Let's try this again. Before we all started taking potshots, I had posted that our operations was focused primarily on black, commercial cattle targeted for replacements and feedlot calves with show steers/heifers for my sons as a second priority. We don't mess with trying to raise any bulls.
The scenario for our part of the world [(North central Texas) in the Wichita Falls area specifically] - nearly everyone is fall calving (Sep-Dec), cows/calves are raised on native/improved native pastures (natural and improved varieties of blue stems, side oats, etc), and nobody weans till early summer. You've got calves being raised by mommas for their first nine months of life. This practice is very widespread and it sounds like quite different most other parts of the country. Really, its the low input deal at work - in the winter we feed anywhere from 2-5 lbs of cottonseed or corn cake (20+% protein) per pair and that's it. No hay, no nothing. The calves you'll see in these photos have never seen creep feed except for a two week period around Christmas when we hauled some into a feeder when we had a bunch of snow and couldn't get in every day to feed the mommas.
Here are photos to back that up to show you what we've got.
One my best cows. She's out of a Cunia son (Cunia x Foreplay's Dam) and a commercial angus cow. She is five and a half, has her fifth calf in her, and photo was taken yesterday. She's in good condition because her calf was weaned back at the end of Feb for show. Her last two calves have been out of Yellow Jacket - the steer we showed last year and a heifer we are showing this year (see heifer photo below).
Here is a young show oriented cow that I've got a lot of hope for. She is a Friction out of a Cunia grandaughter similar to the cow above. She is about to wean her second calf (out of an OCC Anchor son). She didn't stick to AI for her second calf (one chance) and instead calved in late Dec. Her first calf was a Rocky Balboa. We weaned him and prepared to show him, but got a little worried he was too tight moving and sent him to the feedlot. There he gained 2.48 lbs per day and hung a 848 lb, 17.7 inch ribeye, Yield Grade 1 Select carcass. Our perceived movement problems turned out not to be a feedlot problem.
Not that great of a photo to do her justice, but another Cunia grandaughter out of an Angus cow. A lot of people think she's the best looking cow we've got. She bred back late her second calf and has never caught back up enough to AI. She's got a real nice heifer calf out of a Hannibal son this year, but I didn't catch a photo of it.
We have two Charolais-X cows on the place and they like to stick together. The one closest to the camera is the one in my Avatar. Her calf to the right side is a Sep 23 steer out of a Hannibal son. Not quite enough rear end to show. Her calf last year was identically bred. He was too young to show (a Nov), but gained 3.17 lbs/day in the feedlot and hung a 841 lb, YG 3, Choice carcass.
The calf right behind her is a George heifer out of the other Charolais cow in the back. One of the best brood cow prospects I think I've ever had - she's 3/4 blood Charolais. She is as feminine, stout, soggy, and correct as I can make one. I had one other George calf this year that got sold as a show steer. Her momma is the "money-makingest" cow I have. Last year's calf was out of Salute (he came out black, but that's what he was unless I grabbed the wrong straw which I doubt). He was her only calf not to get shown, but he made the feedlot more money than any other calf we sent them. He gained 3.18 lbs/day and hung a 973 lb, YG 2 Choice carcass that grossed more money than any other carcass from our herd.
This calf in the middle is out of a Meyer son (from Collins) and an Angus cow. Just a big ol stout, 3/4 Angus-1/4 Simi feedlot steer. His momma raised a placing Angus steer at Fort Worth for us last year.
Just some cows and calves. The baldy is a Sunseeker.
Just cows and calves. Yellow tags are first calf heifers and a bunch of the rest in this pasture are 10-15 year old grannies.
You can get an idea of the kind of grass we are blessed with this year in this photo (and a few too many flies).
Just a view of one of our pastures with the cows starting to head toward us.
The scenario for our part of the world [(North central Texas) in the Wichita Falls area specifically] - nearly everyone is fall calving (Sep-Dec), cows/calves are raised on native/improved native pastures (natural and improved varieties of blue stems, side oats, etc), and nobody weans till early summer. You've got calves being raised by mommas for their first nine months of life. This practice is very widespread and it sounds like quite different most other parts of the country. Really, its the low input deal at work - in the winter we feed anywhere from 2-5 lbs of cottonseed or corn cake (20+% protein) per pair and that's it. No hay, no nothing. The calves you'll see in these photos have never seen creep feed except for a two week period around Christmas when we hauled some into a feeder when we had a bunch of snow and couldn't get in every day to feed the mommas.
Here are photos to back that up to show you what we've got.
One my best cows. She's out of a Cunia son (Cunia x Foreplay's Dam) and a commercial angus cow. She is five and a half, has her fifth calf in her, and photo was taken yesterday. She's in good condition because her calf was weaned back at the end of Feb for show. Her last two calves have been out of Yellow Jacket - the steer we showed last year and a heifer we are showing this year (see heifer photo below).
Here is a young show oriented cow that I've got a lot of hope for. She is a Friction out of a Cunia grandaughter similar to the cow above. She is about to wean her second calf (out of an OCC Anchor son). She didn't stick to AI for her second calf (one chance) and instead calved in late Dec. Her first calf was a Rocky Balboa. We weaned him and prepared to show him, but got a little worried he was too tight moving and sent him to the feedlot. There he gained 2.48 lbs per day and hung a 848 lb, 17.7 inch ribeye, Yield Grade 1 Select carcass. Our perceived movement problems turned out not to be a feedlot problem.
Not that great of a photo to do her justice, but another Cunia grandaughter out of an Angus cow. A lot of people think she's the best looking cow we've got. She bred back late her second calf and has never caught back up enough to AI. She's got a real nice heifer calf out of a Hannibal son this year, but I didn't catch a photo of it.
We have two Charolais-X cows on the place and they like to stick together. The one closest to the camera is the one in my Avatar. Her calf to the right side is a Sep 23 steer out of a Hannibal son. Not quite enough rear end to show. Her calf last year was identically bred. He was too young to show (a Nov), but gained 3.17 lbs/day in the feedlot and hung a 841 lb, YG 3, Choice carcass.
The calf right behind her is a George heifer out of the other Charolais cow in the back. One of the best brood cow prospects I think I've ever had - she's 3/4 blood Charolais. She is as feminine, stout, soggy, and correct as I can make one. I had one other George calf this year that got sold as a show steer. Her momma is the "money-makingest" cow I have. Last year's calf was out of Salute (he came out black, but that's what he was unless I grabbed the wrong straw which I doubt). He was her only calf not to get shown, but he made the feedlot more money than any other calf we sent them. He gained 3.18 lbs/day and hung a 973 lb, YG 2 Choice carcass that grossed more money than any other carcass from our herd.
This calf in the middle is out of a Meyer son (from Collins) and an Angus cow. Just a big ol stout, 3/4 Angus-1/4 Simi feedlot steer. His momma raised a placing Angus steer at Fort Worth for us last year.
Just some cows and calves. The baldy is a Sunseeker.
Just cows and calves. Yellow tags are first calf heifers and a bunch of the rest in this pasture are 10-15 year old grannies.
You can get an idea of the kind of grass we are blessed with this year in this photo (and a few too many flies).
Just a view of one of our pastures with the cows starting to head toward us.
