Is my heifer rejecting her new born calf?

[jodief100]

Herefords are a beef breed. I like 'em, too...although I LOVE Highlands.

WOW! Your Highlands are fabulous! They are big cows though aren't they? I was just going to get feeder calves and raise them for the table every year, so I need to stick with what is readily available. I don't want to keep a bull around. Not cost effective for the 30 acres we have and I don't want to deal with a HUGE unaltered, male animal. Stallions were bad enough.....

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Herefords are a beef breed. I like 'em, too...although I LOVE Highlands.

WOW! Your Highlands are fabulous! They are big cows though aren't they? I was just going to get feeder calves and raise them for the table every year, so I need to stick with what is readily available. I don't want to keep a bull around. Not cost effective for the 30 acres we have and I don't want to deal with a HUGE unaltered, male animal. Stallions were bad enough.....

Highlands aren't big at all. As a matter of fact the biggest cow only weighs up to 1000 lbs. They ain't nearly as big as them big Simmentals or Charolais, and a bit smaller than most Herefords or Angus cattle.

Of you want to get feeder calves, get some steers. Steers are castrated male cattle and are, IMHO, THE best for feeding up for your freezer. We used to raise steers all the time for feeding them up prior to the feedlot and slaughter. We were what most cattlemen call a backgrounding or stocker operation.

Herefords are supposed to be the most docile breed that is available in the mainstream beef industry, a bit more docile than Angus or any of those Brahman type breeds. But there can be a few crazy ones popping up here and there, as is common with ANY breed. The steers you may choose to buy may not be purebred Hereford, they can be a mix of breeds, like Hereford-Angus cross (producing a black steer with a white face [called a Black Baldy]), or Hereford-Red Angus cross (red with white face), etc. Make sure you get some calves that are docile and not too wild; I've dealt with wild steers before and have never liked the way they look at you when you're in the same corral or pen as they are. Wild steers never finish quite like docile ones do either; their meat is more darker and tougher than the ones that can just about be made into pets.

 

[herfrds]

Jodie go check out the American Hereford Association. See if you can find a Hereford breeder near you. Sometimes word of mouth can get you to a good breeder.
If I knew where you were and you were close enough I would sell you a couple of our steers.
The crazies don't stay around here.
temperment is the biggest thing with us.

Had a bull years ago we got from a friend. He was either pure Black Angus or an Angus cross. Nasty tempered thing.
I had to keep a pitchfork with me when I went in the corral with him. Had to use it once. DH got him a couple times with a steel fence post on top of his head.
Didn't keep him long.

 

[jay sean]

Had a first year heifer that rejected her calf and tried to kick it to death. Sold the calf to a friends daughter as a bottle calf and the heifer hit the sale ring.



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