Limousin Cattle Info

[lovinglife]

Hi, I am looking at getting a cow or two for the pasture, and came across some nice looking limousins, can anyone tell me good or bad with them?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jodief100]

My neighbor has a herd of Limosines. They are pretty docile. I was walking the dogs one day and his bull was loose in the road. Just standing there when we came around the turn. We stood there looking at each other, abotu 20 feet apart and I just walked away. The dogs were pretty nervous.

They do not have shelters, the pasture is overgrazed, he tosses poor looking hay from 2 years ago out there and they seem to do fine.

I have no idea what his losses are, this is all observational.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Limousin cattle are not the type of cattle I'd start with, if I were you. There may be a few breeders around that have docile limmi's in their herds, but with most, the breed is typically one that I would definitely not recommend for beginners. The reason being is that they are notorious for being nervous, flighty and aggressive, and this can be really bad if you are calving out cows or handling the bull before/after/during breeding season. Yeah they're nice looking, but never judge a book by its cover! I've had experience helping handling Limousin bulls when they were in for semen testing and they were not the docile type you seen loose on the road. They were very nervous and dangerous animals, not the type I'd get in the same corral with, and I've been in the same corral with some pretty unfriendly critters!

The upside of this breed is that they are relatively easy calving, maintain good lean carcass quality, and finish at heavy lean weights. But the docility issue is a problem, as there is an EPD value for bulls and cows that determine the type of temperament they have.

The reason you have been "swayed" into thinking that this breed is docile is because your neighbor has been VERY strict on culling temperament in his cattle. He knows all too well that the breed is notorious for being nervous and aggressive, so he makes absolutely sure that no cow nor bull that comes on his land is dangerous to him or other people. There are other breeders that aren't as strict on the temperament-culling issue, and if you get where you think you got some good temperamental Limousins, you could be headed for quite the train-wreck.

So if I were you, I'd completely forget about getting Limousins and get some cattle that are better known for their docility like Herefords, for instance. Angus and Red Angus cattle (as well as Shorthorns) are good too, though they're not as docile as a Hereford might be.

 

[lovinglife]

Good to know, thank you! The heifers I am considering are halter broke, so maybe wouldn't have a flighty issue......and I will not get a bull regardless. I will have to do some more checking, I sure don't want a temperment problem! I figure if these aren't bad, and were bred, I could let them calve, raise the calves for the freezer, and may just eat the cow later on. This would not be a permenant situation for us.

Last year we had the corrienties, and by the way, they are very tasty and tender, I am sure our processor had something to do with that, he has state of are tenderizers.

Thank you so much for the replys!

Michele

 

[jhm47]

I agree that many Limmis are bad news. In my AI breeding business, I have had 2 customers who crossed their cows with Limmis, and they were very glad to be rid of them in the fall. NASTY, even as little calves. They do look nice, and butcher well, provided you can catch them.

 

[lovinglife]

We decided against these, will probably just grab a couple cheap corrientes again this year. Like I said, we do like the meat and with just the two of us we don't need a really big beef cow. Our steer last year had a hanging weight of 511, not a monster by any means, but enough for us.

Thanks for the insight!

 

[Gypsy07]

I'd agree with what the other folk said. Limmys tend to be aggressive, twitchy and just plain mean. Limmy crosses can be just as bad. We have a couple of adult cows whose dad was a Limmy and they're the only ones in our herd whose newborn calves are always difficult to handle cause the cows get really wound up and try to charge us.

A few years ago we borrowed a Limmy bull and got a pile of Limmy cross calves and they were the sweetest natured little things ever. All but one of them were boys so they were sold off at about 8 months old so I don't know if they changed as they grew up, but the one heifer turned into a nasty vicious bully who we ended up butchering a few months ago as she kept picking on the smaller heifer calves and trying to attack us for no reason...

On the good side, they are big solid chunky beasts, they taste great, and they have beautiful curly topcoats with a funny looking 'goggle' effect round their eyes as the fur there is always flat.

 

[crazy4hereford]

they are the best cows i ever had