The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Cattle => Topic started by: Rosemary on December 11, 2009, 09:54:04 pm
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Now we'll have space, I realy would like to have a house cow. I planned to get Shetlands but they are quite expensive. I know a dairy farmer who has proper Friesian cows ie no Holstein blood. Sometimes he uses beef breed semen - Limousin or Belgian Blue. Actually, it's mixed semen and you don't know what the sire is until the calf's born. Anyway, I wondered about getting a couple of Lim x Friesian heifer calves and rearing them so they are nice and well handled, then putting them in calf to a beef bull. I will take some milk and the calf can have the rest; calf goes for beef eventually.
Thoughts on any aspect of this plan?
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Sounds a good Plan A to me. What's Plan B ;D ;D ;D
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I would seriously recommend you go for a BBX heifer rather than a LimX. BB's are really docile, whereas Lims are more flighty. We have had four BBX house cows - 2 BB X Jersey, 1 BBX Freisian ! BBX Holstein. BB's are actually quite milky too.
Definitely the BBX and well done for being sensible enough to go for a cross- bred. By definition you will get milk and a decent beef calf too if you cross back to a beef bull.