One Fine Acre - 2023 4H Steer Project Update

[LocoYokel]

Hi OFA, just got finished reading your journal tonite... yes, ALL of it! Took me a few days, or was that weeks? Springtime is busytime! I really want to thank you for the American Airlines comments for shipping live animals. I have been worried about that as there is a rather poor selection of purebred stock (goats, sheep, rabbits) in my area. That is just for starters, the information and education I have gotten here from you and your posters is incredible!
Thank You

 

[OneFineAcre]

Hi OFA, just got finished reading your journal tonite... yes, ALL of it! Took me a few days, or was that weeks? Springtime is busytime! I really want to thank you for the American Airlines comments for shipping live animals. I have been worried about that as there is a rather poor selection of purebred stock (goats, sheep, rabbits) in my area. That is just for starters, the information and education I have gotten here from you and your posters is incredible!
Thank You

Your welcome.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Thanks! That was 15 years ago for me and I couldn't recall if there was a height restriction on the larger ones. Also, I was too lazy to look it up... We never encountered that problem either though. Ours were either in the AMHA or AMHR. Borderline, often a hoof trim right before the show put the one at AMHA height restrictions.

@babsbag, I like that idea. However, they do have the milk star to make up for the lack. So the star and CH should give you the whole package. One thing I noticed at the shows I have been to is that I like larger teats for milking and the smaller teats seem to win. Seems silly. Watching everyone who won trying like heck to milk out the does with pita teats so they can go back in for best of show...

I have not seen a tendency for smaller teats to win. With a 100 point score card the udder is 35 points and he teats are only part of that (I think 8 points but don't hold me too it)
So, naturally sometimes a doe with smaller teats is going to win, but like I said I have not seen that to be a tendency.

This girl here was a big winner at the NC State Fair, was Grand Champion in the Youth and Open Shows.
She hand milks like a dream.

 

[Mike CHS]

Those steers look to be filling out nicely. The one we processed in February was/is some of the best beef I ever tasted.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

I have not seen a tendency for smaller teats to win. With a 100 point score card the udder is 35 points and he teats are only part of that (I think 8 points but don't hold me too it)
So, naturally sometimes a doe with smaller teats is going to win, but like I said I have not seen that to be a tendency.

This girl here was a big winner at the NC State Fair, was Grand Champion in the Youth and Open Shows.
She hand milks like a dream.

View attachment 34950

Is that Clarabelle?

 

[OneFineAcre]

Is that Clarabelle?

 

[farmerjan]

In the cattle world, there is actually some data on the bulls as to the daughters teat placement and all. They bred for smaller teats for years as the old "hand milking" size teat was a problem for some of the milking machine claws. Now there are cows with such small teats that the machine won't stay on and they are nearly impossible to milk by hand with a thumb and forefinger. I understand that they don't want a huge teat but it went so far the other way that I actually hear some farmers wishing that the teats weren't so small. And they wanted them closer together, a little different problem than goats because there were some that stuck out sideways. That was as much from the poor center ligament support as anything. Now there are cows on almost every dairy that the teats are so close together and point "in" that they have trouble getting the teat cups to fit to stay on and they squeak because they don't have enough room to hang properly.

Talking about the size of the goats and the standards they should be. In the 50's the angus and herefords were bred so short that their backs wouldn't come up to many guys belt buckles. Then in the 80's & 90's the angus were bred so tall that they were as tall as Chianina's. I had all I could do to breed some of them A I and I'm about 5'7". The same thing happened with holsteins, they got so big and tall because the thinking at the time was the bigger animal had more depth and girth and feed capacity so they could produce more milk. But it got to extreme because it took so much more to just keep up her body that she actually wasn't an efficient producer. More input than output. The angus and holsteins have both gotten back down to a more sensible size although there are still alot of breeders that like the big animal.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Interesting conversation.
@farmerjan I've seen cows with teats smaller than my goats teats… always thought it was weird.

@babsbag
The breeder one of our lamanchas came from has a few does with very small teats, smaller than some of my nigies! Both the dam of our doe, and her two daughters (including the one we own) have smaller teats. But the dam appraised at a 92 EEEE last year, earned her * and SG at a young age. Her daughter (our does littermate sister) LA'ed at an 88 as a FF (highest score possible for FF is 89) and earned her SG and star all in her FF. Even with those small teats- didn't effect milking or LA.
On the ADGA scorecard, teats are only 4 points, or 2 points each, for the 35 points on the udder.

I try to improve the teats. I can't stand east-west teats and don't like micro mini teats! I am very fortunate in the since that all our Nigerians have great teats!

 

[Goat Whisperer]

It can get mighty muddy in that ditch at times too but hoping that right now at least your ditch is dry.

No ditch is dry in NC

 

[Green Acres Farm]

ADGA added teat length onto the LA scorecard this year.