Cow ???'s....

[chappel16]

I am looking to get a "weanling" cow, and raise it to do halter(or whatever cow people call it... ). This would be strictly a pet, so I wouldn't be milking or eating. I grew up on a farm with cows, and I helped care for them(I was young), but never owned one.

I am looking for the cost, and possibly a list of care(I have cared for horses forever, but unsure how different a cow would be).

Also, what would be the best breed for what I want to do? Can anyone give me what breeds would be good, and possibly their details(colors they come in, height, temperament, etc...)

The place I use for my consignment barn is set up on 10 acres for cows/horses, so keeping it wouldn't be an issue.

Any other help on this would be great...

[greygirls]

Well I don't own any but the nieghbours cows are at my place on a daily basis & a couple years ago his cattle & my horses shared a pasture together. One thing I can tell you is they drink a lot! Way more than horses. As far breeds go, I'd suggest Jerseys. There's nothing cuter (I call them the arabians of the bovine world) & they're small, which would be a bonus for a pet/show cow. They don't come in many colours though but they do have various shades within the colour they do come in (which is a creamy brownish colour). I also find them to be much more inquisitive & friendly than most other breeds. I'm not much help but I'm sure QuarterCowGirl will get on here & give you loads of info!

This is a link to a great site deatiling all the different breeds...

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/

[chappel16]

I was looking into the Jerseys or the Zebus, but I need to get more info on them before I decide. They are both the "cuter" looking cows that I have seen, although I love cows as much as I love my horses...

[StefanieLeann14]

I would disagree with the Jerseys. They are a dairy breed. I have heard that the bulls can get pretty mean. A steer or heifer might be ok but if your heifer for some reason got bred I just wouldnt want to deal with the milking and all that if she is a pet. Just my opinion though. I have been halter breaking and showing cattle for about 12 years. My favorite breed is Herefords. They are a beef breed. Red in color with white on their faces, feet, tail, stomach, and a strip down their necks. In my experience they have been the easiest to break and deal with. But depending on the calf and your area you could have problems with pink eye. We never have any problems but I have heard of several that do. A lot of people like Angus cattle. I personally dont but I guess it depends. They all have their own personalities and quirks like horses do. Your best bet may be a calf that has been bottle fed. They are usually already pretty calm and wouldnt be hard to halter break. This is of course just my opinion. If you need any help feel free to PM me.

[chappel16]

Originally Posted by StefanieLeann14

I would disagree with the Jerseys. They are a dairy breed. I have heard that the bulls can get pretty mean. A steer or heifer might be ok but if your heifer for some reason got bred I just wouldnt want to deal with the milking and all that if she is a pet. Just my opinion though. I have been halter breaking and showing cattle for about 12 years. My favorite breed is Herefords. They are a beef breed. Red in color with white on their faces, feet, tail, stomach, and a strip down their necks. In my experience they have been the easiest to break and deal with. But depending on the calf and your area you could have problems with pink eye. We never have any problems but I have heard of several that do. A lot of people like Angus cattle. I personally dont but I guess it depends. They all have their own personalities and quirks like horses do. Your best bet may be a calf that has been bottle fed. They are usually already pretty calm and wouldnt be hard to halter break. This is of course just my opinion. If you need any help feel free to PM me.

I wont be looking into getting a bull. I would think a female would be easier. Have you heard of Zebus? We have a local farm here that you can get bottle fed calves from...

[StefanieLeann14]

Ive never personally worked with zebus other than the mini bulls they use at the rodeo I would think if they are bottle fed they would be fine. Bottle babies arent as skittish and bond to people faster since thats all they have ever really known. If that makes sense. My first calf I broke and showed was a bottle baby. He would let you do just about anything to him. If you are really interested in the Zebus talk to the owners. See if you can mess with the calves a little and see how you like them. That might give you a feel for what you like and dont like about them.

[ToveroMom]

Ddo you mean show the cow at halter? I had no idea anything but 4H kids or FFA showed cattle-do cows have halter shows?

[chappel16]

They have "cattle halter" shows at the fairgrounds every couple months near me. Most the cows are shown by adults too, I have to investigate further on who exactly goes there, and whatnot though.

[Diamond_Y]

Originally Posted by ToveroMom

Ddo you mean show the cow at halter? I had no idea anything but 4H kids or FFA showed cattle-do cows have halter shows?

They don't call it halter shows, just cattle shows. Adults show in open divisions and it can be very competitive - much like showing AQHA or APHA.

[StefanieLeann14]

Yup Its a lot like the aqha apha etc shows. Only we just do "halter classes" I do have a cow that might be pretty awesome at Western Pleasure though . Usually we show at county fairs and locally but there are some pretty big shows out there. You would probably be surprised. Breed associations usually have big one breed shows. But locally a lot of breeds show the same day then at the end of the day they show for Supreme Female ( they rarely do bulls because no one wants to deal with about 20 bulls in the same show ring ) Which is the grand champion of every breed. Its pretty cool. Theres a lot more to it than people think.

[kellidahorsegirl]

You can pick up a bottle calf at your local auction (on sale day) for approximately $150 (for a smaller one). Breed will depend on what they have that day If you want a larger calf (which you do)...you'll prolly pay just above $600 depending on weight. Feeder cattle seem to be going for about 1.10 right now (not sure about your area though).

Then you'll need feed. They eat more hay than horses, drink a lot of water and you may need to grain them, depending on what end product you're looking for. You'll also have to watch hoof care...this isn't daily like horses, but they're toes can become long and you'll need to get them trimmed by the vet or a cattle trimmer. They tilt them over on a table deal and grind them off.

As for breeds...we have Black and Red Angus and Simmental.
Angus seem to be pretty docile (depending on breeding...you could end up with a Hancock of the cow world haha). Simmental...not as nice GENERALLY.
Hereford are generally pretty quiet (they're red with the white head and top of neck). Charolais are white but WATCH OUT They're fiesty.

If you want dairy....that'll depend on what the cattle shows are in your area...many don't have dairy classes, so then you wouldn't get to show. So to determine what you're wanting to get, I'd review the class list (if you're that determined to show) and then get something to match what is offered. I'd also seek help from someone local who does this so that you feed correctly.

There are also miniature cattle. Mini Herefords and Mini Angus (Lowline).....totally cute but I've heard the lowlines are kinda jerks haha

[rm185western]

You have such a wide range of choices in cows, same as in horses, and people will all promote their own favourite, and in that case my suggestion would be a Black Angus, because that's what we raise

My thought for you is maybe look at a Belted Galloway



They are a great compact size cow, and were originally bred as a 'Crofters Cow' They were a dual purpose milk and meat breed, but were very docile as they were handled daily. Now as with horses they have been bred away from their original purpose so other traits have been creeping in.

[StefanieLeann14]

OH I forgot about the minis! They are kinda cute. They have Irish dexters around here. They look a lot like a mini black angus. But I dont know much about them. Id also like to add that I would stay away from the limousin and saler breeds too. They are known to be real pains too. But then again it depends on the cow like Kellidahorsegirl said. DEFINITELY stay away from Charolais/Limousin crosses. WOW. I showed one of those one time and lets just say it was not a good experience...at all.

[ToveroMom]

I had no idea.
Interesting..well for a halter class..I guess you would want to find the most "properly" put together cow to succeed.
We have been browsing for a mini-hereford or Dexter.

[StefanieLeann14]

Chappel16, are you planning on showing your calf or just keeping it as a pet? That might help us out a little bit.

[chappel16]

Originally Posted by StefanieLeann14

Chappel16, are you planning on showing your calf or just keeping it as a pet? That might help us out a little bit.

I do want to show it. I just dont have any plans on making any money off of it like milking or eating it. It would be strictly for showing, and than hanging out with me on the farm...

[QuarterCowGirl]

If you want a pet, I would suggest a steer. I'm sure you don't want a bull, and heifers come into heat every month so they can be unsafe too.

As for breeds, Jerseys are cute, but they are a very nosey and bossy breed. Seriously, they get into EVERYTHING. If you're not used to being around bovines, a Jersey may be too much for you.

I would suggest an Angus or a Hereford steer. These breeds are very down to earth and they have common sense. Unlike most beef breeds, the two I mentioned seem to have fairly good reputations and have quiet minds.

[pvf]

I would totally agree with QuarterCowGirl.. You defently don't want a heifer at a fair with other cattle around when they are in heat. You think a mare is bad you should see a cow..

A steer is defently what you want.

[pvf]

You should be able to start our with a calf, then show it as a yearly and then show it when it gets bigger. With steers once they way over I think 1200 lbs is the max then there not allowed to be shown anymore. At least at our county fair. Breed shows are totally different.

My daugther took a calf last year and will be taking her this year as a bred heifer, next year as a cow/calf pair (she will be rebred by the time fair comes so that she's not in heat. I'm not dealing with a bred cow at the fair..

Its easy when you start leading them when there young, walk them down the road and expose them to as much as possible before taking them to the fair. Also, you might as well get them used to being tied, loaded, and bathed.. I thought showing cattle was simple but you have to shave them a certain way and blow dry there hair and fix there top line just so.. Its a lot of prep time..

[Diamond_Y]

If you want to show competitively, research and select a breed, then start looking at breeders. It would be pretty rare to pick up a steer at the local salebarn and be competitive.