Angus - to switch or not to switch???

just do it

As there's a few Angus breeders on here can I ask a few questions:

What will a nice AA weanling make vs a nice LM or nice BB? (Currently breeding LM and BB out of LMX cows).

How much cheaper is it to keep a handy AA cow than a large continental cow?

I see PTY mentioned as a bull with rapid daily liveweight gain. Going for such a bull, how young is it realistic to finish for slaughter? I see a guy up North in a IFJ article a few weeks ago looking at finishing as early as 12months old!

Finishing AA off grass - how much meal, if any, would you top them up with?

Thinking of making the big switch.

whelan1

just do it wrote: »

As there's a few Angus breeders on here can I ask a few questions:

What will a nice AA weanling make vs a nice LM or nice BB? (Currently breeding LM and BB out of LMX cows).

How much cheaper is it to keep a handy AA cow than a large continental cow?

I see PTY mentioned as a bull with rapid daily liveweight gain. Going for such a bull, how young is it realistic to finish for slaughter? I see a guy up North in a IFJ article a few weeks ago looking at finishing as early as 12months old!

Finishing AA off grass - how much meal, if any, would you top them up with?

Thinking of making the big switch.

we bred ptn and ptj. ptj would be a much better bull imo..... we have alot of suckler men coming back for bulls , they are weel happy with them...

blue5000

just do it wrote: »

As there's a few Angus breeders on here can I ask a few questions:

I've run an angus bull for the last few years, I bought him mainly to produce angusX cows.

What will a nice AA weanling make vs a nice LM or nice BB? (Currently breeding LM and BB out of LMX cows).

You will take a hit selling bull weanlings, the most I get for 320-340kg bulls is around 650e. If you go angus prime and finish them yourself, you will do better. One of the better farmers in the journal is doin AA, think its the guy in kilkenny.

How much cheaper is it to keep a handy AA cow than a large continental cow?

How long is a piece of string? All I can say is 10 AA cows fit in a column of a feed passage where 7 bbx or even fr cows fit.

I see PTY mentioned as a bull with rapid daily liveweight gain. Going for such a bull, how young is it realistic to finish for slaughter? I see a guy up North in a IFJ article a few weeks ago looking at finishing as early as 12months old!

Heifers or bulls? I'd need to be very sure of the market for these before I'd start.

Finishing AA off grass - how much meal, if any, would you top them up with?
I used to do AAx fr bulls at grass the second summer, tbh they would do better in a shed from end sept on. Can't answer the meal one

Thinking of making the big switch.

The big advantage is calving, you will have more live calves, no de-horning, I'd recommend try a few AA straws on some of the plainer bb heifers, IMO they are a fantastic cross. There is an old thread here somewhere about automatic graders being really hard on AA cattle.

Good luck

wiggy123

AA cattle will finish quicker--need less meal/feeding! gain well on grass
also are easy calving, thus making it easier+quicker to get the mother back incalf quickly
are also polly-no horns!
and are lively calves when born-great get up and go!
Some great Angus bulls out there--with great slaughter rates/scoring

just do it

blue5000 wrote: »

The big advantage is calving, you will have more live calves, no de-horning, I'd recommend try a few AA straws on some of the plainer bb heifers, IMO they are a fantastic cross. There is an old thread here somewhere about automatic graders being really hard on AA cattle.

Good luck

Found that thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68627993.

The best option if going the angus route seems to be finishing them yourself. AA producers group premium should balance out the poor grading?

The big attraction seems to be the ease of management being a part time farmer on marginal land. High stocking nos for the same amount of feed, being that bit smaller should mean a few extra days grazing out of the year. All in all, hard to fault them too much, particularly as they're the breed with the greatest consumer recognition e.g. there's an angus steak house in picidilly square in london, and similar angus steak houses in the States. With rising cereal costs on the global markets, producing meat from grass seems to be the way to go (I'm convincing myself as I write!). I like the idea of keeping a heifer for the home freezer as well.

just do it

wiggy123 wrote: »

AA cattle will finish quicker--need less meal/feeding! gain well on grass

What age are you finishing them at?

wiggy123

i breed them..pedigrees!
from what i see..uncles--dairy herd.. angus heifers are either heading to bucthers at 15+mths..or factory well before 24 months!
bullocks the same..and are killing out as good as continteals..

Muckit

wiggy123 wrote: »

i breed them..pedigrees!
..

Wiggy

As a pedigree breeder surely your not saying all your bull calves every year are sold as breeding bulls??

wiggy123

i am indeed--there sold at pedigree sales.. whether buyers are farmers are using them for breeding--am unsure! say 90% go on to breed for at least a year..
same as in most breeds.. i'd say

just do it

wiggy123 wrote: »

heifers are either heading to bucthers at 15+mths..or factory well before 24 months!
bullocks the same..and are killing out as good as continteals..

Heifers for the butcher, how does pricing for those work? Surely they're not mechanically grading them...

wiggy123

paid per kilo just...
angus steak is the best like...