Best hill cows?

[exmoorromney]

We currently run 50 Highland breeding cows on high (for Exmoor) heather hill ground and we are looking to change them to either Belted Galloways or Luings. The cows would run on the hill all year round with about 1.5kg per head of cattle rolls a day during the winter months being the only supplementary feed they get. The reason for change is to get a more saleable beast come weaning or at 12 months. Looking for thoughts on which breed would be best or any other breeds suggested, must be pedigree and native breeds at risk though. Obviously must be hardy and good mothers etc. Currently we run one Highland bull and one Angus bull with the cows so that everything is covered and we can distinguish between the calves, the same system would be used with the new breed, one pedigree Beltie or Luing or similar and one Angus. Thanks.

 

[Bob the beef]

Just a thought, but a sim bull over your highland cows gives a very saleable calf. The heifers make excellent cows for someone lower down the hill and the bullocks are good finishers

 

[Agrivator]

A decent Luing is always sale-able, bred pure or crossed with Simmental or Limousin.

And the latter two breeds are probably just as Native as the ''modern''Angus''.

 

[JP1]

Any of the four Galloway breeds. White Galloways seem to milk well. Agree with the comment above about Simmental bull for the terminals rather than replacements

 

[exmoorromney]

We breed and sell pedigree Aberdeen Angus which is the reason we use an Angus bull as our terminal sire.

 

[JP1]

We breed and sell pedigree Aberdeen Angus which is the reason we use an Angus bull as our terminal sire.

Is the initial stipulation because it's on HLS though as I didn't think cross were allowed even between breeds on nBARR

Go for Belties and have something nice to look at too

 

[Danllan]

...Go for Belties and have something nice to look at too

Some - including me - think that Riggits look good too.

 

[JP1]

Some - including me - think that Riggits look good too.

Thanks. I actually thought it might be difficult to amass numbers straight away.

My most popular are still the White Riggit mismarks - folks love them

 

[exmoor dave]

We currently run 50 Highland breeding cows on high (for Exmoor) heather hill ground and we are looking to change them to either Belted Galloways or Luings. The cows would run on the hill all year round with about 1.5kg per head of cattle rolls a day during the winter months being the only supplementary feed they get. The reason for change is to get a more saleable beast come weaning or at 12 months. Looking for thoughts on which breed would be best or any other breeds suggested, must be pedigree and native breeds at risk though. Obviously must be hardy and good mothers etc. Currently we run one Highland bull and one Angus bull with the cows so that everything is covered and we can distinguish between the calves, the same system would be used with the new breed, one pedigree Beltie or Luing or similar and one Angus. Thanks.

Gonna hinge on the market for the male pure breds I imagine?

At the mo there's not much info on whether there will be a native breed supplement in future schemes, (IMO I'd rather see a general cattle grazing supplement so folk like us can get it on our Herefords grazing heather)

Think what ever takes your interest, the angus cross out of them will sell fine, the surplus females likewise, it's the pure steers that might be a challenge, IMO I can't see belties being much better than the highlands, lack of horns maybe a slightly better price.

As you know we're wintering Herefords (some with calves from your angus bulls) on the heather across the vale from you, but it's of course abit lower and would be miles less wetter than the moor behind you.

 

[exmoorromney]

Is the initial stipulation because it's on HLS though as I didn't think cross were allowed even between breeds on nBARR

Go for Belties and have something nice to look at too

On the hill it doesn't matter what breed they are but we have other ground in HLS where we have to have native breeds at risk. So all the hill cows are currently pedigree highlands with one pedigree highland bull put out and one Angus bull. The angus calves all get sold as stores and the highlands go onto the other HLS to cover our native breed stipulation.

 

[JP1]

On the hill it doesn't matter what breed they are but we have other ground in HLS where we have to have native breeds at risk. So all the hill cows are currently pedigree highlands with one pedigree highland bull put out and one Angus bull. The angus calves all get sold as stores and the highlands go onto the other HLS to cover our native breed stipulation.

Incognito HLS !

 

[JP1]

Gonna hinge on the market for the male pure breds I imagine?

At the mo there's not much info on whether there will be a native breed supplement in future schemes, (IMO I'd rather see a general cattle grazing supplement so folk like us can get it on our Herefords grazing heather)

Think what ever takes your interest, the angus cross out of them will sell fine, the surplus females likewise, it's the pure steers that might be a challenge, IMO I can't see belties being much better than the highlands, lack of horns maybe a slightly better price.

As you know we're wintering Herefords (some with calves from your angus bulls) on the heather across the vale from you, but it's of course abit lower and would be miles less wetter than the moor behind you.

Are you talking weights, conformation or prices?

 

[exmoorromney]

Gonna hinge on the market for the male pure breds I imagine?

At the mo there's not much info on whether there will be a native breed supplement in future schemes, (IMO I'd rather see a general cattle grazing supplement so folk like us can get it on our Herefords grazing heather)

Think what ever takes your interest, the angus cross out of them will sell fine, the surplus females likewise, it's the pure steers that might be a challenge, IMO I can't see belties being much better than the highlands, lack of horns maybe a slightly better price.

As you know we're wintering Herefords (some with calves from your angus bulls) on the heather across the vale from you, but it's of course abit lower and would be miles less wetter than the moor behind you.

We do have a market for the pure highland steers at the moment but the guy that buys them says the abattoir is getting funny about the horns and charging extra to kill them. The horns are also a problem when we have to handle them and massively slow down any jobs, especially TB and blood testing. That is a main factor in us looking at changing breeds.
If there was some definite info that native breed supplement was to be fazed out I would just grade up my highlands with Angus and have a hardy Angus hill cow but I have a feeling that the native breed might be pushed harder under the new environmentally based schemes. Therefore don't want to get rid of them.

 

[Cowcalf]

luing is far superior to any of the others in all aspects

 

[Socksitis]

we run pedigree Belted Galloway on Dartmoor, with HLS and NBAR, but that is all coming to an end - we are currently on HLS roll overs, we put a lot of the cows to the Whitebred Shorthorn, suits us well. Don't know if I would consider changing breed at this time as NBAR is so unknown. I would be driven by a cow that suited the grazing rather than suit a scheme. Make what you have now work for you - dehorn the calves when you tag them - sorted with with you have got.

 

[cheviot53]

Ran up to 40 highland bullocks all dehorned out on hill , so just dehorn your calves ,unless you sell heifers for breeding then even your females don't need horns .

 

[clod hopper]

Seems a ideal property for Welsh Blacks! Angus cross outstanding

 

[AftonShepherd]

Are Luings considered "at risk" for the scheme. There seems to be getting more and more popular all the time up here.

 

[sidjon]

Know someone not far from you using Luing on open moor, think their putting a Sim over them and keeping the heifers for breeding on their main herd, they are happy enough with the cows but don't think they have finished any steers yet.

 

[exmoorromney]

cx

Know someone not far from you using Luing on open moor, think their putting a Sim over them and keeping the heifers for breeding on their main herd, they are happy enough with the cows but don't think they have finished any steers yet.

Would you be able to tell me who that is? PM me if you want.