[waterbuffalofarmer]

Would simmental cattle be good on a smallholding at all? I found this advert on preloved
http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/115255800/simmental-heifer-18-months-old.html?link=%2Fsearch%3Fkeyword%3Dcattle%26page%3D2
I know some people would think it rather expensive, but for a heifer like that I would be willing to pay that price. Isn't she a beauty?

[shep53]

Hard to tell her size and weight so £1150 might be a fair price at auction , sorry she just looks plain to me  ,beauty is in the eye of the beholder .   Simmental are very large animals so you need good grass and dry land  , very quite and if from the right lines can be milked successfully .     enjoy

[farmers wife]

that is a good price for a heifer who cannot prove her fertility yet and one hell of a risk.  For money like that I would want full herd health BVD, Johnes, Lepto, full EBVs of parents.  Its not excessive price but I never see prices on cattle and never would think of pre-loved for pedigree cattle.


Also want to know for certain whether she has seen the bucket as there is always a joke about cattle shrinking on home soil.


At 18 months and not in calf? - husband would be suspicious.

[twizzel]

that is a good price for a heifer who cannot prove her fertility yet and one hell of a risk.  For money like that I would want full herd health BVD, Johnes, Lepto, full EBVs of parents.  Its not excessive price but I never see prices on cattle and never would think of pre-loved for pedigree cattle.


Also want to know for certain whether she has seen the bucket as there is always a joke about cattle shrinking on home soil.


At 18 months and not in calf? - husband would be suspicious.

Agree on all but the age- none of my partners' beef heifers go to the bull before 18 months. They normally go between 18 and 21 months to calve by the time they are 30months old. Horses for courses I guess though.

[Marches Farmer]

Do you intend to outwinter her.?  Natives like the Galloway, Welsh Black and Highland can cope with Welsh weather.  Simmentals can end up as very large animals - do you have the handling facilities? 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

yes I have the facilities. I am not going to be buying her though, only wish that I could parents say no so is a no for the moment.

[Shropshirelass]

Waste of time I find simmentals unless you winter indoors & have something decent to cross them to, we always had to go out to c-sections with them & Belgian blues, plus their prone to lameness, you'd be much better off buying something like a good Hereford for half the price, thats a easy calve, half-in half out beast for wintering, thats slow growing, but not to slow growing & the meat still gets a decent price & is also highly commercial & lean, but not fatty, & plus you don't have to spend a load on cereals that you have to with the simmentals & a lot of continentals to keep in condition. You'd be basically buying a big cow with big overhead costs, for that price I'd at least like to see a heifer calve at foot, to make my money back & then I'd knock some money off.

[Carse Goodlifers]

As one of my college lecturers used to say....'big cow - big feed bill, big housing, more space, heavier on the ground'.

[SallyintNorth]

Agree on all but the age- none of my partners' beef heifers go to the bull before 18 months. They normally go between 18 and 21 months to calve by the time they are 30months old. Horses for courses I guess though.

The native breeds tend to be best not calved before 30 months, or even 36 months.  But the continentals are in general better calving a bit earlier - though it's the dairy or dual-purpose breeds that you would normally want to be calving by 24-26 months.

Simmental being in the dual purpose bracket, then yes, not being in calf at 18 months might indicate a problem.  Or just that the vendor thought they'd leave the selection of bull breed to the purchaser.

They're big-framed animals, Simmentals, but I'm not sure you really get the meat you would with an out-and-out beef breed.  They're not as milky as an out-and-out dairy animal, but you get a better (beefier) calf from them than from a dairy beast.  So some people think they're an ideal suckler cow, put to a real beef bull.  However, I've heard more than one person that's had them say they don't like going indoors, which can be a problem.  Even if they can winter outside where you are, sometimes you might need them to come in, or to go through a building. 

Edited to add, you can get everything a Simmental should do, without the sometimes fiery temperament, in a South Devon.

[Marches Farmer]

I'd go for the Hereford every time (but then I live there and am surrounded by them, so I would say that, wouldn't I).  Buy a traditional one (I can give you breeder names if you like) rather than a "modern" Hereford that's been bred up for size.  Very easy-going temperament, recognised by all at market and the calves will be white-faced and easily recognised by potential buyers at market.

[Cowgirl]

I'd go for the Hereford every time (but then I live there and am surrounded by them, so I would say that, wouldn't I).  Buy a traditional one (I can give you breeder names if you like) rather than a "modern" Hereford that's been bred up for size.  Very easy-going temperament, recognised by all at market and the calves will be white-faced and easily recognised by potential buyers at market.

It's interesting isn't it how different things are in other parts of the country, only a few hundred miles apart - I agree with everything that has been said here about Simmentals and Herefords, and we have Herefords, but in Scotland people think Simmentals are just the bees knees and will pay a fortune for them, whereas the Hereford is pretty unpopular. It's all about fashion and doesn't really make any sense to me.

[SallyintNorth]

Herefords are fetching better prices here now, thanks to the native breeds premium.  Hereford crosses have always been popular as suckler cows.

[twizzel]

Agree on all but the age- none of my partners' beef heifers go to the bull before 18 months. They normally go between 18 and 21 months to calve by the time they are 30months old. Horses for courses I guess though.

The native breeds tend to be best not calved before 30 months, or even 36 months.  But the continentals are in general better calving a bit earlier - though it's the dairy or dual-purpose breeds that you would normally want to be calving by 24-26 months.

Simmental being in the dual purpose bracket, then yes, not being in calf at 18 months might indicate a problem.  Or just that the vendor thought they'd leave the selection of bull breed to the purchaser.

Ours are normally 20-22ish months before running with the bull, all commercial lim x heifers no dairy in them. They prefer them to be grown on a bit more before going to the bull, it seems to help with calving and doesn't stunt growth so much.

[Shropshirelass]

I agree Sally Hereford crosses are very good suckler cows & by far the best we've found is a Hereford x Freisan or Holstein & they'll happily suckle 3-4 calves including their own for a season as long as they've got the right temperament. We just let the cows out with the others to graze during the day & brought them back in 2-3 times to suckle.