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David

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R. John Johnson

04-30-2006 06:06:19




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to WyoDave, 04-29-2006 17:40:39  
Dave

VERY nice. Wish I had a set up like that. Whose brand crowding tub is that? What materials are you using for the fencing portions?

John



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WyoDave

04-30-2006 09:21:49




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to R. John Johnson, 04-30-2006 06:06:19  
Its a powder river crowding tub. The fencing material is a continuouse fencing product made at a local welding shop. It comes welded together in 20' pieces and then you put in on the posts and couple the ends together. Goes up pretty good and it'll hold about anything you can throw at it.
David



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MN Scott

04-29-2006 16:41:23




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
I have polled herefords and hereford angus cross cows. I'am slowly changing over to the black baldies as black hair seems to bring a 10 to 15 cent preimium. I have to dissagree with Levi K, herefords are calm and easy going in my years of experance. They do tend to have more trouble with poor udders and prolapse and cancer eye and then there's the red hair issue. Angus on the other hand are better mothers and milk better but they are high strung and you have to be carfull catching the newborn calves as they tend to be very protective. Any breed cow can be calm or spooky it depends on their gentics and the way they are handled. If you go look at some cows and you can walk through them in the pasture and they pay little attention to you they are ok but if they run to the corners of the pasture stay away from them. For top quaility meat go with the hereford or angus or crosses of the two and stay away from the european giants.

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Tallperson

04-29-2006 16:28:51




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
Hi Kelly c Welcome to the world of animal husbandry.. This is my 2cents worth as everyone else. If you are going to start a production herd, even if a small one My advise would be to buy a couple of bred second or third calf young cows. I don"t know your backround but since your asking I assume you haven"t alot of expirience. First calf heifers can be a problem calving the first time and you have to wait a whole long time to see a return. A bred cow will give you a calf right away, and they have had one at least one calf already and know the program . They also have an easier time calving and mostly do well on their own. I have an assortment of colors because of trading work for calves but my choice is Black angus. Bred to black angus bulls. Good solid black calves will bring the most money at market time, and are the most efficient in converting feed to pounds of meat.. You also will have no concerns with horns.. The genetics take care of that. Good luck and have a good time . I enjoy raising my cattle , and the claves are running everywhere right now.. Quite a sight.. Tallperson

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Karl Hamson

04-29-2006 15:34:28




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
And make sure they are polled (no horns) Cows with horns have an attitude and can be very dangerous. My 2 cents



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Levi K

04-29-2006 14:50:48




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
Hi Kelly, haven't seen you in a while. One thing about herefords is their spooked easy. Black Angus would be my dad and I's preference for starter producers. If you are going to buy any brood cows you might wanna get like some red angus or RX3's (red angus, hereford and holstien)if you can find any. Watch out for most red angus mother's- most of them will eat ya as soon as look at ya. You'll like having your own cows- my family do a whole beef from my uncle today and it filled up our commercial freezer. That's what I would do with. The RX3's have good mothering ability and meat quality. My 2 cents.

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Kelly C

04-29-2006 15:33:59




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Levi K, 04-29-2006 14:50:48  
Thanks for the Advice Levi. What size and age should I look at?
I am thinking hefers as I may breed them if it goes well.
Or should I just stick with steers and worry about beeding stock latter?



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IaGary

04-29-2006 13:43:09




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to Kelly C, 04-29-2006 13:14:27  
If you get herfords and decide to breed them to an angus bull you would get some nice black white face calves.

Maybe your not lookin to have stock cows just running yearlings thru the summer.

If so any breed will work just don't buy any spooky ones.

Good Luck and enjoy.



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Kelly C

04-29-2006 15:38:05




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 Re: Oh boy I am so excited!!! in reply to IaGary, 04-29-2006 13:43:09  
Thanks for the Advice Gary. Part of me just wants to get some for the summer and then sell in the fall. That way dont have to mess with calfing. But calfing is where the money is I guess.
Better just put my toe in 1st though.



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