I THINK YOU SHOULD READ THE NEXT COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS!
I have been saying for some time, it seems like weather is changing around here. I read recently they think the 105th meredian line that used to be considered the “dry line”, that is west of which is drier, east of which rains more has moved about 150 miles east. I believe it…..we are drier than we used to be. Our cattle have done well in spite of all the hurdles they face here in Childress County. Our 219 fall calves set all kinds of ranch records. 100 ratio of weaning was 704 pounds! Then 2021 fall had a large number that weaned over 700# and the top bull weaned 799#. Then when we preg checked that group of 54, we had 2 opens, both older cows! The group included 14 heifers, and 12 second calf heifers. Then on to spring….we calved 91% of our spring herd in 13 days, the entire group in 34 days! When we preg checked them, we had two open cows over 10 years old (we bred neither one) and a bred heifer that we bought at the National Sale that did not breed back. I say all that to say this: Our cows are fertile; very productive cows! And I recently was blessed with some good grass which will give me the opportunity to grow the herd for the first time in over a decade!
I figure I have 10 to 15 good years left, God willing. I have made up my mind to spend that time trying to breed “Angus” black Braunvieh cattle. It is very difficult in this breed, and in my view, it has yet to be done. And while I intend to keep a contigency of fullblood cattle, I am setting a course to breed the best BLACK, not chocolate brown, homozygous black cattle I can. I think I have two herd sires that can help take me there. The heifers I am weaning are knocking my eyes out and I need to make room for them. It is a risky decision to replace proven cows with heifers of unknown performance.
I have picked a few cows to sell that won’t help us reach our black purebred goals. These are good cows, cows that will raise over 50% of their body weight and breed back. If these cows don’t sell, I will make recips out of them.
Registered Braunvieh Cows/Pairs for Sale private treaty on the Diamond H Ranch
Spring Bred 2nd calf heifers
First, these pictures need to be replaced…they are of the calves just as they weaned their first calf. They are now bred with their second calf, due to start calving on 2/15/23. They have grown through very difficult conditions and are in good flesh, all a strong body score of 5.
G46 BC97277 DHR Olive Oil DOB 3/14/19 BW 68# 205 day wt. 595#
Another heifer that calved just before her 2nd birthday, soon after the “Articgeddon” we suffered February 2021. She had a 72# heifer out of our E62 bull and grew that girl to a WHOPPING 728# 205 day weight! And as thin as she is….she just weaned 65% of her body weight as a first calf heifer….I think a little loss of body score is to be expected! Remember just 3 weeks since weaning in this picture. SO….. this heifer is out of our only Registered Angus whose genetics we hand picked to breed up black cattle. She has given us several like Olive Oil here or we would keep this one…that kind of performance in a first calf heifer is rare. She is sired by the Lonestar Vernon bull. G46 stuck to AI to the Ranger 11r bull ! These are all among our best….Do I keep saying….”heart of our program” you tell me!
35F BC 96466 Black Bombshell DOB 9/9/18 BW 86 Adj WW 588
This one is a story. First, she is a 31W out of an Angus that we used as a resip. Look at her weaning weight. We sent her to the development yard with the others. She came back and was waiting to be bred. THE DAY we were gonna give the first shot, we went out to move them and this girl had a calf on the ground…as a 15 month old! The calf disappeared 3 weeks later, we don’t know what happened, but she was a baby having babies! She bred back in the front of the program to our 3W fullblood bull and had a nice heifer that weaned 626# with a 3.05 WDA! She lost some body score from weaning that calf for sure….but she weaned nearly 60% of her bodyweight! Then on her second breeding, she missed the AI, but bred on the first pass of the cleanup bull, our 22E sire. She has a nice heifer on her side, as I write this. Clearly, this girl is a producer, and I love her phenotype AND her disposition!
Spring Bred Cows
73A BC84522 DHR Sheryl DOB 10/29/13 BW 90 205 day wt. 648
If you have been paying attention all these cows have a DHR in front of their name, all home grown cows that have to perform to keep their job. This girl has done just that. She weaned a 110 ratio personally, and has weaned 104 on two bulls. We put two embryos in her, both of which stuck. She just weaned a 22E bull at 679#. This girl has done everything we have asked her to do. She is out of Ranger11r daughter we sold sired by a 1/2 blood Wagyu bull we used on heifers for a while. So here you have a black 3/4 blood that has shown great fertility and productivity. The Wagyu influence will make her do a great job on carcass to boot. We put an embryo in her, and she was cleaned up to our 99H fullblood we are in process of proving out. We are selling her not due to color or performance, but age….we have lots of young un’s coming. If she doesn’t sell, no harm…we will make room for a proven cow that fits our future!
95C PB89327 DHR Sunrise DOB 10/15/15 DOB 72 205 day wt. 447#
A daughter of our favorite “Tequila” cow we bought from our friend Russ Freeman years ago. One look at this cow, ya gotta think “broody” or “spring of rib”. This one is plain and simple a victim of our decision to go Angus black. She has had four straight calves with an average wean weight of 633# for an average ratio of 102. She is sired by a Ranger son out of our 10P donor that we sold a few years back when we found 77ZA. Honestly I hate the idea of selling this very gentle proven top producer…I feel like she is being sold for no good reason, but…. If she doesn’t sell we will use her as a recip. The kind of cow you should use, fertile and raises a good calf! We put a 11R to 18P embryo in her, and she was pastured to our 19E sire. Either way, it should be a black, very good calf.
I realize that everything is not current all the time…please forgive me on that. It is always a good idea to check with me if you have questions. You can’t believe how much work it is to keep “What’s for sale” current…THAT is why most websites don’t have them posted! I can spend an entire day (literally) getting the heifer page current with decent pictures! So, you patience with my imperfections is appreciated!!
We don’t post prices. If you are interested, please call and I will send you a spreadsheet.
See also our Bulls for Sale | Heifers for sale