Started with a steer, now just bought a heifer!!

[SandyB]

Some of you may remember that we just bought my daughter her first steer for our fair next Labor Day weekend. Well yesterday we decided to go with some friends to a sale( Leo Bright Bros) and we ended up buying a heifer. She is by Bodacious and out of a Angus cow. We think she is a pretty nice heifer with some good depth to her body and a good udder plus she is attractive. The only thing I am not crazy about is her tail set. What do you guys think? How should I feed her? For now she is in with the steer and we tied them up when it was time for their grain. Until we get her gentled and easy to catch then thats the way it will be. Do you think she is worth showing at all? If so, at what level? These photos are not the best. We had just unloaded her and tied her up and I snapped them with my cell phone. Oh and we weighed her today and she weighed 640#'s.
Also a quick update on the steer. He weighed only 508#'s today. He is doing great though. Such a sweet boy and so gentle natured.

 

[GoWyo]

Looks like someone twisted it too hard.  I would feed her out for freezer beef.  I don't mean to be harsh, but I don't see her as breeding stock or show stock if that is how her tail is naturally set.

 

[SandyB]

Looks like someone twisted it too hard.  I would feed her out for freezer beef.  I don't mean to be harsh, but I don't see her as breeding stock or show stock if that is how her tail is naturally set.

When she is relaxed there is not normally space between her tail and her rear. She was agitated and swishing her tail a lot.

 

[OH Breeder]

If you review the three AI sires her tail head is not that uncommon for some of the clubby bred females. I do not think she is that severe she needs to be in a freezer. If you put some hair on her and clip just right you can minimize the tail set some. She is feminine yet looks like she has some body and muscle. Rinse and feed her see what she looks like in 60 days. If you are just getting going believe me she is far superior to some of the animals that I started out with in the day.

 

[SandyB]

This morning I spent some time watching her. When she gets agitated or gets cocky, that tail comes up and away from her butt. However, when she was relaxed and eating, the tail lays much flatter with no space between it and her butt, although probably still a bit high for maybe what one would consider a high quality show heifer. I did not spend a boatload of money for her but we also want to make sure we breed to improve the quality. OH Breeder, thank you for the photos. I spent countless hours last night going over pictures and I saw many win photos and Supreme Champions with tails set high or even some away from the butts. As you said, with grooming and hair you can really minimize that rear quarter to blend it all in. I just have to learn to do that 

Here are pictures I took this morning while she was eating.

 

[mark tenenbaum]

Shes got alot of good qualities-and you could breed her a number of ways to improve what isnt a major issue wasting a nice hiefer like that for freezer is something even the bigshots wouldnt do O0

 

[dimebag]

That heifer has alot going for her , wouldn't worry about that tail head . CERTAINLY NOT FREEZER BEEF !!!

 

[GoWyo]

The second group of photos are a little easier to look at.  Maybe she will grow into her tail.  I wouldn't breed her to Kadabra though - might get a "baboon tail."

 

[BogartBlondes]

Shes a really sweet looking heifer! I would show her in a minute!
Get some hair on her and spend some time working the hair around the tail and glue it up for the shows. Just remember to keep pulling her tail down in the ring.

 

[OH Breeder]

The second group of photos are a little easier to look at.  Maybe she will grow into her tail.  I wouldn't breed her to Kadabra though - might get a "baboon tail."

THose are not reference sires to inseminate her to. Those are examples of alot of heavily used bulls have a very similar tailset. Just so we are clear.

 

[SandyB]

The second group of photos are a little easier to look at.  Maybe she will grow into her tail.  I wouldn't breed her to Kadabra though - might get a "baboon tail."

THose are not reference sires to inseminate her to. Those are examples of alot of heavily used bulls have a very similar tailset. Just so we are clear.

Yup! I knew that was what you meant when you posted the photos I will definitely plan to breed her to a bull with a cleaner tail set when that times comes, which will be for a March/April calf of 2015. I will do some research on calving ease bulls, but I know that I like I-80 and he is one I would consider.

Thank you all for your kind comments. She is eating well and walking on a halter very well. She is a bit more spicy than the steer but once she gets used to you she is a babe. She likes to lick me as if she is bathing me. Not sure what thats about but I don't mind it.  (lol)

 

[Clubby24]

The freezer beef comment is ridiculous. You have a pretty nice heifer.

 

[DLD]

Nice heifer.  The tailhead isn't ideal, to be sure, but she's still far from a throwaway to me.

It is funny though, how many people have their "pet peeves" about cattle (even their own) that they can't see past.  I can think of several times over the years with families that I help that I've watched calves grow that I liked a lot - and thought I made it clear that I was interested in, only to find out that they'd taken them to the sale barn over what I felt like was a less than major fault.  They kept cattle (even to show themselves) that were far inferior in quality to the one they sold, because there was some little something about that one that they could never see past.

 

[GoWyo]

Feet, legs, spine (including the tail head) are all important parts of the animal's overall structure.  If she sticks her tail out like she does in the first set of photos every time she gets nervous, it would be a pet peeve of mine.  However, just about all our cows have some quirk that bugs me a little and we keep our best ones in production and find new homes for the ones that fall out of our program for various reasons.  The later photos show her in a much better light.  You get to see her every day and if you like her and she becomes a productive cow, then that is all she has to do.  (thumbsup)

 

[SandyB]

I am sure that many breeders have those "pet peeves" that they can not get past that help them to cull their herd to the type of cattle that they want to breed. While I recognize this heifers tail set may not be ideal, I really do like the rest of her and think she will be a good steer producer down the road. Of course this is just my opinion and I am as green as grass when it comes to cattle but I do have an eye for conformation. I also think that there are certain traits that you would never want to breed such as crooked legs, roached backs and a mean disposition. I have an issue with poor tails in horses. I can not stand ones that are busy with their tails or ones that carry it high (like an Arab). I like a flat tail on a horse. At some point this heifers tail my bother me enough to move her down the road, but first I want to see what she produces and if we can not improve that tail set by carefully breeding her to the correct bull(s).
We are now in the process of looking for a 2nd heifer and I learn every day what I like and what I do not like. One thing is for sure, we are sure enjoying the two calves we have!

 

[RyanChandler]

Being cow hocked rarely affects productivity.  The upward sloping pelvic which is the culprit of that tail head very well could.