# What kind of cows do you raise?



## HillRunner (Jun 28, 2010)

My father keeps Angus/Shorthorn on the farm. I will be fencing some acreage off to raise some Dexter and Dairy breeds as my father's cattle are his he uses the income from the calves to pay the land taxes and for a loan on a tractor. 

But I digress my original question was what kind of cattle do y'all raise?


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

I raise any kind of dairy calfs I can buy and some beef breed calfs if they are cheap 

I have Jersey , Holstien, Milking Shorthorn and Jersey /Holstien cross COWS


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Profitable cattle.


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## lakeportfarms (Apr 23, 2009)

Dexter and Scottish Highland. Contrary to popular belief both breeds can be profitable if you have an efficient operation and develop a good market for them outside of the sale barn.


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## lakeportfarms (Apr 23, 2009)

I should also add it helps if you don't look for the "cheapest" cow or bull out there as your breeding stock.


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## fitz (Jan 7, 2010)

agmantoo said:


> Profitable cattle.


Agreed. That's the one's I'm looking for. As I posted on another thread, I'm pleased with the Sim/Angus cross.

fitz


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## Sarah J (Jun 28, 2003)

I have three Dexters. I've raised a few dairy steers and beef steers in the past, but I think the Dexters are my favorite. I've got the bull, the cow and last year's little heifer. It's all we need for myself and my Dh. The bull is as laid back as I could ever want and he's earning his keep by breeding others' cows, too. I love my Dexters. It helps that my girl is a milker. Hand milking really makes you feel closer to your livestock.


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

I am getting a couple of dexters in March. Looking forward to it!


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## randiliana (Feb 22, 2008)

We raise beef cows. Shorthorn, Hereford and Angus (red and black) mostly for crossbred calves. But we do have 1 purebred Holstein cow and 2 half Holstein cows, for nurse cows.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We have Jersey's and one Guernsey, but we are surrounded by thousands upon thousands of Angus both red and black and then a few mixed herds made up of black baldies, Charlois, and mixes of everything else. See very few herds of pure Hereford any more. In our county the cattle FAR out number the people. 

All the ranchers laugh at me and my little halter broke cow I lead around that's half the size of their Angus cows. That's ok. I'd put my Jersey up against their Angus any day.


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

I have two Jersey/Holstien cross heifers that I bottle fed over last summer. And then for Christmas I got 2 bred Belgian Blue/Angus/Brama crosses. Pearl had a little bull calve who will end up in our freezer and the other Heifer, Little Bitty, is due any day now. We are just starting with cows.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

6e ...My first jersey cow Bessie raised 16 calfs the first year I had her....MOST OF THEM WERE ANGUS...


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

post on wrong like sorry


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

Years ago when we still raised cattle we bred santa gertrudis cows to a brown swiss bull.
Kept the heifers and bred them to a good hereford bull.
Large size beef animals that produced a lot of milk.
At the time herefords went for a premimun and most of the calves were red white faced.


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

We have 2 Jerseys, 1 Jersey Guernsey, 1 Jersey/beef?, 1 Charolais cross, One Red Angus and her baby, and one Holstein bull calf.

I am hoping my Jersey Guernsey calves today, she was to have been bred to a Jersey


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

We have about thirty head of Jerseys around right now, no where as many as we use to. > Thanks Marc


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

Mostly Brangus, with alittle Angus in the mix. I've bred them to Angus, Brangus and Maine Anjou bulls with great success for freezer calves.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

agmantoo said:


> Profitable cattle.


 This. My only requisite is they like grass and have some respect for fences/people. Anyone that looks like they won't be able to handle either of those things gets shipped out ASAP.

After reading about your grass system I've decided that (and so far it's working!) that it doesn't matter as much what type of cattle they are, so long as costs are low they all make money.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

We are working at raising seedstock. We have purebred, registered Tarentaise cattle.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

Jersey, Brown Swiss and Holstein


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## tonyb (Jul 4, 2011)

We have one Dexter, AI'ed to a Lowline. Kind of interested in pure bred lowline in the future.

I like the lottery sign-off, HillRunner. We've got a neighbor who says the best way to make a million bucks farming is to start off with three.


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## loislanefl (Nov 7, 2011)

We have a Guernsey, Ayrshire, and a Jersey as well as a Guernsey heifer calf and a Jersey/Angus heifer calf. Guernsey and Ayrshire are my favorite breeds but we bought the Jersey because we needed more milk as our Ayrshire is dry right now. She is a nice little cow.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

holstein normally but currently we have crosses with very little holstein in the mix
shorthorn heifer
shorthorn/swedish red bull
holstein jersey/swedish red bull
holstein angus/swedish red steer


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Jersey and ayrshire........................too many to feed properly right not!!!

Sold the beef herd due to drought and probably won't go back into it that big.............EVER!


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

Don't have any now, but we backgrounded commercial mix-bred stocker steers. Breeds included Angus, Red Angus, Charolais, Simmental, Limousin, Shorthorn and Hereford. 

Now the neighbor we rent the land to puts Holstein, Jersey and Brown Swiss cattle in in the summers to keep the grass down.

Sure miss those beefers...


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## matt_man (Feb 11, 2006)

I have 8 Jerseys...4 cows, 3 heifers, and a bull. We are crossbreeding the cows this year to Wagyu and Montbeliarde.


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## OkieDuke (Jan 11, 2010)

5 Highlanders and one Angus. Herd bull is Highlander.


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

We always had mostly a 3-way cross. Gelbveih for milk and fast growth, hereford for mothering ability, and angus for the black hide. Fast growing , healthey black beef calves.


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## VaFarmer (Mar 2, 2011)

anything that will stay in the fences, then are cheap or cheap to keep then I have some Jersey , Holstien heifers, Shorthorn hereford heifer, angus hereford heifer and Jersey /Holstien steers and a jersey bull. Gettting a couple of holstien babies next week


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

Angus and Simmental/Angus in my beef herd. Also have a few Randalls.


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## HillRunner (Jun 28, 2010)

Mare Owner said:


> Angus and Simmental/Angus in my beef herd. Also have a few Randalls.


How are the Randall's?


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

HillRunner said:


> How are the Randall's?


What is a Randall? That's one I've never heard of.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

I found this site on Randalls:

http://www.randallcattleregistry.org/


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## bama-newsteader (Dec 2, 2011)

I wanted to ask about the Randalls too! I love them and would love to get a breeding pair, but i heard they do not do well in the southern heat. I raise Angus right now - 1 bull, 2 cows, 1 bull calf (6mo) and a new heifer calf (2 weeks).


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## cindy04 (Jun 27, 2006)

We have 2 Jersey heifers, 1 Angus (mostly Angus) heifer, and one Brahman heifer.

All due to start calving in March. Bred to a Super nice Angus bull.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Purebred Scottish Highlanders, registered Texas Longhorns.
We also have a registered Pinzgauer bull. Everything else is crosses of the above. We do have a couple out there that have 1/4 holstein and we have a charlois mix cow also.


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

One of our neighbors down the street raises South Poles. They have some Senepol in them. From what I hear, the breed was developed by one of the Alabama band guys (don't know their names--but he lives in Fort Payne)

The neighbor has sold is calves for $1500 to $3500. each. The one went cheep because there was no one there to bid on it. A little out of my price range


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## Rocktown Gal (Feb 19, 2008)

We raise fullblood Highland Cattle.


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## bknthesdle (Mar 27, 2011)

Simmental
Sim/Angus
Simmental/Hereford (aiming for some F1 baldies)
Angus/Hereford (aiming for some F1 baldies)
Shorthorn/Angus/Simmental/Hereford


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## avrugu (Jan 17, 2012)

Mare Owner said:


> Angus and Simmental/Angus in my beef herd. Also have a few Randalls.


That's interesting you have Randalls. I'm just down the road from the Langs who worked on keeping the breed going and was thinking about going with them for my first time keeping cows. (That's his site in the link posted)

Either them or Black Angus because they have such good brand recognition for sales.


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

About the Randalls: I got two cows and a young bull last April and so far they have been nice easy going cattle to have. Not agressive, can pet both cows, one is halter broke. Easy to keep weight on with forage alone. The older cow calved in early October and had an easy birth out on pasture. She's never been grained and I'm weaning the calf next week, nice big heifer calf.

I had hoped to share milk with the calf for awhile, but my schedule is not close to any daily routine so it just hasn't worked, maybe next year.

They are just BEAUTIFUL cows and I'd been waiting for four years to get some. One cow hasn't calved yet, going to preg check her in the next two weeks and see if she's bred now.

If you click on my link at in my signature you can find pics of my cattle and a couple posts and pics about the Randalls. I'd almost be happy to have one just to look at, I think they are such pretty cows. 

ETA: I got my three from a breeder in Missouri, so some people do keep them in warmer climates. They have thrived here in the frozen north of MN.  The Lang's are great stewards for the breed and I've emailed with them since 2007 about the breed, very nice folks and lots of excellent info and pics about the breed on their site.


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## Tad (Apr 2, 2003)

Right now we have 68 milkers in stalls, all of which are holstien except 3 jersey cross cows. We have 30 or so hiefers and 3 jersey steers. We are getting away from the jerseys because thier calves are pretty much worthless, hence the steers, they will take them now and give you $5 but at the time they were born the trucker would even pick them up, he told us to shoot them.


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## HillRunner (Jun 28, 2010)

Mare Owner said:


> I had hoped to share milk with the calf for awhile, but my schedule is not close to any daily routine so it just hasn't worked, maybe next year


Are these duel purpose cattle?


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

HillRunner said:


> Are these duel purpose cattle?


Yes, though on just forage I wouldn't expect much milk (but I'm single and hardly ever drink milk, I just wanted to try my hand at making butter and milking for the experience and enjoyment of it).


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## SteveO (Apr 14, 2009)

Right now 1/2 lowline/Angus the Calves will be 3/4 lowline. The first one is due end of the month
steve


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## cedarcreekranch (Nov 24, 2010)

Lowlines, both pure and percentage; Zebus and 2 Jerseys. Throw 2 mini Herefords in the mix and one Limousin/Angus cow and that's my herd of many colors.


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## TroutRiver (Nov 26, 2010)

Our dairy herd is almost all jersey. We have 3 jersey/normand crosses, and a jersey/ayrshire. 

Our beef herd is all over the place. We have black angus, rodacala (don't know how to spell that), devon, hereford, and various crosses of those breeds. Our beef bull is a devon.


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## birdman1 (Oct 3, 2011)

brown swiss milk cow I cross with a angus bull got a bull calf butcherd at ten months for 380 hanging weight of great lean tender baby beef for me I milk her and take extra good care of her but she is large and commands respect from the beef cows.there are a bunch of mixed beef cattle on the farm that i feed to get free hay for mine .the mostly angus crosses seem to do the best there were some mostly jerseys in he mix but they were weaker and needed extra looking after and were soon weeded out as there calfs were bringing a lot less at sale time


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## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

according to what I cant afford to buy, lol


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