An interesting statement about Simmentals

[flacowman]

I was flipping through a friend's books from her animal science classes at Auburn University and one said that Simmental cattle need to be managed more like dairy cattle as they are higher volume milkers and typically hard keeping.  We have never messed with them much but the ones I have seen have been easy keepers even with being good milking mamas.  What do you simmental breeders think of the hard keeping comment, as a breed are they any harder to keep in good shape than Charolais or American type cattle?

 

[firesweepranch]

Not ours  ;D We have one that only gets 3 pounds of grain, and I have to mix tons of rumafill just to keep her happy because she gulps her food and looks like a fat toad! Fat pods and all! I will be glad when show season is over and she can go on just strictly pasture (she is on pasture now, but gets a little show grain because we are showing her). The rest of our show string is on about 8 to 12 pounds show grain a day (depends on the heifer and age). That is it. And they look great! Very little input on this end .... Maybe it is talking about the older simmental genetics???

 

[kanshow]

We have had several cases of milk fever over the years.  It happens when they are getting good feed and starting to milk heavily.  It is pretty easily treated if you catch it early enough.  We've consulted with nutrionists to see what we could adjust in the ration or mineral program but even so, we'll get one or two a year.  We feed pretty good, thus our cows milk pretty good.. which is likely the problem.    There doesn't seem to be a pattern ..  doesn't follow a family line or milk epd or anything, usually hits a cow in her prime .. 2nd to 6th lactation.  Condition makes no difference. 

 

[JWW]

simmis are a more maternal breed and milk above average compared to some other breeds... alot of the info you presented seems pretty dated, i would say most of that it is true for the 1970 and early 80s simmentals... the ones today are alot better

JWW

 

[LN]

We've been raising Simmentals since the first bull was imported and that statement reflects the Simmentals that were imported from Europe, and many European Simmentals would fit that description. In Germany they are used as a dairy breed.

"Americanized" Simmentals have been moderated and color pattern has been solidified and eliminated horns just like most other continental breeds in America.

 

[JSchroeder]

Virtually anytime a breed implements a new EPD that isn't common to most other breeds it's because they have a bad rep for it.  Other than the Limousin docility EPD, I don't know of anything that fits that description better than stayabiliy for Simmentals.

 

[Simmgal]

simmis are a more maternal breed and milk above average compared to some other breeds... alot of the info you presented seems pretty dated, i would say most of that it is true for the 1970 and early 80s simmentals... the ones today are alot better

JWW

AGREE, AGREE, AGREE. Some of our Simmi cows have low milk epd's, like 1 or 2, but they milk good enough to raise some of the biggest calves every year. They are also some of the most easy keeping cattle that we have! My show heifers are in an alomst dry lot with minimal grass, and are staying very fat on minimal grain. When compared to some of the other breeds that we have tried, they are very feed efficient.  <rock>

 

[flacowman]

I thought it was dated but I figured I would ask.  It's always nice when people come to the defense of their respective breed in my opinion.

 

[ALTSIMMY 79]

The old flowered up girls my dad had back in the day never seemed to stay full but the new improved black ones are real easy keeping !

 

[hamburgman]

Agree with many of the above statements, look at old pictures of simmy cows and all too often you see ground dragging bags and balloon tits, managed more like dairy cows because the last thing a cow does is breed back, everything else comes first.

 

[Fiskshowcattle]

I live in canada and we run purebred simmi and angus cows and all im going to say is that are simmi cattle are fleshier than our angus cattle and they all get fed the same feed ration. i find it kinda stereotypical that it would say that cattle have came a long ways in the last few years.