Mixing breeds

[CESpeed]

I understand from the farmer I visited today that it would not be a good idea to have more than one breed of cow. I asked because I anticipate having a hard time choosing which breed I want and thought of saving myself the heartache choosing two breeds instead of one. But I guess another problem if I want purebred animals is having more than one type of bull rather than having more than one type of cow. (I'm really falling in love with the idea of Galloways and Red Polls.)

Is this a really bad idea?

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

hmmm...good question. I'd say as a whole, that keeping a bull is not a worth while investment for the backyard farmer or someone that wants to have a small herd. That's an entire topic in itself. As far as having mixed breeds. We have 3 different breeds. So I am interested in hearing what people have to say.

 

[jhm47]

Good heavens!!! There is artificial insemination, where you have the choices of some of the best bloodlines in the world at far less cost than keeping a bull, not to mention the danger to you and your family. I would venture that whatever breed you would want is available at very reasonable prices. Establish a relationship with a qualified AI tech and save yourself a lot of $$$, feed, and trouble. The AI techs that I know don't wreck feeders, smash fences, fight other bulls, and injure the people who feed them.

 

[Ms. Research]

Good heavens!!! There is artificial insemination, where you have the choices of some of the best bloodlines in the world at far less cost than keeping a bull, not to mention the danger to you and your family. I would venture that whatever breed you would want is available at very reasonable prices. Establish a relationship with a qualified AI tech and save yourself a lot of $$$, feed, and trouble. The AI techs that I know don't wreck feeders, smash fences, fight other bulls, and injure the people who feed them.

x2. Please see my reply on your thread "Short List".

Please listen to these folks. This is not a fluffy bunny you are going to be dealing with. I wish you luck in your venture.

 

[CESpeed]

Leaving bulls out of the equation, does anyone think that really docile breeds of cows such as Herefords, Red Polls and Galloways could live together in a pasture peacefully?
(btw, even as a newbie I know it probably isn't a good idea to have more than one breeding bull. Males in general are always ready to fight when comes to sharing "their women".) I will be pricing AI as alternative if I my research bears out that I can have more than one breed of cow in the same field.

My plan would be to buy an experienced, bred cow (about 4 or 5 y.o.) and a new momma with calf at side. How soon after delivery would it be safe to re-breed a cow?

 

[jhm47]

Most cows live in peace in a pasture. Bulls---not so much. Doesn't matter which breeds you mix in a pasture. Cows will quickly establish a pecking order and once that's established, there is very little discord.

You should wait a minimum of 60 days following calving before breeding a cow, and most won't return to heat even that quickly. I prefer to wait at least 75 - 90 days before breeding them.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

I understand from the farmer I visited today that it would not be a good idea to have more than one breed of cow. I asked because I anticipate having a hard time choosing which breed I want and thought of saving myself the heartache choosing two breeds instead of one. But I guess another problem if I want purebred animals is having more than one type of bull rather than having more than one type of cow. (I'm really falling in love with the idea of Galloways and Red Polls.)

Is this a really bad idea?

That's a load of crock!! There's nothing wrong with having more than one breed of cow in your herd. The farmer that you got that info from probably is a newbie himself and is only relaying the information he got from the Red Poll producer he bought his cattle from to you. The only reason that it's "wrong" to have more than one breed in a herd is because of lack of uniformity. Supposedly you're supposed to get "more bang for your buck" when you have a herd of cattle with the same colour, and of course it's to do with purebred stuff too.

But forget the bloody bulls. I don't care how "sweet" or tame they are, they're a handful to have to care for. Stick with a herd of cows (nothing wrong with getting both Galloways and Red Poll), and go AI.

 

[goodhors]

Well our "mixed breeds" of cattle have gotten along just fine. This would include Dutch Belted, Dexter, Holstein, Hereford. They are all CATTLE and don't care what the other cow's breeding or color is. All they worry about is who is "head cow" and how that allows them to dominate the other cattle for best choice of food.

I kind of like seeing the various colors out in the field, knowing who is who when checking them in passing. For us, the females tend to dominate the steer calves, not color dominated.

There is NO WAY I would have a bull on the place. AI was invented so you can IMPROVE your cows for a small cost, end up with better animals. I would think that spending good money on a headgate for using with the cows is going to be a better investment than a bull. You can use the headgate for AI work, vaccinations, any handling the cows may need. Headgate won't turn on you, hurt you, needs no feed, just a little lubrication now and again. And when you decide you don't need the headgate, you can probably get almost what you paid for it back when selling. Can't say that about a bull!

Needing a bull to breed your cows was required many years ago, with people getting hurt or killed by that bull on a regular basis. The bull or stallion on the family farm were the most dangerous things people had to deal with. AI did away with that requirement in farm cattle, and cattle owners have taken full advantage of improved bulls available to use on their cows.

Totally agree with jhm47, contact your local AI techs, use technology and prevent problems that come with keeping a bull.

 

[OtterCreekRanch]

Simply put, cows don't care what breed their pasture mates are. A cow is a cow is a cow to other cattle.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Apparently ours don't mind!