new 4-H steer

[vanridge]

this is my son's new 4-h steer for the year "Coal". We weighed him on Dec. 3rd and were very surprised that he was already 850 lbs. He is  black angus out of a 3 year old angus cross cow. According to his hip measurement  he is  about a 5.5 frame score. He is a market steer, not a show steer. We will be showing him in mid- july. Just for fun, the red steer is a 1/2 shorthorn out of a angus/herford cow and he weighed 790 lbs on Dec.3 rd. He is my neices steer. What do you think? Any opiinions?

 

[kfacres]

those two calves, (but the black calf mainly)- is better than most "show" steers that get pictured on this site for opinions... <rock>

 

[vanridge]

Thanks. The picture isn't the best, and the black steer carries a bit too much leather up front, but man is he thick. He is built solid. It's a bit deceiving how heavy he is because he's got short legs. They are both February calves. The shorthorn cross is a long steer, and is also showing some nice thickness to him.  It will be interesting to see how these two look like as finished steers. My nephew also picked a steer from our herd but I don't have a picture of him. My brother's main reason for buying from us is that our cows/calves are quiet.

 

[Okotoks]

Those are good looking steers and with the performance they have shown so far they should be in the 1420 to 1550 lb. range by show time!

 

[upthecreek]

I thought we could make this interesting.  Since Vanridge and I are only a few miles apart, and our kids are in the same 4-H club, I thought I would post my daughter's steer.  He is an April 2011 purebred shorthorn, he weighed 740 on Dec. 3rd.  Post your thoughts on how these calves will place and we will post the official placings in July after our achievement.

 

[sue]

Those are good looking steers and with the performance they have shown so far they should be in the 1420 to 1550 lb. range by show time!

You should repost next summer- I bet they finish less then 1550#s. I am going to say 1370#

 

[Warrior10]

I will place them:
1. Black Steer
2. Shorthorn
3. Red Cross

 

[easttex]

I agree ^

 

[simmyman67]

I agree as well

 

[kfacres]

I will place them:
1. Black Steer
2. Shorthorn
3. Red Cross

me 2.. but I could see switching the 2 and 3 down the road.. Depending on how they'll finish out... To guess, I bet he Red brockle will finish better, and body up more... and so he'll slide into 2nd.... Now if the shorthorn steer becomes a hairball and get's clipped up right....  THen who knows????

 

[vanridge]

hey there up the creek, see you got your critters in the barn. Looks good! (thumbsup)
From my experience last year, I am going to place them
1. shorthorn
2. shorthorn cross
3. black steer
I really like the black steer but (like his 1/2 brother last year) he is going to place lower because he is short in the legs. If the judge doesn't ask for the weights, he will think that the steer is a lighter than he really is. He also is not a show steer, he is a market steer, he's very thick but lacks that fancy look that they look for in steers. The shorthorn steer will probably clip up really nice and attact a lot of attention. The shorthorn cross is the sleeper in the pack, its hard to know what to do with a steer who is so long he looks like he has an extra rib.Last year we had a steer that was shorter than most steers in the barn but  who weighed more than 1/2 of them. 

 

[vc]

I am going to agree with Vanridge on the placing; The Shorthorn has a little more balance and his lines are smoother than the other 2. The Shorthorn Cross will have a cool look to him, has good bone and is a touch smoother looking then the black calf. The black calf has plenty of bone and muscle, his top line is a little coarser looking than the other 2 and it could be the picture but his shoulder concerns me a little.
On the rail it will probably go the exact opposite but I bet they all will grade well and eat even better.

 

[upthecreek]

I will put in my predictions as well.  I agree with vanridge.  All are very good steers but the shorthorn cross lacks a bit of muscle expression the the shorthorn has.  The black steer will possible be the biggest of the three and will hang a very nice carcass but lacks the style and eye appeal the other 2 steers have.  I will say that all three kids with these animals will do very well.  We will post pictures again in July and show the finished product.

 

[OH Breeder]

The black steer seems to be bred for early maturing. He might finish out a little quicker not quiet as fresh handling by july. I think the Shorthorn with the right Clip job is going to be eye catching and pretty balanced. The brockle red calf is going to fool you. I think towards the end like others have said he will come on. They all look like good solid county fair calves. Of the three the Shorthorn is the cleanest made. He does not have the leather up front like your black calf. the shorthorn seems to also demonstrate the most muscle expression from the pictures at this stage. JMO

My placing would be
Shorthorn
Brockle
Black

 

[Jeferin]

I agree to,
Shortie
Cross
Black

 

[vanridge]

I'm bumping this thread to the top again. We just had a calf tour to all our 4-H members farms to see how the steers were doing. Never have I seen our club put  a group of steers out like these. All of them should be ready for the fair in mid-July (some need some work leading yet)  After seeing them on Saturday I would say my placings stay the same but the cross could give the shortie a run for his money. The black one is finishing well but he is a lttle messy through the front and a little wasty in the middle. We have 6 weeks left to shine 'em up and they can change a lot yet. Will try to get some new pics up soon.

 

[jaimiediamond]

Would love to see updated pictures!

 

[upthecreek]

I was thinking on the weekend that we should bring this thread back with some new pictures.  I took some pictures on the weekend and will try to get one posted tonight.

 

[vanridge]

Here are pics taken recently. I added one from my nephew because he comes from our place as well and its interesting to hear what others think. The first one is the "Coal" (bleack angus cross) he is pictured on the first page as well. The second one is "Kane" a shorthorn cross, also pictured on the first page. The last one is "Maximus" a black angus cross as well. How would you place them now? 

 

[Ohio1]

Shortie
Red cross
Black
The front end on the black steer worrys me a bit