# angus holstein cross



## Briano (May 21, 2016)

i have an angus holstein cross steer that i bought off a trusted lifelong friend for 200 in march of 2017. November 23 2017 i picked up a bottle heifer from the same friend. the steer will go in the freezer in the fall of 2018 but i am thinking about having this new heifer bred when she is ready any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. im only looking to have 3-5 cows at a time but have plenty of family that would take beef. what should i have her bred to and any other thoughts? the bigger one in the picture is the steer and the baby is only 5 days old.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

I assume she's also a Holstein Angus cross. You should be able to breed her to any low birth weight Angus or Hereford.


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## IMFoghorn (Jan 28, 2012)

I had a holstein/angus cross AI'd to a low birth weight angus bull. Had a heifer calf that I really liked. I kept the calf and bred her.

Does your friend have a bull?


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

haypoint said:


> I assume she's also a Holstein Angus cross. You should be able to breed her to any low birth weight Angus or Hereford.


yes she is angus/holstein cross


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

IMFoghorn said:


> I had a holstein/angus cross AI'd to a low birth weight angus bull. Had a heifer calf that I really liked. I kept the calf and bred her.
> 
> Does your friend have a bull?


yes but it is a holstein bull and 2 hours away


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

I would never breed a angus/Holstein heifer to a Holstein. Birth weights are vastly different and you don't want the expense of getting a hip locked calf cut out of a heifer.


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

that qas my thinking to i think it would be best to use another angus


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

if you are looking for a home milk cow cross the heifer to a jersey for a small calf . for beef use a angus . best to play it safe and go for a small birthweight calf . crossing to a hosteen you will get a large calf that might cause trouble at birth time ,and not as high quality of beef as an angus would provide , if that's the goal , even as a future mother cow the large% Hosteen may make to much for 1 calf and need to take fosters or be milked .


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

definitely going the beef route over the dairy


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

steins and angus make good cows and my experience is they milk heavy and wean a Huge calf . You will get some chrome from time to time. I have a few in my Bunch and keeping a heifer off of one this year.


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

what do you mean by chome. this is my first time raising cows. have done pigs for the last three years and wanted to expand. i grew up on my grandfathers farm. im only looking to have 3-5 and plan on filling my freezer and i have people wanting to buy 1/2s and my steer is will not be a year old untill march.


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

chrome dang spell check


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

Chome= is the white like on a Holstein . In the Beef business most people breed for solid colors black, red etc . when spots of white show up its referred to as chrome


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

got it thank you


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

here IS A PIC of two Angus /Holstein calves both are "chromed" pretty good


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

nice so just the white like a holstein. im sure if you raise them to sell it might turn some buyers off. but for my purpose of filling my families freezer and letting my kids and nieces and nephews experience the animals and responsibilities should not be an issue


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

yes once the hide is off no one knows what color they were. I do raise to sell and I do sometime receive a dock (deduction) for chromed up calves but its not much if the calf has the frame and structure. I have one Simmental influenced cow that throws a lot of chrome and once weaned you can tell that there is no dairy in that calf and they sell as good as the solids do


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## Briano (May 21, 2016)

thanks for the info i really appreciate it


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

M5farm said:


> steins and angus make good cows and my experience is they milk heavy and wean a Huge calf . You will get some chrome from time to time. I have a few in my Bunch and keeping a heifer off of one this year.


Most people are impressed by big calves, but rarely figure out how much it cost to get them. The Holstein makes for bigger cows that milk more, both of which will increase your feed bill. Milk is not free.

Also, more muscular cows such as the continental breeds (charolais, Simmental, limousin, etc) will eat more. We are also breeding more and more muscle into supposedly maternal breeds like Angus and Hereford. Muscular bulls put more muscle in calves for slaughter, but also more muscle into replacement cows which will eat more.

Many animal scientists think our beef cows have gone too far on the milk and muscle. Ideally have an efficient lower muscle and milk cow, bred to a muscle bull.

Cow efficiency is discussed here:


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