Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Herd Improvement And Greater Profits With Black Baldy Cattle

By Eugenia Dickerson


Cattle ranchers know that there is little leeway between losing money or making it in the beef production business. The years of hard work in all weathers required to raise even the sturdiest animals on the open range mean that a barren cow or one that dies young is a real liability. Black Baldy cattle are showing ranchers a promising way to make their profit margin a little bigger. Reports of up to 20% annual increase are making beef producers sit up and take notice.

Mating Aberdeen Angus cows to Hereford bulls produces Baldy calves. They are white-faced from a dominant gene in the Hereford and black-bodied from a dominant gene in the Angus. This coloration is remarkably consistent in this type of hybrid cross that is rapidly growing in popularity.

This color also comes when an Angus bull is bred to a Hereford heifer. Hereford cows can have a hard time with their first calf if bred to a bull from the same breed. Breeding a heifer, or young female, to an Angus bull produces a calf with a lighter birth weight and a smaller head, making a difficult birth less likely.

Baldies are becoming known for their docility, their fertility, and their longevity. They are also prized for their thriftiness, or the ability to thrive and grow under range conditions and to gain more weight on less feed in the fattening pens. They make excellent mothers, having ample milk for their calves and taking good care of them. All of these characteristics are valuable when raising beef animals for profit.

These results are part of what is called 'hybrid vigor'. Crossbreeding in any species usually brings the good characteristics of both breeds into prominence and eliminates the tendencies to genetic problems that show with greater frequency in every purebred generation. Both Hereford and Angus are sound animals with many good traits, and imparting new blood resurrects qualities that have been in decline in purebred herds.

In addition, Herefords are an especially strong breed. There are in fact more Herefords in the world than any other type of cow, experts say. This is partly due to the breed's docility and hardiness; these cattle thrive in almost any climate. It may also trace back to the British Empire, when these British cattle were shipped to many countries where the British were in control. Aberdeen Angus is another fine breed, especially noted for a gentle nature and the excellent taste of their meat.

Baldies are popular in areas with hot sun, like Australia, where their dark color minimizes sunburn. In the American northwest, this breed is called Black Hereford. These great beef producing regions have extremes of weather that demand sturdy animals. Ranchers may love their cows but they cannot and do not pamper them.

Black Baldy Cattle have raised profits in many herds by as much as 20%. Go online to see the results of studies and performance reviews and to find out where the crossbred animals can be found.




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