outwinter breed

cj maxx

hi
reading about the costs of young stock and rearing them (beef) i should be going for suitiable stock . ive no suitable sheds etc so ive outwintered except in harsh weather .
so what breed of weanlings/stock should i look at ?. continental breeds for size or something like angus or any other suggestions than arent maybe as prone to chills etc

redzerologhlen

Everyone outwinters around here. Angus or hereford if you want to go traditional but its mostly a nice soft fleshy type charolais most people go for and they are as good as any. Limo's are ok too if you can get a fleecy type and to be honest cattle are a lot more likely to get a chill in a shed then out in the field. I think we only ever had one case of pneumonia in my memory here. Heres a pic of 10 weanling heifers I have outwintered 200 yards from the see on the wild west coast. Insted of getting a chill they grew more hair

Farmer Pudsey

Are you carrying them to finish or are you selling as forward stores

blue5000

I had angus heifers out the winter of 2010-11. At -10C they had hair about 4 inches long. Most cattle breeds would be able for it, pneumonia happens when you put them in at night, then out by day. There is too much of a temperature change for them to adjust to. Natives would be better than continentals though.

pakalasa

redzerologhlen wrote: »

.... I think we only ever had one case of pneumonia in my memory here....

.. The pharmaceutical companies wouldn't like to hear that.

We outwintered years ago. We always found the Herefords to be the best. They are short and thick, hairy and a good layer of fat under the skin. A bit like the polar bear, I suppose. The friesians were the worst, short hair and too lean.
The problem is the market only wants lean meat now so, as Redz said above, it's a good fleece of hair you want.

redzerologhlen

blue5000 wrote: »

I had angus heifers out the winter of 2010-11. At -10C they had hair about 4 inches long. Most cattle breeds would be able for it, pneumonia happens when you put them in at night, then out by day. There is too much of a temperature change for them to adjust to. Natives would be better than continentals though.

pakalasa wrote: »

.. The pharmaceutical companies wouldn't like to hear that.

We outwintered years ago. We always found the Herefords to be the best. They are short and thick, hairy and a good layer of fat under the skin. A bit like the polar bear, I suppose. The friesians were the worst, short hair and too lean.
The problem is the market only wants lean meat now so, as Redz said above, it's a good fleece of hair you want.

Traditional would be the easiest kept. The main thing is to go for something with a soft fleecy skin on them I think. A lot of people here store bullocks on the winterage for their second winter, there does be a big difference between the charolais and the lims coming out of them. Lean muscley types are not suited to it. If you could get black whiteheads with a soft skin on them they are well up to it too. Stay away from anything with tight curly hair too, hardest animals going!!

pat73

I found the blues i had did not like been out wintered at all.Every time it was starting to rain they would be running under the nearest tree or up against the hedge.I think they are abit soft for the harsh weather we had this winter.I have some shorthorn bullocks and when the rest of them were taking cover under the hedge they would be out eating silage out of the feeder.Tough devils.The whiteheads and angus are tough enough as well.

blue5000

Funny enough over on bff they wouldn't rate angus as hardy at all. I suppose when compared to a galloway there is no contest.

Blonde bull here was in a few bad nights last winter on a cubicle mat and he was fair slow to go back out to kale in the morning:eek:

pakalasa

I reckon blues and blondes would be typical of breeds not suited to wintering out. Hair way too short and no body fat.

cj maxx

had a couple of blues a few years ago and they didnt like being out at all . mind you they werent that great to begin with
seen some wolly blacks today. short on stature but well rounded even though outwintered . didnt hear the breed . AA x perhaps?

Attie

Great uncle used to say black whitehead poor mans charolais.
Mighty animal to out winter.
Attie

redzerologhlen

pakalasa wrote: »

I reckon blues and blondes would be typical of breeds not suited to wintering out. Hair way too short and no body fat.

You hit the nail on the head there pak. A lot of limos arent either, easy fleshing is what you want.

leg wax

heifers seem to suit out better than bulls,i had blues blonde lim heifers out no meal ,just silage kale turnips,these poor heifers had no shelter or dry lie back area,they are the best heifers now that i ever had for there age and bull.