Huge Heifers at SH Jr. Nationals

[jspring]

We've just returned from our second trip to Shorthorn Jr. Nationals.  We go for the experience and to meet great people.  We are in our 3rd year of showing cattle, so still novices, but love learning from the pros. My daughter has a September 2012 heifer that she showed last year as a senior heifer calf and wanted to take this year as a senior yearling heifer. We did not pump the feed to her, but fed her moderately as you would a replacement heifer.  She weighed in at 1300lbs. which I knew was going to be quite a bit smaller than the others, but didn't realize how much smaller.  She was showing against heifer that weighed 1700-1885lbs.  My daughter did a fine job showing her heifer, but it looked like she was showing a feeder calf against a group of fat steers! 

My questions is:  Do these 1800lb heifers make good cows?  Do you want your cattle to be this big?  They were very impressive, beautiful animals, but I've never seen females of this size roaming the pastures and raising their young.

My last question is:  If we do want them this big, how do you get them to gain an extra 400-500lbs?   

 

[oakview]

There are huge cattle in every breed.  Most of the difference, assuming the cattle have been handled the same, is genetic.  There are genetics available that would make your 1300 pound senior yearling look big, and, as you've found out, there are some that make your heifer look small.  If the genetics are similar, then the difference would most likely be management.  There are cattle out there that will grow as fast as you can carry the feed bucket.  I used a bull called Jam's Uh-Huh about 20 years ago that sired the growthiest cattle I've ever seen.  On the other hand, the Double Stuff calves I had in the same pasture were at least 200 pounds lighter at weaning. 

My best advice as to the kind of cattle to raise would be do what you want.  If the 1800 pound cows aren't your type, then raise what fits your purpose.  Judges generally pick a certain "show type."  You can certainly have good cattle and not win the show.  Most of the show winners of today have not spent much time out of the show barn.  Unless you're in that "elite" group of show production herds, you'll probably make more money in the long run raising practical cattle that work for you.  Pick out the one you like the most, the one that best represents your program, do the best you can preparing it for the show, and have fun. 

 

[Will]

I agree with Oakview all of the breeds have some very large cattle.  Those cattle that are pushed from birth are going to be several hundred pounds heavier than calves managed like commercial stock cows.  I will say I thought that as a whole the cattle were smaller this year than they have been in the past. 

 

[RyanChandler]

Those 17 and 1800 pound 2yr old heifers would likely be 1200 pounds if they'd have been on pasture rations their whole life. I can't speak for the conditioning of your heifer but I would suspect a heifer that has been fed a show ration up to two years old and only weighs 1300 pounds would likely be a pretty small cow if raised in a pasture setting.

 

[cowpoke]

Remember it is a show.The champion Sim in the open show at the ISF weighed near a ton or more one year.The showring and the pasture are two different worlds but have their place.Pampered ,airconditioned ,highly fitted cattle usually but not in all cases have been taken out of their environment long enough that they have a hard time adjusting to the real world .Cows that can wean 1/2 their weight or more and still breed back are balanced enough to be profitable.One of the problems with the showring is many judges have never had to make a living raising cattle to know what works.Youth 4-H & FFA is about teaching and friendships and in many cases the high dollar animals,winning at all costs with hired fitters are not what is really important.The trophies and banners don't mean much if your heifer doesn't breed or,has to have a C-Sec,milks enough for a kitten and cant sustain her weight without supplemental feed.Good cows have good mothers and most of the most profitable are feminine in their design and are not the heaviest in the herd.

 

[Freddy]

I sure agree with Cowpoke summary of the real world and the show world ....I really enjoy going to the shows and meeting old friends and making new ones ,sometimes very confused after a show with what you are doing wrong ....After listening to Cowpoke summary that I agree with you probably shouldn't go to the shows ,also hear from commercial customers who say they are not interested in buying from the show ring cattle ....

 

[sue]

"enough milk for a kitten" good one  cowpoke !!

 

[aj]

I think a cow needs to be able to produce in rainy times and droughty times. I think huge cows with alot of milk will flush out of a alot of commercial herds the first calf and or in a drought situation. There are some pretty good size commercial cows around our area that are roughed yet seem to remain in the herds and wean big calves.

 

[beebe]

I agree that real world cattle business and show cattle apparently are two different things.  I don't show cattle or go to cattle shows, not my thing.  In real world cattle business I think that a 1250lb. cow is as big as they need to get.  There are exceptions to that of course, but a deep, thick, frame score 4.5 that weighs 1250 lbs. will be a hard cow to beat in terms of profitability.