Long Horn cattle/ new thread : )

[TRAILRIDER]

Don't want to get involved in the other thread here "animal abuse". But I did want to express an opinion on the long horn breed. Part of that thread dealt with the animals for sale looking underfed...
A few people I know keep long horns for various reasons. I would not like to own them precisely for the reason that they always look skinny to me. I just like to see my animals with weight on them, a bloom in thier coats, and dapples. Just me, what I'm used to.
I'm told the long horns are a hardy breed and easy to handle. Also, even though there isn't a whole lot of meat on them, thier meat is extremely lean and very good too. So to each his own.

[jwal10]

I agree about the other thread, not a good picture not enough info. Fat can be just as counter productive as lean. Depending on the animal and it's purpose. Skinny and malnurished is different than thin. What I think is thin, someone thinks is just right, what I think is fat, someone thinks is too thin. Like you say, to each his own. But malnurished is just the same, human or animal....James

[7thswan]

We have Longhorns, over 20 yrs. Yes they do look thinner, like in the way a Holstein looks compared to a beef breed. Ours are feeding their calves, which is why a Holistein looks thin-she's being milked. No grain, they are organic grass fed from the hay fields here. We have a 3 yr. old right now that does not have a calf, and she looks much "beefer". We are going over to Angus and have used our Bull 2 years now.Black hide without horns bring much more $ in this area. THe longhorns make the greatest mothers,protective,small babies-I've never had to pull one. Yes they are very hardy. They are Dh's choice of breed-not mine, I like Herford and my Angus Bull is the sweetest bull we have ever had. We never cut any of our bulls. Yup, to each his own, we all have diffrent needs. Edit to add:, the Herford cows we had, they got Fat, and that brought prolaps problems.

[ErinP]

I would not like to own them precisely for the reason that they always look skinny to me.

We worked on a large buffalo ranch in South Dakota for a number of years. One of our pastures butted up against a state highway and buffalo look perpetually starved. It's just their build. But the place got turned in several times for "starving" them.

Ironically, when they truly WERE starving (the reason we left, actually since the owners refused to buy sufficient feed) the whistle blowers were going crazy again, and no one would listen to them anymore. Even when people like us spoke to the state vet, they weren't particularly interested because of past cry-wolf incidents.

Something to consider...

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by 7thswan

small babies-I've never had to pull one.

Precisely why some beef cattle owners keep a longhorn bull around--to use for breeding heifers which all but eliminates first time calving problems.

[SFM in KY]

I've never been around real longhorns, the closest I've come was a small herd of Corriente cattle that one of the Pryor Mountain ranchers kept as roping stock. They ran on the same range as the beef breed cattle and always looked a bit like the greyhounds of the cattle breeds. But obviously, with the Angus and Hereford and crossbred beef cattle being obviously fat, the Corriente cattle were not being "starved" ... they were just made that way. Just like you rarely see a fat greyhound.

[TRAILRIDER]

Its all what you're used to. Black with no horns brings $ here too. But someone down the road keeps long horns for roping, then sells them and puts some in the freezer. Another neighbor has long horns too.
I grew up with hunt horses, kept in the stall 12 hrs and out 12 hours. Blanketed and clipped in the winter. That's all I'd ever seen. It took me 40 yrs to get used to the idea of a horse kept out on grass 24 hrs : )

[Lazy J]

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

Precisely why some beef cattle owners keep a longhorn bull around--to use for breeding heifers which all but eliminates first time calving problems.

That trend isn't followed by many commercial cattle producers anymore. The decreased revenue from the offspring didn't justify the efforts. Plus the use of low birth weight bullls, especially Angus, coupled with better selection of heifers has reduced the problems associated with heifer dystocia.

Jim

[big rockpile]

Most Beef breads to me I consider Blockyer if that makes sence which Long Horns are not.

big rockpile