Anyone have experience with Piedmontese Cattle? I saw one once at a farm show, and from what I've read, they sound pretty interesting. I'm interested in their approximate price, whether they're suitable for a small operation, their availability, and the feasibility of crossing them with my Jersey

-- Fran (on MD's Eastern Shore) (SimplePlesurzGuy@aol.com), January 01, 2002

Answers

no personal experience - heard that unusual muscle pattern in pieds can contribute to calving difficulties - ceasarian section deliveries commonplace - you need to talk with a genuine authority to determine if the rumors i've repeated are valid - good luck

-- Joan - Zone 6 (egavasnok@juno.com), January 01, 2002.

My neighbor raises them and we are planning on it in the future. I do know the heifers need to be bred to a smaller calving bull for their first calf. The first time I saw one I was amazed-their hindquarters looked like a horse's. The first time I ate one I was impressed. They are known for very tender meat that is low in fat. E-mail me privately and I'll hook you up with my neighbor who raises them.

-- Debbie in Mo (risingwind@socket.net), January 01, 2002.

Hi,

I had two neighbors that experimented with these unusual double muscled cattle. I was interested too but too chicken to do it without watchng. One guy, a dairyman used them to freshen a proportion of his dairy herd (holstein) thinking that the beef value of the offspring would be premium. He had a wreck with over 50% calving loss...due to shape. The calves could not fit through the birth canal of the Holsteins. The other neighbor had a conventionally managed beef herd. He used piedmontese bulls with charlois and continental cross bred cows only...not heifers. He got some beautiful calves...calving was not free of difficulty but worth the experiment. They muscled out very nicely and became part of the gene pool of his herd. He has subsequently gone back to angus bulls. I would be a bit worried about crossing with a Jersey, unless it was your biggest framed, widest pelvised bos. To put this in context...in the Angus world my friends called me mr calving ease. I bred for it because the only thing I hate worse than pulling a calf is pushing back in and taking it by C section.

Thanks.

Oscar

-- Oscar H. Will III (owill@mail.whittier.edu), January 02, 2002.