Cow breeds for meat

[SoaringHawksFarm]

My hubby's dream is to have a few cows.
My great uncle Eugene has some outstanding cows and is well know for them in and around grafftion wv.
I know he has put a lot of work into his,but not sure we could do them justice. As we at this point just want the cows for meat.
There are so many breeds now that we are not sure what are the better ones.
Could anyone help us out just so we can get to work on what breeds we need to learn about.
My uncle has said he would help us but hubby wants to make sure they are what he wants for sure.
Thanks!

 

[77Herford]

For a small acreage Dexter's are great. They have a good cut of meat and actually produce some extra milk if you want it. They are a small breed of cow so they require less feed. A cow is around 600 pounds I believe. They are great mothers, large amount of milk and nice.

 

[theawesomefowl]

Dexters are expensive, though. If you wanted to start small, I'd look around for a few (depending on acreage) weaned calves and raise them to slaughter weight. if you like that, then you could get a cow and breed her for meat calves. I don't really know a ton about raising calves or keeping cattle (sheep girl here, but I love cattle too!) but hopefully someone else will post!

 

[SoaringHawksFarm]

Thanks for the info.
I think sheeps are cool and very cute when little,but wool and I don't het along at all.
So I have to stay way from them.
Dexters - I believe a friend of my uncles has some.
Will have to check into it.
Yes we would like to raise one to make sure not biting off more then we can chose.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

How big an acreage or farm do you have?

You could consider getting low-line cattle, but I just wonder if they're just as expensive to purchase as dexters are?

 

[SoaringHawksFarm]

Right now we have over 11. When we move if we get one of the two we really want 9 or 44 ac tracks

 

[CESpeed]

I have been doing a lot of research on breeds since I am planning to have my own herd next year. My short list was Red Poll, Galloway, Shorthorn and Dexter. Both Dexters and Red Poll are dual purpose (the red poll being dual was a recent discovery). All four have excellent reputations but based on availability of breeders, start-up costs and overall temperment and ease of care, I have chosen Red Poll cattle to ne my breed of choice. (especially after visiting ranches - they are soooo sweet.) I also like the option of using them as dual purpose (dairy/beef) like they do in the UK. I also discovered the Red Poll and Galloways are high in omega-3, which makes them more heart healthy than other breeds from my research so far.

I'm not an expert by any stretch, I'm just sharing my research.

 

[kstaven]

Good decision on the Red poll.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

To the OP: Like CESpeed did, you need to find a breed that will match your goals for what you want in your herd: breeding or meat, breeding, meat and milk, or breeding and milk? From there you have to do some researching on what breeds you find most appealing. Having a breed that does great on forage and doesn't require much supplementation except for mineral, is very fertile and has great calving ease, good mothering ability, and has a docile temperament are the qualities you should be looking for. Don't get caught up nor let yourself get overwhelmed by the number of breeds available, you need to ignore all the type of breeds available and instead focus on what qualities you want in your cow herd like those I mentioned previously. As a hint, steer clear from Charolais, Salers, Limousin and Maine Anjou cattle, and even Aberdeen Angus (black and red) cattle. Yeah they look appealing because of their muscling and looks, but really they're a bunch of cracker-jacks that need a more experienced cattleperson to handle. In your case, I would focus on these breeds: Hereford, Shorthorn, Galloway, Red Poll, Speckle Park, Highland, British White, or even Texas Longhorns.

 

[SoaringHawksFarm]

Thanks everyone. Great points and gave me more then the ones you here about all the time.
We want a meat breed that won't want to trample you to the ground just because they got a wild hair up their **s.
We just did not know where to start with all the breeds and wanted someone that has them and won't try to push you into their breed.
Like y'all said whats good for others might not be good for you.
Well now we have some research to do one the breeds that fut the bill.
Thanks for the help everyone.