Shorthorn weaning weights.

[aj]

It's kind of interesting........the bison bison came so close to extinction......there are very few pure.....pure........buffalo. They do have dna tested bison herds that have not been diluted........Nebraska has one. But the beefalo deal occurred around here I think in the late 70's and early 80's.

 

[Duncraggan]

Ultimate Wedge shape:

I'm sure that a good showcalf exhibitor could get a bison to win a regional fair!
Cut that scraggly forward 1/3 hair, put it in a cooler to grow some hair on the hindquarter, feed it some 'flank improving' feed and you should be about there!
I'm sure the end result would not have the long, 'wood-pecker' style, hard calving head that is referred to by oakview in his post. Probably needs to be dehorned as well to complete the picture!

That buffalo is too wedged shaped for me.  He's also got a big head and a long nose, obviously a hard calver.  It's a wonder they've survived all these years without our intervention. 

 

[librarian]

This is Bold Venture, a Charolais x Bison bull. I don't think he's ugly.
Or his son, Bold Legend, out of a Galloway cow.

And an Aubrac for our gallery of wedge shaped masculine bulls. Aubrac were originally triple purpose.

 

[mark tenenbaum]

This is Bold Venture, a Charolais x Bison bull. I don't think he's ugly.
Or his son, Bold Legend, out of a Galloway cow.

And an Aubrac for our gallery of wedge shaped masculine bulls. Aubrac were originally triple purpose./// I bet one of them could outrun a yack-They would make great racing or bucking bulls-Bison meat is excellant-that char cross would have to grade and pass the taste test I would think. O0

 

[huntaway]

What do the females of some of these animals look like. Do female bison really show the reverse wedge.

 

[librarian]

What do the females of some of these animals look like. Do female bison really show the reverse wedge.

I have thought about this and it's part of the reason I believe the wedge shaped female is an artifact of selecting for dairy type within a dual purpose system

Since this thread seems to be anything but linear, here is a post that I found very interesting. I was searching "Aubrac female"...Honestly I cannot find one that is wedge shaped, but I did find a less fierce bull.
http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/the-big-show/aubrac-cattle-t30508/

And a link to the Aubrac composite program mentioned in that thread.
http://www.fickecattle.com/why-graze-master-why-now

This philosophy really vindicates mongrelization, and maybe those who insist composite x composite is a dead end, might give the Graze Master rationale a fair reading.

Aubrac in general. http://aubracusa.com/history

 

[JTM]

What do the females of some of these animals look like. Do female bison really show the reverse wedge.

I have thought about this and it's part of the reason I believe the wedge shaped female is an artifact of selecting for dairy type within a dual purpose system

Since this thread seems to be anything but linear, here is a post that I found very interesting. I was searching "Aubrac female"...Honestly I cannot find one that is wedge shaped, but I did find a less fierce bull.
http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/the-big-show/aubrac-cattle-t30508/

And a link to the Aubrac composite program mentioned in that thread.
http://www.fickecattle.com/why-graze-master-why-now

This philosophy really vindicates mongrelization, and maybe those who insist composite x composite is a dead end, might give the Graze Master rationale a fair reading.

Aubrac in general. http://aubracusa.com/history

Graze Master are excellent cattle from what I have been seeing. I follow on facebook a Ficke Cattle Co. that raises them. Really good people and really good cattle.

 

[librarian]

What do the females of some of these animals look like. Do female bison really show the reverse wedge.

A female bison.
3 Eagles might think our bison conversation is pretty ironic.

 

[Okotoks]

I took this photo off FB. It is Crooked Post Red Rose 12A, a three year old heifer with her 150 day old heifer calf at foot.
She is going to wean off a good sized calf yet she is feminine, structurally correct and in my opinion very eye appealing.

 

[trevorgreycattleco]

Kinda like how this cow is built

 

[oakview]

I would think most of us would take a pasture full of the Crooked Post type females.  If she's not wedge shaped enough, I guess that's the way it goes.  Any cow that has a 5 month old calf at foot like that is a good one, regardless of what she looks like.  I assume that the cow is "real world", however, what she has gone through still pales in comparison to what the bison cow has survived.  I believe that the bison have survived not because of their "wedge shape", but because the ones that could take it lived over the years and those that couldn't take it, didn't.  If bison females have to be reverse wedge shaped in comparison to bulls, then she flunks.  I just think people are stretching it a bit too far in making the wedge connection.    Countless species have survived for eons that look nothing like the bison.  Have you ever seen a wedge shaped camel?  Wild horses or mountain goats?  We visited Custer State Park a couple of years ago and were told by park personnel that they need so supplement the herd with hay sometimes.  Is that human intervention?  Does that artificially distort the natural selection factor?  Are we encouraging the buffalo to become less wedge shaped? 

 

[librarian]

Those quasi-Australian bulls I like from that sale catalog were all Crooked Post on the bottom side.
I also liked this like guy a lot. Maybe someone can explain why to me? I just see something in a picture and have to work my way backwards to understand why I liked it.

 

[shortyjock89]

I'd like to know why you liked that bottom bull as well. Doesn't look like something I'd let breed my cows, but I don't breed for western Canadian commercial breeders either.

 

[BroncoFan]

Anyone ever thought that maybe bison are built like they are to be able to plow through deep snow? Maybe that also why they're really hairy in front but not in the rear.

 

[shortyjock89]

Or maybe they think a goatee and a shawl is a cool look.

 

[librarian]

Mr. Olson- I cant figure out why I like him. Looks like he has a short hip and a long hip is first thing I look for. Or does his hip look short because it drops down? To me, that downward slant helps with Maternal Calving Ease ( for real- not the numbers), and I refer back to the way bison are built to justify my belief.
He just looks sturdy, for want of a better word. Strong, bullish and not overfed. I like his straight top, expanding ribs and dark shoulders. His belly looks full of guts. Why is he named Classic, I wonder?
I really do wonder- I'm not trying to be a smart Alec. It's very tangential to the discussion and not important.

 

[librarian]

I decided to quit being lazy and look up his pedigree- a lot of blank space there. I do see his maternal grand sire was out of a Dottie cow- those are really Clippers if I remember correctly. So I guess maybe its just intuition that I like him.

 

[oakview]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but that bull does not look beautiful to me.  I still like "Classic" Coke, though. 

 

[mark tenenbaum]

I took this photo off FB. It is Crooked Post Red Rose 12A, a three year old heifer with her 150 day old heifer calf at foot.
She is going to wean off a good sized calf yet she is feminine, structurally correct and in my opinion very eye appealing.//// GREAT example for 3 Eagles Weaning WT Thread-and the Waukaru breeding-which is very prominent in the Crooked post deal-she has that distinctive look. O0

 

[librarian]

My intuition on males is notoriously poor.