So it's still not spring

[Nesikep]

I like April because the days are usually warmish, even when "cold" it still isn't that cold, and when the sun comes out it is very warm. If I wait until May around here then generally everything is mud and mush, there is no firm or dry ground. Things dry up in June around here but then the black flies get so bad that the cows won't hardly stand still long enough to nurse. Also by then they are on pasture farther from home so you have to worry about wolves and cougars getting newborns....

I don't "baby" my animals by any means they are out in a field with some brush and trees for protection and rolled out hay to lay on. Had my first calf born last night and it was 16* and windy all night, I didn't worry one bit about her. Keep good mothering cows and breed some thick hair into them so they can survive the elements and let them be.

I have a friend by Baudette.. I hear all about that weather!

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Been in the single digits the last few nights but at least it's been dry. Weather guessers are watching a storm that could drop 3 feet of snow on us later this week.... I'm hoping they wrong.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Keep good mothering cows and breed some thick hair into them so they can survive the elements and let them be.

What are your thick hair breeds?

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Breed Galloway both belted and solid into most of my animals. They have nice thick coats and handle our 7 months of winter and 16 to 25 feet of snow accumulation without any trouble.

 

[Silver]

Supposed to get several degrees above freezing today for a change, then 3 days of cloud and highs of 0C with a big dump of snow tomorrow. Ugh.
Never bred for hair here before, but we don't get the wet snow and strong winds like you would along the Lakes. Cows tend to naturally hair up pretty good and handle our "dry cold" pretty good.

 

[Ky hills]

Woke up this morning to 35* and a skift of wet snow almost covering the ground. Most years I'm through with hay feeding by 1'st week in April. They have slowed up eating it but are still around it. Peach tree in the yard is blooming out, don't look like a promising year for peaches here. This time last year had some garden planted and potatoes and greens up, and was ready to plant some corn and beans. This year been too wet to even think about getting anything planted yet.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Breed Galloway both belted and solid into most of my animals. They have nice thick coats and handle our 7 months of winter and 16 to 25 feet of snow accumulation without any trouble.

Great. I was afraid you had Highlanders and could not find them in deep snow.

How much better is a Galloway hair coat than Herefords?

 

[Aaron]

Breed Galloway both belted and solid into most of my animals. They have nice thick coats and handle our 7 months of winter and 16 to 25 feet of snow accumulation without any trouble.

Great. I was afraid you had Highlanders and could not find them in deep snow.

How much better is a Galloway hair coat than Herefords?

Much better, at least twice as good. However the price dockage at the sales barn is also twice that of any other breed. One local here gets almost $1/lb. discount at the yards. Too small of a carcass, too much exterior fat at grading after being on hot feedlot ration and too much tag on animal at slaughter.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Much better, at least twice as good. However the price dockage at the sales barn is also twice that of any other breed. One local here gets almost $1/lb. discount at the yards. Too small of a carcass, too much exterior fat at grading after being on hot feedlot ration and too much tag on animal at slaughter.

There was a ND guy pushing Galloway x Angus F1 replacement heifers for a while. Claimed they were the ultimate black cow for the artic vortex. Any Rainy District results on this "Gallus" or "Angoway" cross ?

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Hair is much better than the herefords. I don't breed straight galloway do I don't see a dock at the sale generally, my galloway X angus have been bringing the same as my Angus and Angus X herefords. In the summer and early fall when they are shed out it is hard to tell the difference, come winter it is obvious.

 

[Aaron]

Much better, at least twice as good. However the price dockage at the sales barn is also twice that of any other breed. One local here gets almost $1/lb. discount at the yards. Too small of a carcass, too much exterior fat at grading after being on hot feedlot ration and too much tag on animal at slaughter.

There was a ND guy pushing Galloway x Angus F1 replacement heifers for a while. Claimed they were the ultimate black cow for the artic vortex. Any Rainy District results on this "Gallus" or "Angoway" cross ?

I don't know of anyone local that buys his bulls, and I pretty much know everyone. He ships some East and West to other Galloway breeders. Everyone is too scared of getting the Galloway hair dockage. Two years ago we had yearlings come in back to back in the ring with his. My 900 lb Hereford steers ran around the 1.60 mark and his Galloways, same weight, struggled over .90/lb.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have some commercial Herefords with curly hair, and one cow that throws calves will a lot of curly hair. They have that Galloway/old timey spaniel look. Is there a curly coated Hereford strain or do you think there is something else in the mix?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Everyone is too scared of getting the Galloway hair dockage. Two years ago we had yearlings come in back to back in the ring with his. My 900 lb Hereford steers ran around the 1.60 mark and his Galloways, same weight, struggled over .90/lb.

I bought some discounted Galloway stockers one winter. Very hardy, much more than the improved English type, but lower ADG. i think they would do well as grass fed, not feedlot, beef.

 

[Aaron]

I have some commercial Herefords with curly hair, and one cow that throws calves will a lot of curly hair. They have that Galloway/old timey spaniel look. Is there a curly coated Hereford strain or do you think there is something else in the mix?

Curly hair very common in the horned Herefords, not so much in the polled. I try to breed for it as much as I can, much better insulating value than straight hair.

 

[Aaron]

Everyone is too scared of getting the Galloway hair dockage. Two years ago we had yearlings come in back to back in the ring with his. My 900 lb Hereford steers ran around the 1.60 mark and his Galloways, same weight, struggled over .90/lb.

I bought some discounted Galloway stockers one winter. Very hardy, much more than the improved English type, but lower ADG. i think they would do well as grass fed, not feedlot, beef.

Yes, they really shine in forage only, niche marketing. Even Herefords aren't as hardy as a Galloway because they have a bigger frame to maintain.

 

[boondocks]

Hair is much better than the herefords. I don't breed straight galloway do I don't see a dock at the sale generally, my galloway X angus have been bringing the same as my Angus and Angus X herefords. In the summer and early fall when they are shed out it is hard to tell the difference, come winter it is obvious.

Intrigued by that cross, being likewise in cold climes. With the long hair, are your galloway-angus crosses more, or less, subject to lice etc? We struggle with it a bit in the winter, especially if we've not had much sunshine and their coats have stayed wet.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Haven't had too much trouble with lice. Now and then it will pop up but doesn't seem any more prevalent than in the other crosses.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Spring arrived here today. I can see the tops of 5x6 bales in the yard!

 

[Silver]

Water was running yesterday, saw a goose do a fly by, but today it's right at the freezing mark and supposed to get a few inches of snow.

 

[boondocks]

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Freezing rain, sleet, snow, really bad storm coming through the next several days. STOP THE MADNESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
(seriously, it's getting to me! We are weeks behind).