All About Cows (and Steers)

[Spee]

Hello Gang,

Long time between posts ....

This one is probably right up the alley of Random Chances (how are you, mate?) and others of his ilk.

I am currently on holiday with my honey and we bumped into one of her friends. Her friend mentioned that her father (U.T. area) had recently retired and had bought some land and cattle, and had gone into the cattle for beef for profit business.

Probably ignorant or stupid of me, but as we talked it dawned on me that there are likely several varieties of cows and bulls used for dairy, for meat, for clothes, etc.

So my questions are these:

- What different varieties of cows and bulls are there in LoS (away from Nana, Pattaya, etc. )?

- What breed do they originate from?

- What are they used for today?

- Is/are there any interbreeding going on, or even permitted for that matter? If so, for what purpose?

TIA ...

[Sel]

This is a good website with detail descriptions of beast varieties including photos.

Cattle, Goats, Horses, Sheep, Swine and Other Species

Although not Thailand specific

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

[bina]

brahmin cows (the red humped kind);

the milk cows are random chances type cant remember but the are the same as the israeli milk cow;

yes u can mix breeds provided u know why u want to mix: hardiness, more milk, more meat muscle, more babies, whatever... most mixes arent worth anything with out a breeding plan for what u are aiming for... for beef cattle u are looking for more muscle meat weight and fast gaining kilos; for milker, a good udder, high production of milk, or higher milkfat or less milkfat etc, hardiness etc...

we did discuss it once somewhere in the issan farming thread towards the beginning...

i personally really like the buffalo and am still considering raising one here at my park, but my bosses are nervous about it... i think that investing in buffalo and re developing the good traits (developing a good breeding bull stud with size and weight) could eventually bring in more money as there is more meat on a buffalo

[RamdomChances]

Hi Spee

I'm not online much these days, and had an argument with one of my cows a few days ago, I lost and have 3 broken ribs to show for it!!

Anyway Bina was pretty much spot on.

Most of the beef cows here are brahmin although you can sell any breed for meat.

Brahmin cows cope well with the heat and give a good weight gain off a relitively poor diet. I think most of them here are not pure Bramins but I can remember what the cross is(Sahwal I think??). I have heared of pure Bramin Bulls going for serious money. There are also a few heards of Charolay (SP) cattle for beef production which can be sold at a premium. I've toyed with the idea of keeping my bull calfs for beef (I've got 3 young bulls born here) but after keeping a few the return is just not good enough (growth rate too slow).

As for dairy most are Holstine Frieshion(HF) (SP again) crosses up to about 80%, 100% HF does not do well here heat resistance to parisites disease ect. I've also got some jearsy crosses and a New Zeland Red (imported from NZ but not by me) That one is 100% New Zeland Red and copes really well out here but is getting on a bit.

On the dairy side virtualy everything is interbred, there are some programs going on, Chock Chai had developed its own strain of friesion and there is a type of cow here generally refered to as "New" that has about 40% bramin 60% HF I've got a few and generally they do pretty wel and apparently are good for a few more babyies than HF.

Generaly HF will give the best milk but are more suseptable to diet, heat parisite and disease and theier conception rates are genarally lower.

We are gradually changeing over to natural insemination (my 3 bulls are about 80% HF) . We have had about 4 calfs off them now and they are looking good. Generaly I'm not concerned with getting a "pedigre herd" as if you have a 100 HF that costs 60,000 bhat up and cant get it pregnant it turns into a 20,000 bhat piece of beef.

Cheers RC

Edited March 26, 2005 by RamdomChances

[bina]

wow random,

dont you mark the kickers w/red ribbons on the fetlock???

why are u going over to natural insemination? most people say that serious breeding/conception is better w AI... ??

i'm raising my male kid to breed to all the females in september heat and then he goes.... he has horns and when he gets to be a year old they're already huge and can cause a lot of damage.... keeping the two daughters i got this year, so back to an increased herd again until the next goat rustling season (ramadan); no twins this year.

keeping a breeding bull needs special attention and care no?? safety etc?

still thinking about that buffalo i was offerred; my thai worker promises he wont be a problem (castrated) but our fencing isnt very good and i dont need a buffalo wandering around the park....

take care of yourself.....

bina

[RamdomChances]

Cheers Bina

Its not a kicker, more a charger. I was getting a couple of cows out that we were selling and did'nt see her until I was flying through the air and landing on a concrete post, oh well never mind.

We are going over to natural insemination because the conseption rates with AI here are rubbish and with the milkers no baby = no milk, so you are left with the choice of keeping an animal for mabye a year hoping it will get pregnant or selling it for beef, at the moment we only have about 3 cows that are ovet 3 months into their lactation that are'nt pregnant, last year it would of been about half the heard.

I dont know much about buffalo's, no one keeps them here. I have heard that they are fairly placid, but saying that they are BIG animals with horns so you have to be fairly careful.

Cheers RC

Edited March 27, 2005 by RamdomChances