smous
Cowtalk Staff
Registered: 11-2003
Location: South Africa
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Frankencow!
Local herds run cows in mobs of 200 plus, the very lucky are milked in rotaries, more usually 12 to 40 point swing-over herringbones. The cows walk anything up to five kilometers a day to pasture and back, in temperatures varying from zero in winter up to 36 Celsius in summer. I doubt there is a cow older than six years that weighs more than 600 – 650 kilograms (the big girls just don’t last). Our milk price is such that we can afford to supplement with concentrates and also feed maize silage in winter. We are paid for components with no penalty for volume.
Our ideal cow:
Arrives the size of a Jersey and grows like an Angus.
Has the will to milk of a Tesk.
Has the components of a Bestow.
Has the udder of a Durham.
Has the mobility of a Bell.
Has the muzzle width of a Southwind.
Has the body capacity and stature of a Mascot.
Has the ability to hold condition of a Manfred.
Has the quality of a Blackstar.
Has the indestructibility of a Winken.
Has the fertility of a Cubby and the longevity of a Duster.
Has the milk out of a Mountain.
Has the temperament of an Emory.
Has the calving ability of a Sailor.
Right now Boss has the production and linear profile getting somewhere close to this. Any other ideas? Describe your composite cow?
Last edited by smous, 23/1/2004, 17:27
--- WWS-SA
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23/1/2004, 16:21
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broa
Registered: 12-2003
Location: Martebo
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Re: Frankencow!
I'm quite happy with a Cash x Mountain I have, she's scored 85p across the board.
A 85p udder from Cash is a bit rare I think
She's produced 15 300kg with 4.5f and 3.4p in the last 12 months and comes pretty close to being my ideal cow.
I just ordered 30 straws of PECKENSTEIN FORM BRET since he seems to have the kind of qualities I'm looking for.
in the eighties we used among others Kingway Elevation Very, as it turned out he sired more hundred tonnes cows than any other sire ever used here in Sweden.
He fitted your profile for most things except for maybe mussle with and ability to hold condition, they where rather skinny but never realy changed.
However, I find it easy to be forgiving towards a hundred tonnes cow, especialy if they get there without any hassle.
--- "Dum spiro, spero"
Cicero
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23/1/2004, 17:56
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canuk
Ex97 True Scarlet
Registered: 11-2003
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Re: Frankencow!
milk, calvingease - Rudolph, or
Cheif Mark
components - like a Goodluck
udder - Gibson, or Rubens
F&Ls - Starbuck
Frame - Allen, or Red Marker
rump width - Linjet
longevity - Prelude
scs - September
improve with age - Triple Threat
My 7 Gibsons are unreal, and are averaging 8,220 kgs 4.2% F 3.3% P and over 83 Type
many more on the way.
My herd is tie stall, 60 stalls, cows must stand in stall, only get to go outside when dry. Max 11kgs concentrate 2 kgs cake + approx 15 kgs dry hay and corn silage. All dry cows and heifers 10 months and up run together, in temps from + 35 to - 40 C. Realize my ideal cow probably would not work in smous situation, just as his would not work in mine. His situation is commercial at its best, absolutly nothing wrong with that, but in my situation, the bigger the frame, the more milk usually. Breed for type, feed for production, works for me.
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23/1/2004, 18:52
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DaleK
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Registered: 12-2003
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Re: Frankencow!
Broa, have 3 Bret daughters, newborn to about 5 months. Nice calves, hope they turn out like I think. Have had some hard calvings with him though.
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23/1/2004, 20:15
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broa
Registered: 12-2003
Location: Martebo
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Re: Frankencow!
with a CE at 8% thats a bit disturbing to hear. lets hope they where the exception.
--- "Dum spiro, spero"
Cicero
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23/1/2004, 22:38
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DaleK
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Re: Frankencow!
May be, for some reason it was the older cows that had trouble, the virgin heifers were fine (3 heifer calves, 4 bulls now)
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25/1/2004, 3:29
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foxleigh
Ex97 True blue dinky-di maverick
Registered: 06-2003
Location: southern,oz
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Re: Frankencow!
Dale ,is it possible that your older cows had subclinical milk fever?
we have noticed that there are cows that actually stop calving/contracting. After a bag of 4 in 1 they burp(it appears that the gut also stops working when cows milk feverish)and start pushing again.This also makes it easier to get the calf out.
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25/1/2004, 7:51
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MarkDay
Head Administrator
Registered: 06-2003
Location: North Yorkshire
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Re: Frankencow!
We often find that if a cow is "not getting on" a bottle of calcium in the vein will get her going again.
--- Bickleygate holsteins
"I have not failed 1000 times, I have discovered a 1000 ways that do not work"-Thomas Edison
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25/1/2004, 8:59
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DaleK
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Re: Frankencow!
Foxleigh it would have to be a heck of a coincidence, they were fairly spread out in the middle of a bunch of other cows that had no problems, but who knows?
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25/1/2004, 22:53
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mckeague
Ex 97 2E
Registered: 06-2003
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Re: Frankencow!
I know this post is called Frankencow but I have to give a special mention to Mr. FrankenZiege who made a comeback for the lowly spurs at the weekend, talk about a patchwork doll!!!! ( obviously i will be reprimanded for this and told that it should be in the Not cowtalk section, slap my wrists now please!!)
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2/2/2004, 13:03
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