British White cattle

[applejack]

Been asked by a friend about the pros and cons of British White cattle, any comments or experiences would be welcome.

 

[Dextersg]

Cows tend to get over fat and can get a bit too maternal at calving. We've got one that we won't even go in pen with for first couple of days. Can be a job to finish just on forage at U T M.

 

[JP1]

@DrWazzock is your man

 

[Cowgirl]

@S C

 

[digger64]

Been asked by a friend about the pros and cons of British White cattle, any comments or experiences would be welcome.

Only Got one - cost little worth little but earns alot !

 

[DrWazzock]

@DrWazzock is your man

I bought an old herd. I didn't find any temperament problems. The smaller cows made the best mothers for some reason.

I found calving difficulties with the heifers probably because I got them too fat though my neighbour reckoned the heads aren't long and thin enough but more "bulldog" like so don't slip out so easily.

Most have gone from here now due to age.

I didn't castrate last year's batch of male calves and have sold them as bull beef in the ring at 13 months around 550 kg for £1000 each. I fed them ad lib barley mix and ad lib hay/silage/grass. Shape was as good as any native. We have sold a few privately for beef in the past. The meat is excellent and that really is where their strength is in a niche market.

Now looking to go more mainstream, Stabiliser or Continental X, continental X being more saleable in the store ring.

British White is a good breed for poor grassland, if you have a niche market for quality beef and you like pretty cattle. Not really suited to high output clover leys. Get too fat and too much milk.

I'd get in touch with the Breed Society through their website. I'd say they are a hobby rather than a commercial proposition. They do look a picture though.

 

[milkloss]

Had a few, found them a bit mental but they were a bit feral when we got them.

 

[delilah]

Below a few pics of ours. Sarah at the breed society is very helpful. As said keep them on poor ground and they will do well for you. Fantastic beef for direct sales. Temperament wise ours are soft as butter.

 

[Treg]

Below a few pics of ours. Sarah at the breed society is very helpful. As said keep them on poor ground and they will do well for you. Fantastic beef for direct sales. Temperament wise ours are soft as butter.

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Their looking good @delilah , nice to see a herd of something different.

 

[JP1]

Their looking good @delilah , nice to see a herd of something different.

Yes @delilah , please post some more on the Native Breeds photo thread on livestock

 

[NZDan]

Are there any Canadian Speeckled Park cattle in the UK? Theyre going off loke gang busters in many countries, I suspect if the become popular in the UK then othe similarly coloured cattle may be able to ride the coat tails.

 

[JP1]

Are there any Canadian Speeckled Park cattle in the UK? Theyre going off loke gang busters in many countries, I suspect if the become popular in the UK then othe similarly coloured cattle may be able to ride the coat tails.

Yes they are here and very popular in Northern Ireland

 

[S C]

Been asked by a friend about the pros and cons of British White cattle, any comments or experiences would be welcome.

The first thing to note about British White cattle is that they are a dedicated suckler breed, as opposed to a terminal sire breed. The Society doesn't advertise them as a 'jack of all trades' because they aren't - and I don't think there's any harm in that! The females will produce a good milk output for their calf and won't cost a lot to keep as they're generally a medium-sized cow (average frame score would be 5 or 6), polled and hardy.

The beef from a purebred British White carcase is superb, so would be a great choice if you've got an outlet which appreciates quality - plenty of breeders choose this route and will finish purebred steers and heifers under 30 months on grass/forage only; expect grades varying from O+3 to R4 with a deadweight of 280kg to 300kg on this type of system.

As I said above, a terminal sire they are not so don't expect double muscling or fantastic store prices through the market, but done properly there is a real potential to make a good margin with them.

I get to visit quite a lot of British White herds throughout the year as well as keeping them at home myself, and I can honestly say that the breed is in a very encouraging place in terms of quality, as well as the enthusiasm of the breeders to push them forward in popularity.

For full disclosure, I am the Breed Secretary of the Society! If you'd like any more info you can have a look at the website, particularly this page: http://www.britishwhitecattle.co.uk/profit-from-bw which gives a few ideas on how to market them, or you can contact me directly and I'd be happy to put you in touch with some breeders to go and have a look. As it's also now show season there will plenty of opportunity to get out and see some on the circuit.

Here are some of mine...

 

[applejack]

Thanks for the input everyone, think the idea was to maybe use a British White bull across pure Hereford cows.
Perhaps not the best plan, will pass it on.
Great pics @S C .

 

[JP1]

The first thing to note about British White cattle is that they are a dedicated suckler breed, as opposed to a terminal sire breed. The Society doesn't advertise them as a 'jack of all trades' because they aren't - and I don't think there's any harm in that! The females will produce a good milk output for their calf and won't cost a lot to keep as they're generally a medium-sized cow (average frame score would be 5 or 6), polled and hardy.

The beef from a purebred British White carcase is superb, so would be a great choice if you've got an outlet which appreciates quality - plenty of breeders choose this route and will finish purebred steers and heifers under 30 months on grass/forage only; expect grades varying from O+3 to R4 with a deadweight of 280kg to 300kg on this type of system.

As I said above, a terminal sire they are not so don't expect double muscling or fantastic store prices through the market, but done properly there is a real potential to make a good margin with them.

I get to visit quite a lot of British White herds throughout the year as well as keeping them at home myself, and I can honestly say that the breed is in a very encouraging place in terms of quality, as well as the enthusiasm of the breeders to push them forward in popularity.

For full disclosure, I am the Breed Secretary of the Society! If you'd like any more info you can have a look at the website, particularly this page: http://www.britishwhitecattle.co.uk/profit-from-bw which gives a few ideas on how to market them, or you can contact me directly and I'd be happy to put you in touch with some breeders to go and have a look. As it's also now show season there will plenty of opportunity to get out and see some on the circuit.

Here are some of mine...

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And fine cattle they look too. I enjoyed watching the BW classes at Ampton

 

[delilah]

Are there any Canadian Speeckled Park cattle in the UK? Theyre going off loke gang busters in many countries, I suspect if the become popular in the UK then othe similarly coloured cattle may be able to ride the coat tails.

I have just learnt from Mr Wikipedia that these cattle were developed from three British breeds; Shorthorn, Angus and British White. The BW will certainly have contributed milkiness and hardiness - British Whites are recognised in North America and Australia for their heat tolerence.

 

[JP1]

I have just learnt from Mr Wikipedia that these cattle were developed from three British breeds; Shorthorn, Angus and British White. The BW will certainly have contributed milkiness and hardiness - British Whites are recognised in North America and Australia for their heat tolerence.

The lineback marking will have come from the BW