pics of the yearlings

mary,tx · #1 04/27/12, 03:35 PM

This is not one of the Wagyu. This is one of the bottle babies I brought home from auction April of last year.

pics of the yearlings - Cattle

This is my other bottle baby from last April.

pics of the yearlings - Cattle

Three of the five Wagyu we brought home last night.

pics of the yearlings - Cattle

The Wagyu heifers were calved March of last year, and the bulls in May and June. So the Wagyus are about the same age as last year's bottle calves. The bulls are slightly younger.

pics of the yearlings - Cattle

You might be able to get an idea of the difference in size.

pics of the yearlings - Cattle

And from the rear, the one on the left is one of my bottle babies.

pics of the yearlings - Cattle

**gone-a-milkin** · #2 04/27/12, 06:09 PM

They seem very uniform.

Are they naturally polled?
I like their delicate faces.

You are used to looking at our American breeds of cattle.
It isnt really fair to compare them.
I would guess that these new Wagyu are going to put on a lot more mass this summer.
They look like they just grow slower.
Also, they may have been shorted good feed last year from the drought?

Not sure how you are going to 'phase them out', when you have 2! new bulls.

Give yourself some time to get used to looking at them.
I dont think they look too bad, honestly.

Thanks for the excellent pics too.

tinknal · #3 04/27/12, 07:29 PM

Your yearlings are nice beefy heifers. I'm sure the new girls will catch up on good grub.

MO_cows · #4 04/27/12, 09:35 PM

Looks like your bottle babies have been eating better than the Wagyus.

**gone-a-milkin** · #5 04/27/12, 10:08 PM

After looking at these pics carefully, I believe that there are a few Wagyu in a field on the way to the city.
I will crane my neck harder and check more carefully next time I pass.

They are black but have heads more like yours and they really dont look like the standard 'black cows w/ calves' that most folks here raise?
I kinda figured they were mutts, but the farmstead is pretty 'fancy' and I think these pics have solved that seeming idiosyncrasy for me.

If they are the same thing, you have no need to fear.
These ones will tank out when you feed them good.

mary,tx · #6 04/28/12, 06:44 AM

I hope so. The friend's wife always talks about feeding them out and what good beef they get. Looking at them now I can't imagine them getting enough beef on them to make it worth the while.

mary,tx · #7 04/28/12, 07:21 AM

Oh, and yes, they are naturally polled. So far that's the only thing I like about them.

thequeensblessing · #8 04/28/12, 08:09 AM

They surely look somewhat underfed, however, I'm sure you'll put the weight on them quickly. From what I can see Wagyu beef is surely praised highly!

farmgirl6 · #9 04/28/12, 08:10 AM

I think they are lovely...suprised, expected them to look more Zebu, not a huge fan of that look...nice heads

BoldViolet · #10 04/28/12, 10:26 AM

I would totally name that first one "Voodoo."

WJMartin · #11 04/28/12, 12:30 PM

I really like that color. What frame would you say they are , was wondering how they compare in size to my Dexters, they are around 38".

mary,tx · #12 04/28/12, 02:36 PM

I don't know. I actually thought they were maybe similar to Dexters, but I haven't seen Dexters up close.

Hopefully they'll grow on me. One of the bulls is actually a steer, castrated just a couple of days before we got him (another expense we won't get back.) I was pleased that he followed me in the barn this morning for feed.

The bull jumped the fence first day and is with the heifers. We'll have to try to separate him and put him back with the steer, maybe Monday.

WJ, do you find that Dexters are older when they cycle the first time? I was concerned that these tiny heifers have been running with the bulls, but friend said, oh no, the smaller breeds don't cycle this young. I hope he's right. I'm pretty sure my bigger ones have been cycling already.

mary,tx · #13 04/28/12, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoldViolet

I would totally name that first one "Voodoo."

That's Bessie.

Cliff · #14 04/28/12, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mary,tx

I don't know. I actually thought they were maybe similar to Dexters, but I haven't seen Dexters up close.

Hopefully they'll grow on me. One of the bulls is actually a steer, castrated just a couple of days before we got him (another expense we won't get back.) I was pleased that he followed me in the barn this morning for feed.

The bull jumped the fence first day and is with the heifers. We'll have to try to separate him and put him back with the steer, maybe Monday.

WJ, do you find that Dexters are older when they cycle the first time? I was concerned that these tiny heifers have been running with the bulls, but friend said, oh no, the smaller breeds don't cycle this young. I hope he's right. I'm pretty sure my bigger ones have been cycling already.

Not WJ, but Dexters can start cycling at 4 months of age, as can Jerseys.
They don't look tiny? Just a little underweight. It sounds from your posts maybe like you didn't want them in the first place and are determined not to like them

mary,tx · #15 04/28/12, 04:04 PM

No, if you've seen my other threads about them, you know I did not want them to start with. DH overrode me on it, but he's disappointed in them, too. The folly of buying sight unseen.

If you saw them in person, you'd know how scrawny they truly are. The little steer is barely taller than the grass in the field.

Not much beef on them for a year old already.

Cliff · #16 04/28/12, 05:19 PM

You obviously take very good care of your cows. These will look as good as yours in no time I bet. Then maybe if you still hate them you can make a profit on them? Or at least break even and be done with it.

I've only read very little about them - enough to know that they marble well and are what "kobe" beef comes from. That's all. So do they marble well on grass alone? How is their temperament?

Are they registered? Do they bring a lot of money because of breed in private sales? What do you guys plan to do with them?

mary,tx · #17 04/28/12, 08:58 PM

Good questions. I guess I basically know what you know. DH heard that they do well in our climate, and that the beef is very well marbled, and was interested in giving them a try.

We needed more cattle on our land, since we aren't leasing it out to cattle anymore, to keep our farm exemption. So we will be breeding them. I am only hoping that they are not already bred. I want to get the bull back into the field with the steer and keep them separate until maybe August. I don't know whether they'll be big enough then, or whether the little bull will be big enough to breed my bigger heifers. We'll see.

I did see a little calf when we bought them. It was very pretty, and very small, which is a good thing, I think for first time calvers.

They are supposed to have a good temperament. Of course these calves don't know me, so it's hard to tell how tame they may or may not have been for the previous owner. I'm going to be working on getting them to come to me.

They are not registered so far as I know.

Around here, anything that looks Angus is what gets the premium price. I don't know how they'll do in private sales, or even if there is an interest locally in them.

I think once the cattle and I warm up to each other, I will like them. I'm mostly just disappointed that they are SO small. I expected them to be at least similar in size to the yearlings I already had, the same age. I don't know if I tried to sell them if I could even get what I paid because of their size.