What are some desirable characteristics of hereford cattle?

Answer 1

Santa Gerts are known for their hardiness in hot humid weather like that down in the southern states, and have a high resistance to heat and ticks. They are also known for their great calving ease, mothering ability, and milking ability. Gerts show improved beef quality over the Brahman breed (thanks to the Shorthorn breeding), and are able to put on weight easily and efficiently in both the feedlot and on the pasture.

Answer 2

They are typically not the greatest in terms of muscle-to-fat ratio because of their tendency to not have much muscle nor growth rates. Cows also tend to have poorer milking ability than other breeds like Angus, Gelbvieh or Simmental. They are also prone to cancer eye and pink eye because of the lack of pigment around their eyes; other producers have reported cows being more susceptible to sunburned udders and prolapses than other breeds, even though prolapses are just as likely to occur in Herefords as they are in Angus, Simmental, or Limousin, to name a few.

Answer 3

Various facts about this breed include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Originate from Herefordshire, England (U.K.)
• Second breed imported to North America to gain popularity Texas Longhorns
• Easily recognizable due to deep red colour plus white face, dewlap, underline and legs, and commonly-shown white crest on the neck (prominant in old-style herefords)
• Great range-cow
• Often horned with short, curving horns
• One of the most popular beef breeds in the world, as it is found almost on every continent except Antarctica
• Once the most popular breed in the United States from the late 1890's to c. 1960
• Excellent for crossbreeding, most notably with Angus, but also with Brahman cattle.

Answer 4

• High adaptability; this breed will stand out in the arctic snows of Finland, endure the heat of Northern Transvaal, withstand the tough climate and rough grazing of northern Uruguay or the sub-tropical zones of Brazil and continue to thrive.
• A thick hide, thick hair and red-and-white colour pattern are desirable traits for the ability to live in a hot and humid to cold and dry environment (see first bullet)
• High efficiency of feed utilization (or, great forage convertibility)
• Desirable carcass qualities
• Beefy with ample muscle and bone structure
• Greater weight for age and rate of gain either at pasture or on yard feeding
• The ability to command top prices in the markets as finished beef or as store cattle
• A higher selling price for breeding stock
• Greater economy of gain in feeding
• High percentage of calf crops
• Lower labour costs
• Good fertility
• Free from genital defects
• Good mothering ability
• Good for maternal and rotational crossbreeding
• Docility and ease of management
• Lower wintering costs
• Early maturity and longevity

Answer 5

Herefords are red and white cattle. They have a red body with a white head, stripe on the ears, crest, dewlap, underline and stockings on all four legs. They can come as polled or horned. They are a British breed, originating from Herefordshire in England. They are a beef breed, adapted to all sorts of climates, from the hot and humid to the cold and dry, and are quite often a good breed for maintaining in a grass-only operation, be it intensive rotational grazing or an extensive ranching operation. Herefords are known to be docile, making them an ideal beginner cattleman's breed, and are also quite similar in carcass merits as other British breeds like Angus and Shorthorn.

See the related questions below for more on desirable and undesirable characteristics of this breed.

Answer 6

Very docile. They are the most docile breeds of cattle that can be found anywhere. But every breed has their crazy ones too, which means even the Hereford breed have crazy, wild cows too.