For Sale - An Incredibly Spoiled and Docile British White Bull in Texas

UPDATE March 27, 2012:  Colonel Beau sold last Fall 2011.  If you are looking for British White females, please see the current offering of J.West Cattle Company above.  This offering includes the dam of Colonel Beau, J.West's Maude Rae, who is a very well made female in her prime, and she comes from a very fertile and milky line of British White females and would be an asset to any herd of cattle, and sells with a spring born Target sired bull calf at her side.  Target is a son of El Presidente, brother to Colonel Beau featured here in this blog.

UPDATE August 29, 2011:   This good-looking British White bull is for sale.  Weight is 1920 lbs on a hip height of 53.5 inches, making him a very meaty Frame Score 3.5 bull.  Contact Al or Dalene Ross.

Here is a nice photo of J.West's Colonel Beau up on his feet, rather than languishing at rest under the care of Darlene.  Colonel is clearly a very nice son of El Presidente, as well as reflecting his maternal lineage from granddam CRAE 215G, an excellent older dam who both ultrasounded and linear measured many years ago by Gerald Fry as an excellent female.  Keep your eye out for Spring 2011 calves sired by Colonel, his daughters ought to be outstanding fertile and milky heifers that will be an asset to your British White herd.


Here are a couple of photos sent to me recently by Al and Dalene Ross.  This first photo is their terribly gentle and clearly spoiled British White bull, J.West's Colonel Beau, who must be about 30 months old now.  What a life!  What a gentle bull and a great herdswoman.  Dalene actually brushes Colonel Beau regularly, and he adores the attention!  Certainly choosing a breed of cattle, or even choosing a bull within a breed, should not be based solely on whether they are dog gentle - but if you can get a good-looking bull like Colonel Beau and he is as gentle as the day is long to boot -- then why choose anything else........

J.West's Colonel Beau, Sire: J.West's El Presidente, Dam: J.West's Maude Rae, About 30 Months Old

This next photo is of Melody, a very well made heifer at 7 months old, sired by J.West's Tom Sawyer, and her dam is J.West's Colleen, coming from my original old CRae 215G cow (Colleen's granddam) that birthed so many fine calves.  This picture of Melody leaves me just green with envy, but also with a really good feeling of having placed Colleen and this heifer with Al and Dalene Ross, who do adore their British White cattle, and have made them so much a part of their every day life.  Melody seems very aptly named, she looks to be a very nice melody of conformation and British White classic beauty, and clearly will be a deep-bodied, clean lined cow that most anyone would be proud to have at pasture.

Melody, Sire: J.West's Tom Sawyer, Dam:  J.West's Colleen, 7 Months Old

Also, note the last picture of the week I posted some time ago to your right.  That photo is Colonel Beau as well, fat and happy, easy-going and easy-keeping -- just what you should expect from British White Cattle.

A Summer of Army Worms and a Newborn Calf Riding in a Ranger

This summer has been one of lots of ups and downs.  In mid-July our pastures were under attack by huge platoons of Army worms.  The grass was pretty and green and tall and just perfect for the coming hot weeks of the heart of summer - and so was a preferred choice for the moth laying critters that leave their Army brats behind. 

We consolidated most of the herd to the very back pastures and hoped the cows would eat faster than the Army worms back there.  Up top, Mike and Mr. Brown, my neighbor, sprayed all the pastures with a watered down Sevin Dust.  We tried to keep the potency less than recommended, and it worked, those northward trooping worms gasped their last breath with their mouths full of my pretty grass - and no I didn't feel the least bit sorry for them.  I highly doubt even the greenest tree hugger would say the Army worm is a 'sentient' creature. 

Then in a matter of weeks all that grass we worked to save was drying out and flopping over from lack of rain.  So, after two weeks of quarantine in the back pastures, the cows came back to drying grass to munch on.  But eventually we did get more rain, about when I started to wonder if I'd have to begin haying the whole of the herd.  The grass came back pretty and thick and it looked like I'd have plenty until the fall, even enough to stock pile standing grass through to maybe December.  But!  The Army worms thought it looked pretty darn good as well.

So they came back!  About the 20th of September, they hit the thickest lushest grass first and headed northward eating everything in their path.  Fortunately, we caught it pretty quick, sprayed again very lightly, and within about two days they quit wiggling and eating my grass.  The poor cows though had to be quarantined for 2 weeks yet again in the back pastures -- and they were none too happy about that!

We finally had to start feeding them hay along about the second week, as you couldn't walk in the pastures, much less drive, without the cows running along with you and begging to be let out.  We fed some left over last years hay that was in amazingly good shape, so it is always good to have some hay left over for just such an emergency.  We fed the hay in the next pasture over, we call it the Sawmill pasture, as once long ago a local sawmill operated on that land.

As luck would have it, a first calf heifer decided to head back to the very pastures where they'd all begged to leave from (there was still grass, they were just tired of being back there, they are peculiar that way); anyway, Opaltine, an overmarked heifer out of Black Sapphire and Elvis, headed back to those pastures.  For hours that evening we searched for her with zero luck.  I was comforted by knowing that no buzzards were circling atop the thicket of woods that run through and around these pastures, hoping that meant she was fine wherever she was.

The next morning I called all the cows back to the Sawmill pasture (they'd eaten within two days all of 3 very big bales of hay) for freshly replenished hay, and I think Opaltine must have heard my shrill "Hey Girls" calling.  Once the rest of the herd was back on their new hay, I went again in search of Opaltine, and there she was coming out of the woods with her little healthy bull calf trotting along beside her.  I was so relieved.

I followed along behind them until Opaltine hit the woods for a shortcut to the next pasture, she was clearly heading for the Sawmill and the hay.  Decided all was well, and came on back to the house.  I checked back a couple of times for the new calf, but he wasn't around, but Opaltine was, eating like the Elvis daughter she is, non-stop.  The last time I checked she was lying down fat as a tick and content, but still without her calf.

So it was off to the woods to track her path and find her calf, as it was now just over 4 hours since I'd watched them trot off into the woods.  I finally found him when he stood up and stretched and started checking out just where in the heck he was and wondering no doubt about where his Mom was.  I scooted him along, picked him up some, scooted him along some more, until we made it out of the woods to the clearing in the video below.

I had my flip video with me, so thought I'd try to film my handling of him, knowing I'd have to drive him out of there to the next pasture.  As a really good example of the gentleness of this breed, you'll see that I pick him up and put him in my lap and drive him on to his dam, while he sits calmly all the while.  This particular bull calf, while he doesn't look like he's full of great promise, is still a good example of the low birth weights of my Carter bull, as well as the good markings he can throw.  This calf is the son of an overmarked female, out of another overmarked female.  He measured 24.5, which is about 50 lbs, and having handled him so much, I'd say no more than 50 lbs for sure.

This was actually the second time I'd tried carrying a calf out of the back in my lap while driving my Ranger.  It was after the first round of Army worm quarantine, and another calf had been born a few days before it was time to move them back up.  In desperation, and pretty much holding my breath with hope, I'd picked that calf up, and it was a good three days old then, and perched her in my lap and we drove across two pastures, her staying quite calm all the while -- and miracle of miracles, she didn't even poop on me!

While you might think that perhaps Opaltine is not a good mother, keep in mind she was a first calf heifer, and apparently a hungry one, and no doubt she'd have gone back to where she felt she had snugly and safely left her calf.  But, coyotes are so bad here now, and these calves so docile, that it is simply not safe to let them stay in the snug spots their Mom's think they've left them in.  As of this past week, I've lost at least 6 grown cats, beautiful calicoes, and one awesome yellow tom - to coyotes.  Buzzards have multiplied as well, and I lost one calf this summer the morning it was born by swift attack by buzzards, so we keep a close eye on the newborns. 

Did anyone Tell Al Gore? There is Snow again in the Pineywoods of East Texas

We've got snow again in the Pineywoods of East Texas!  And amazingly some of it actually stuck.  Mother Nature seems to be letting everyone know that she is very much in charge of climate change.

On the other hand, I'm expecting any day to hear some Global Warming gasbag, who just has to have the answer to everything as long as it backs up their own ideas and pocketbook, claim that the efforts already made to combat Global Warming are responsible for all the snow of 2010, and that it actually proves they are in fact correct.  Of course, were they to take that self-aggrandizing stance, it's doubtful the folks in the Northeast would bother to trade in any more of their gas hogging vehicles; instead, there would be a rush to the local auto dealers to buy the biggest and baddest and get that exhaust choking out into the crisp cool air. Maybe it's time to double down on a long position in Ford.

Oops!  I've gone and done it again, mentioned something political on my blog!  I'm trying real hard to just post quotes that reflect how I feel about the politics of the day..........so let me get back to my British White cattle.  Here is a photo of Elvis this morning; I don't think he's happy much with the snow or being in a pasture all by his lonesome, but he does look good for an old middle-aged bull.  Notice the gray spots on his hide showing up through his wet hair.

In England, the breed standards state a preference for the skin having a dark pigmentation, and this is often referred to as blue-skinned.  There is a long tradition in some English herds of choosing herd bulls that are blue-skinned.  It's been my experience that 100% blue-skinned bulls, such as my King Cole, Tyson, Mazarati, BlueBoy and El Presidente, throw very good color on their calves.  And of course the dark pigmentation is considered a trait that adds to the hardiness of individual animals against the arsenal of Mother Nature, primarily the Sun.

British White Cattle - Selection and Breeding for Color Pattern

Many thanks to Diamond C British Whites in Smithville, Texas for these photos of her Tom Sawyer sired calves. The first photo shows a newly born bull calf from this past week, having a very nice low birth weight of 64 lbs, with his sister, Diamond C's Taffy, relaxing beside him.  Taffy is about 2.5 months old in the photos.  Both calves are well marked and well made youngsters.  (Visit Lazy A Ranches for a series of charming photos of their Tom Sawyer sired heifer.)

Among British White breeders there are some who perceive a 'perfect' marked British White as one that is a pretty white one with black points and as few spots as possible.  However, historically, as in for several hundred actual years, there has always been varying degrees of speckling and spots about the neck and body in the herds of England of our quite ancient polled 'Park' breed. Even today many of the most revered British White bulls of England exhibit those very traits.

What we all strive to over come is the appearance of the line-backed markings, which are clearly 'over-marked' calves as defined by our breed standards.  Eight or so years ago, when I bought my first British Whites, I was unaware of any prevalence of over-marked calves occurring, or of a stigma attaching itself to the dam, or sire, of those over-marked calves.  I even sold one over-marked bull calf into a starter seedstock herd in my ignorance.  The bull was bought at the side of his dam and was registered, and actually did a fair job of producing nicely marked calves.

Of course, in the beginning, I largely fell hard for the breed's storied history and unique beauty, and bought what I found available to put in my pastures, without any actual knowledge of what I should be asking or looking for in judging the cattle I purchased.  I was quite fortunate to get some really nice foundation animals to start my British White herd.  However, had I been so very judgemental and critical, I would have not have purchased what became significant females in my herd, such as CRae 215G, who had scurs, but was in all other traits an outstanding female; or HRH Bountiful, who is quite spotted, and has had two over-marked calves, one before I purchased her, and another sired by DFTX Watson.  Regardless, I wouldn't think of letting her leave my pastures.  I've no doubt that the two over-marked calves resulted from her genetics, but in a rare breed such as British White, I certainly can live with that.  (Note the linebacked calf in the British White Cattle Society photo below, and the strongly spotted and handsome English bull in their photo above.) 

Today, I find that buyers are much more informed and particular than myself when they approach the decision of choosing the British White breed and in the selection of their seedstock herd.  As well, I am more informed and try to take great care in providing a buyer with all the information of consequence that may impact their buying decision; whether it be scurs present in a cow, an over-marked parent, or an unruly nature.  Eight years ago, I had no idea what a scur was, or that it was undesirable.  I'll never forget my young niece, she was about 11 years old then and my pasture buddy whenever she could come and visit, gleefully pointing out to me all the cows in my herd that had scurs, she was quite proud of herself, and she was remarkably dead-on in her assessment.

I've no idea why now some aspects of our breed are more focused upon than eight years ago, perhaps the breed has made greater strides in the last ten years versus the thirty breeding years in the USA that preceded.  Regardless, this new focus on 'perfect' and zero spot markings is perhaps leading to the dreaded 'single-trait' selection that over time leads to breeding and buying decisions that introduce undesirable traits as to conformation of individual animals, and may as well lead to under-marked animals, such as occurred in the ancient horned Chillingham herd at different points in its storied history.

On the other hand, the education and focus of breeders on rooting out scurs is one that should be addressed; and in fact in England a scurred animal is not permitted registration under the breed standards of their British White Cattle Society.  As scurs are fairly commonplace in our American herds of British White cattle, the eradication of scurs from registered animals would certainly require a structured approach and goodly period of time. 

As well, the Society began a structured closure of their breed-up program in 1996, in order to ". . .further continue the process of ensuring that the British White remains true to the type that has graced our countryside for centuries."  This very topic comes up from time to time among our members, but is generally tabled as just not the right time.

**********

The most recent English semen imported to the USA was that of Huckleberry Finn.  Huck Finn has lots of spots, and I don't recall anyone being terribly concerned about that in the odious ordeal most sustained in finally acquiring semen on this English bull.  Use of his semen has declined a great deal as there is a perception that he will mostly give you over-marked calves.  However, only one over-marked Huck Finn calf was ever born in my herd; and the fault lay equally with the dam -- one of my original foundation heifers of standard markings.  But, the tendency for Huck Finn to throw over-marked calves is certainly present in his genetics, as I learned in England that his dam was in fact an over-marked pedgiree English female.

That said, generally an over-marked animal is the result of a 'nicking' of similar genetics with the female he is mated with.  Probably one of the single most important questions breeders should ask about animals they are considering purchasing, is whether the animal has any overmarked females in at least the prior four generations, on either the dam or sire side.  Relatively new breeders such as myself would not be able to answer that question, as it is not revealed on registration pedigrees; and I breed just as blindly as everyone else with my older females.  This information would require a call to the BWCAA and a look up of individual animal records.

If you're really interested in trying to understand why within the British White breed there are speckled, roaned, and line-backed animals born to standard marked parents -- I recommend a close reading of the in-depth research on the genetics of color presented by the Double Helix ranch, a prominent breeder of Texas Longhorns.  The English Longhorn and the horned White Park were inter-bred in their long history -- the horns of the Longhorn leaving their mark on many examples of the horned White Park today, and the color pattern of the horned White Park leaving its mark on the English and the Texas Longhorn today.

  Moorside Black Knight, Sire of Hevingham Polaris, Gr. Grandsire of Tom Sawyer

Hevingham Polaris, Awesome Sire of Huckleberry Finn, Grandsire of J.West's Tom Sawyer, Follow this link for a photo of an aged Polaris at pasture, note he is blue-skinned and does have speckling.

 

De Beauvoir's Huckleberry Finn, Sire of J.West's Tom Sawyer

J.West's Tom Sawyer

  

J.West's Zeus, Son of Tom Sawyer, Maternal Grandson and Paternal Gr. Grandson of Popeye

  

Lazy A's Little Beauty, Daughter of Tom Sawyer, Maternal Granddaughter and Paternal Gr. Granddaughter of Popeye

(For a nice selection of photos of examples of British White cows and bulls in some of the herds of England, visit this Bohaty's British White page.)

Spring Calving - Care of Newborns

Spring calving is just around the corner.  The following article addresses getting the newborn calf breathing well.  If your cow or heifer has had a lengthy calving ordeal, the newborn may need help even if it appears to be breathing. 

Calf Health: Care Of The Newborn Immediately After Calving

01/29/2010 

"Delayed passage through the birth canal in the face of a faltering placenta compromises oxygenation of the calf. Although the calf is able to breathe as soon as its nose passes the lips of the vulva, expansion of the chest is restricted by the narrow birth canal. This situation is seriously aggravated when continuous forced traction is applied. As soon as the calf's head has passed the lips of the vulva, traction should be interrupted, the nostrils cleared of mucus and cold water applied to the head.

Again, when the calf is completely delivered, primary attention is directed toward establishing respiration. Mucus and fetal fluids should be expressed from the nose and mouth by external pressure of the thumbs along the bridge of the nose and the flat fingers underneath the jaws, sliding from the level of the eyes toward the muzzle. The common practice of suspending the calf by it hindlegs to "clear the lungs", must be questioned. Most of the fluids that drain from the mouth of these calves probably come from the stomach, and the weight of the intestines on the diaphragm makes expansion of the lungs difficult. The most effective way to clear the airway is by suction.

Respiration is stimulated by many factors, but only ventilation of the lungs, allow us to render help immediately. Brisk rubbing of the skin and tickling inside the nostril with a piece of straw also has a favorable effect. The phrenic nerve can be stimulated with a sharp tap on the chest slightly above and behind where the heartbeat can be felt."

Source: Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Extension Cattle Reproduction Specialist

One Cowboy, A Deaf Dog, & 723 Steers Moved with No Stress...........

Check out this video! The link was included in Cattlegrower.com's newsletter today. Many of the steers in the video look like they are out of a British White bull; a very high number of them are white with black ears.

It was posted by Bob Kinford with the blurb: Taking 723 steers through the second gate of a three mile, six gate move with only one cowboy and a deaf dog with no stress. The Kinford's web site is NaturalCattleHandling.com.

The U.S. Beef Breeding Herds Numbers are the Lowest since 1971..........

Dairy, Meat Prices Will Spur Food Inflation, Wells Fargo Says

By Jeff Wilson

Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Rising milk, beef, pork and chicken prices will double the pace of U.S. food inflation next year as livestock supplies shrink and rebounding economies boost demand, said Michael Swanson, a senior economist at Wells Fargo & Co.

Food prices may jump as much as 6 percent in 2010, Swanson said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Nov. 25 forecast 3 percent to 4 percent food inflation next year, up from an estimated 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent in 2009.

Producers of cattle, hogs, dairy cows and poultry cut output after a jump in feed costs last year, reducing supplies as demand for meat is rising at home and abroad, Swanson said. Corn, the main source of animal feed, will rally next year because of record demand for grain to make ethanol, he said.

Beef Herd

The U.S. beef-breeding herd on July 1 totaled 32.2 million head, down 1.4 percent from 32.65 million a year earlier, and was the smallest since the government started collecting data in 1971, the USDA said July 24.

“Protein inflation is going to be much higher than people are anticipating,” Swanson said Dec. 9 in an interview from Minneapolis. “Corn is a proxy for feed costs, and right now the value of all meat and dairy output is below the price of feed on a long-term relative basis.”

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said in a Dec. 3 report that cattle futures will increase over the next year by the most since 1978, and hogs will gain the most in six years. Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange will reach $1.10 a pound by December 2010, Goldman said. That would be up 32 percent from 83.275 cents on Dec. 11. Hog futures will reach 80 cents a pound, the bank said, which would mean a 22 percent rally from last week’s close at 65.425 cents.

Sustainable Rally

“As we start a new decade with the global economy emerging from the worst recession of the postwar era, we expect the commodity supply-side constraints of the past decade to once again re-emerge, reinforcing the sustainability of higher long- term commodity prices,” Goldman analysts including Jeffrey Currie wrote in a note to investors. “Economic recovery suggests rising meat demand amid tighter supplies.”

Follow the title link to read the rest of this article.......

New Reference to Wild White Cattle & Some Cool Old Prints of White Cows................

"Similarly the 'wild white' cattle of the English parks are not true whites, for small portions about the eyes, ears, legs are coloured either black or red.  It is an historical fact that these cattle have occasionally thrown black and red calves, and, within recent years, two which had black "points" and were confined in the London Zoological Gardens, actually threw black calves."   A Manual of Mendelism, 1916, James Wilson, P.53

"Chillingham . . . present park keeper destroyed them since which period there has not been one with black ears.   It is believed that Culley's celebrated Shorthorns at the beginning of this century were bred by a cross secretly obtained with a Chillingham wild bull, and Bewick in his work just mentioned remarks, "Tame cows in season are frequently turned out amongst the wild cattle at Chillingham.""  The Complete Grazier........, 1893, William Youatt, P. 9

"In 1876 Lord Tankerville, with the object of testing the theory enunciated by the Rev John Storer, author of The Wild White Cattle of Great Britain that Shorthorns probably had their origin in the wild herds of the country, tried to effect a cross between a wild bull and some well bred Shorthorn cows.  The finest produce of these were some very fine animals exhibited at the Royal Agricultural Society's Show at Kilburn in 1879, but as they did not come up to his Lordship's expectations the plan was abandoned until 1888.   In the latter year Lord Tankerville tried the alternative of a cross between a Shorthorn bull and a wild cow and magnificent specimens of the result may be seen in the paddocks at Chillingham. "  The Complete Grazier...., 1893, William Youatt, P. 10

"Since the beginning of the 19th century, Shorthorn breeders have disliked white. . . .Thus white has been much less frequently bred from, yet whites have not decidedly decreased, for the reason that they are still thrown when roans are mated with each other.  Reds are thrown from the same matings, but, being not unwelcome, there appearance occasions no remark.  Breeders have been aware that there were whites among the ancestry of their breed, but, by breeding from reds and roans only, have hoped to eliminate the "reversionary white" (quotes are Wilson's) taint and eventually have their roans breeding true.  In this, however, they have never succeeded."  A Manual of Mendelism, 1916, Wilson, P. 64.

     

Kleberg of the King Ranch, the Rev. Storer, the New York Zoological Society -- all were of the opinion that the ancient Park Cattle were the ancestor of the Shorthorn . . .  As well, check out the Hungarian White Cow, her horns are very reminescent of the English and Texas Longhorn.................

1856, LONDON/SOCIETY: No 1. Mr. Heath’s Hereford ox (Class 5), first prize £25. 2. Mr. Herbert’s Hereford cow (Class 8), first prize £20. 3. Mr. Stratton’s shorthorn cow (Class 12), first prize £20. 4. Mr. Naylor’s Hereford ox (Class 6), first prize £25. 5. Mr. Stratton’s white shorthorn ox (Class 10), first prize £25. 6. Mr. Heath’s Gold Medal Devon (Class 2), First prize £25. 7. Mr. Fouracre’s Devon (Class 1), first prize £25. 8. Duke of Beaufort’s shorthorn ox (Class 9), first prize £25. 9. Mr. Ford’s Devon cow (Class 4), first prize £20.

1856 Illustration, London News: Caption: Hungarian white cow and calf; Kerry cow; Bretonne cow; Ayrshire cow

1890 La Vache Blanche - The White Cow by Constant Troyon

1867  Short Horn Bull, "Monitor 5019" , 5 years old, owned by H G White, South Framingham, Mass.