Posted on February 19, 2009 - by Russell

She’s a 10 – A survey of Longhorn Breeders

The selection of a brood cow is very important when building a quality herd for seed stock production. I would like to know what makes her a “10” in your herd. If you would like to share your brood cow selection criteria with our readers then please take a moment to complete the survey. If you would like you can post brief comments below in the comments field or better yet send your completed survey answers, along with a photo of your idea brood cow to russellh@longhornroundup.com. Please include your name, ranch name and email address. You may also include your website address. I will be posting the survey results and photos on the website in about two weeks.

1) What type of conformation do you look for in a brood cow? Does conformation affect the birth canal and calving ease?

2) What is the most important trait you look for, horn, conformation, or functional efficiency? Would you over look a genetic defect if the cow had record setting horn?  

3) How important is frame size when selecting a brood cow, and why?

4) What is the ideal age for a heifer to have her first calf?

5) Are there any advantages in waiting to breed a heifer?

6) What is the ideal weight range for a newborn calf?

7) Do you think the sire or the dam affects the birth weight more?

8 ) How important is milk production? How do you determine whether a brood cow’s milk production is sufficient?

9) When you select a young heifer for your herd, how important is udder development?

10) What do you look for in the udder of a mature brood cow?

11) In your opinion, are udder defects a result of improper management, genetic imperfection or in some cases a combination of both?

12) How many years should a good brood cow produce? Do you think modern day breeding practices are improving or harming the longevity trait?

13) What do you believe is the ideal number of days between calving and rebreeding?

14) What are your standards for culling? What characteristics in a brood cow are justifications for immediate culling? How does disposition affect a brood cow?

15) How important is femininity to you when you select a heifer for a brood cow? Why is it important, and how is it expressed?

16) How important is horn size in selecting a heifer for a brood cow? Do you like for a heifer to show a lot of growth early, or are you satisfied with a cow which gets her horn growth gradually over the years?

17) What other factors do you consider when selecting a brood cow, and which is most important to you?