Rocking_BS_Ranch's Information and Brahman cattle history page!

A few common questions about the Brahman cattle and some information about the breed.

I believe the most common question is what is the hump? The hump is a muscle and it makes a very nice roast. There is lots of marbling (specks of fat) in it and that makes it very flavorful. Are Brahman cattle beef or dairy? They are a beef animal. Do they make good crosses? Yes they make excellent crosses. They will cross well with all breeds of cattle. There are many resistared breeds that are made up from crosses such as Brangus, Beefmaster, Brahmousin, Charbray, Simbra, Santa Gertrudis, Braford, just to list a few. Are Brahmans mean? No they are a very docile animal, but as any other animal they will be mean if they are treated mean. Yes Brahmans are used as rodeo bulls but that doesn't mean they are mean. Are all Brahmans gray? No there are red ones and some grays so dark they look black.

HEAT TOLLERANCE Without question, Brahman's ability to withstand high temperatures make it the ideal beef animal for hot humid areas. This ability to withstand high, humid temperatures can be traced to a number of breed characteristics. These include short, thick and glossy hair to reflect much of the sun's rays. There skin is dark pigmented and loose, and the breed's sweating ability contributes materially to heat tolerance. Brahmans also produce less body heat in warm weather than their European counterparts waste heat in produced from feed at the expense of growth and milk production.

WITHSTANDING LOW TEMPERATURES While Brahmans have superb tolerance to heat, they also have the ability to perform in colder temperatures. In colder weather, the skin of Brahmans contract, increasing the thickness of the hide and density of hair, which becomes long and coarse and underlaid by a dense, fur-like undercoat.

DISEASE RESISTANCE Closely associated with the ability of the Brahman to withstand hot temperatures is its great resistance to diseases. Brahmans are virtually free of eye cancer because of dark pigmentation around the eyes. Brahmans also rarely ever contract costly pinkeye.

INSECT RESISTANCE Brahmans possess natural resistance to insects common to cattle. Their light color attracts fewer insects, and a short thick hair coat prevents penetration by many insects. Also, Brahmans have a well-developed subcutaneous muscle layer, enabling theme to dislodge many insects by shaking the skin.

RESISTANCE TO BLOATING Because they feed lightly and frequently, or from other causes, Brahmans are highly resistant to bloat, Death losses rarely occur from this cause.

LONGEVITY When considered on the basis of breed averages, the Brahman is unequalled in length of productive life, generally producing up to 50 % longer then European breeds as long as 15 or 20 years. Simple computations will show that a cow that stays in production 50 % longer will produce 60 % more offspring during her lifetime.

REPODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE An animals' ability to reproduce regularly a big, growthy calf every year from cows and the ability to breed a normal number of cows in a given breeding season for bulls is a mark of environmental adaptation.

MOTHERING ABILITY Brahman and Brahman hybrid cows have one of the strongest mothering instinct of any breed - they stay with their calves and protect them from eminent danger. Being serious and inquisitive, they are instantly aware of all within their surroundings, They readily recognize and avoid which promises harm and seek that which is rewarding. Brahman cows produce bountiful quantities of milk for their calves,pouring much of their energy into their offspring. Average milk yields of Brahman and Brahman hybrid cows is about one-fourth more than that from other breed cows - research gives Brahmans a 22 % advantage in early lactation and a 44 $ advantage during late lactation. Butterfat content is high 5.17 % in one study with an accompanying high level of proteins.

CALVING EASE Brahman females characteristically produces a small calf at birth, weighting only 60 to 65 pounds. Because of this and the large pelvic area and the absence of disproportionate head and shoulders at birth, calving problems in the breed are virtually non-existent. F-1 Brahman hybrid females posses most to this capacity to calve with ease.

RUSTLING ABILITY Because of there hardiness, thriftiness, and rustling ability, Brahmans surpass all other breeds under c conditions of poor range and drought. They show a greater tendency to feed on shrubs, leaves of trees, vines and other course vegetation than any other breed. Brahmans havethe ability to walk and cover great areas of rough terrain with out fatigue or lameness. They possess sound bone, ample length of leg and freedom of movement of the leg and thigh.

CROSSBREEDING Brahman has earned it reputation as"Crossbreeding's Common Denominator" Every major breed developed created in the United States contains Brahman as a base breed. Hybrid vigor is greatest when unrelated breeds are used. Brahman, a Bos Indicus or humped type of cattle, giving unrelated to the Bos Taurus or non-humped cattle, giving Brahman cattle a distinct advantage in hybrid vigor- growth, feed efficiency and conversion, and lean beef production. As all segments of the beef industry turn to lager framed faster-growing calves, the Brahman hybrid with the "bit of ear" is in the forefront as being the type of animal sought by the feeder and subsequently the packer.

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