"easy doing" maine genetics?

[jbzdad]

I know those of us trying to raise a maine show heifer use creep and I have been known to even add some grain to cows from time to time to try to keep condition up... my question is ...
are there Maine families that can maintain  good condition and raise a 600 pound calf  .. then breed back all on grass,grass hay  and some protein supplement from tubs or liquid?

I don't think beef cows should need alfalfa or grain supplement

 

[nck21]

Our Money Man cows keeps really good condition and breeds back easy.

 

[olsun]

We are expecting a few calves by Predator this spring. I have hopes that he may be the bull that adds that trait to his offspring.

 

[knabe]

Easy doin may not look like you want it too especially with larger framed cattle.

I've seen enough pone fat on both fed heifers and pastured cattle to be scared of it.

 

[wyatt]

most of the jmp hulk cows ive seen do good or daines icon , cunia, chill factor, witch doctor from what ive seen all those are easy keepin genetics

 

[frostback]

Think about how old those are? Nothing wrong with that, there just is nothing new that I like the look of. The Maines have lost there place in the clubby side of things anyway. I used to use a shot of maine to get the hair,  foot, bone and squarness of hip in the cows, but anymore they are just like angus. I look to the old stuff too.

 

[wyatt]

Think about how old those are? Nothing wrong with that, there just is nothing new that I like the look of. The Maines have lost there place in the clubby side of things anyway. I used to use a shot of maine to get the hair,  foot, bone and squarness of hip in the cows, but anymore they are just like angus. I look to the old stuff too.

true now a days maines are lacking the bone they used to have or the hip  and angus is starting to get ahead of the maine breed but still lack bone...

 

[bryan6807]

TLM Bouncer or any of the bulls with the TLM prefix seem to thrive on forage, also, give Gib Yardley's bulls a look. he raises maines that will work without a lot of input

 

[jbzdad]

now it gets tougher... almost none of the bulls you mentioned are mentioned in the show heifer world  .. nobody mentioned ali,hard drive, irish whiskey,statesman, I-80 etc... are none of the "popular"bulls families easy keepers?

 

[GoWyo]

Big boned and easy doing seem to be antagonistic traits.  My observation is that it is a fairly rare animal that is big boned and it still easy doing.  We have a Mainetainer cow by Irish Whiskey and out of a Paramont Ambush cow that is big framed and easy keeping, but she is the exception.  Strangely, despite her pedigree, she milks about like a heatwave, which could contribute to her easy doing.  Seems that if the cows are half Angus they are quite a bit softer looking in feedlot and pasture and have better performance on feed.

 

[kidsandkows]

I dont have a lot of experience with maines n i know i have a small sample. But I have a Whiskey 7 x Meyer/Angus bull n he has decent bone and is an easy keeper. I am hoping his daughters r the same. I have 2 lifeline cows and one is an easy keeper and one isnt and 1 Taz cow that also is not an easy keeper. I am sure the other half of the pedigrees are pretty important, but on the cows I dont know that info.That is my limited experience but I was looking at breeding to Witch Doctor for some replacements so good to know he is an easy keeper.I am also curious about I-80 and Hard Drive also Hardcore.

 

[knabe]

.  We have a Mainetainer cow by Irish Whiskey and out of a Paramont Ambush cow that is big framed and easy keeping, but she is the exception.  Strangely, despite her pedigree, she milks about like a heatwave, which could contribute to her easy doing.

Irish whiskey doesn't have good milk numbers.

Ambush has some milk if you mean 2712.

Also, how is easy keeping measured if no one knows how much pastured cattle eat?

 

[sue]

TLM Bouncer or any of the bulls with the TLM prefix seem to thrive on forage, also, give Gib Yardley's bulls a look. he raises maines that will work without a lot of input
[/quote

Can you elaborate... who is TLM?  interesting post

 

[GoWyo]

.  We have a Mainetainer cow by Irish Whiskey and out of a Paramont Ambush cow that is big framed and easy keeping, but she is the exception.  Strangely, despite her pedigree, she milks about like a heatwave, which could contribute to her easy doing.

Irish whiskey doesn't have good milk numbers.

Ambush has some milk if you mean 2712.

Also, how is easy keeping measured if no one knows how much pastured cattle eat?

Good point knabe.  I suspect this old girl holds her own in the amount of feed she puts away.  However, when she was a show heifer, we never fed her more than 5 lbs of grain a day and she gained a steady 2.0 to 2.5 lbs. per day almost keeping pace with the steers that were getting 3 to 4 times the amount of grain.  She did convert her feed very well.  As for easy keeping, she stays pretty fit on pasture, and winters just as easy as the Angus cows despite the fact that she is probably weighs 1700-1800 lb.

 

[TYD]

Frostback can you go into more detail why you are saying the maines are losing it on the clubby side of things in my opinion when these new bulls are crossed with sim angus for the easy keeping and maternal traits this is where they excell at making a heifer with the look but also one you can bring home when your done and put it in the pasture and make the ultimate club calf mamma

 

[frostback]

Read my post again and I told you what I wanted Maine genetics for. I just dont see it in the newer bulls. Now the bulls mentioned like Ali, Hardcore, Hard Drive. will lets see Ali 2002 model makes him 10 years. Hardcore 9 years, Hard Drive 2005 son of Hardcore. Witch Doctor is a 1992. I-80 youngest mentioned but goes back to Ali and Hardcore. Where are the newer genetics that will do what I need and want?  Just not seeing anything new that does this anymore. Maybe I am not looking hard enough.

 

[frostback]

Frostback can you go into more detail why you are saying the maines are losing it on the clubby side of things in my opinion when these new bulls are crossed with sim angus for the easy keeping and maternal traits this is where they excell at making a heifer with the look but also one you can bring home when your done and put it in the pasture and make the ultimate club calf mamma

Just re-read your post and I guess I should add that I didnt look for Maines to put maternal into my mix. These were used on F1 simmi X angus cows so I had the maternal there. I wanted whale assed, big boned, hairy from the Maines. I still go old school for that.

 

[jbzdad]

TLM = tru-line maine  bouncer etc

well I continue to look and try... I have embryos coming out of GVC hawkeye out of a hard doing Payoff cow...some Sooner from Hartmans sale... also GVC maverick out of a Ali cow... I am hoping some of the angus in Hawkeye will come thru for me in the embryos out of the payoff cow

I have a Suh heifer from GVC that is really deep ribbed and big boned .. she may be a breeding piece to use

I also plan to try  some DMCC body builder  ... if you look at Tru-line a lot was built there out of DMCC genetics

 

[OH Breeder]

The Maine genetics that have some flesh to them in our herd which isn't alot of, but, Taz has done well for us. Kadabara for females has made them deeper bodied and hairy. Really liked our Calberta Black Impact. Clubby calves with lots bone and style from Direct HIt. I still use Direct Hit and Black Impact. Not really a maine person here but those are not new bulls by any means.

 

[knabe]

those are not new bulls by any means.

New will be old not used in the race to what was overlooked in any breed by the me too's as antagonistic traits were stacked.