Texas
Longhorn Calving Ease
 Ten
of the 20 largest ranches in the West have successfully used Texas Longhorn
bulls to calve heifers. The Texas Longhorn bull's reputation for the easy
and uncomplicated birth of a vigorous calf is undisputed among knowledgeable
ranchers of North America. The tall, lean Longhorn shape with narrow head
and shoulders make first birth for a beginning mother a far less traumatic
experience. The U.S. Meat Animal Research Center of Clay Center, Nebraska,
has tested this old breed's modern qualities. Their Germ Plasm Evaluation
Program, Cycle IV Phase 2, evaluated 1,905 births comparing 11 breeds. The
Texas Longhorn proved superior, with the highest unassisted birth rate of
all breeds (99.7%) and the lowest birth weight (71.3 lbs.). These old, nature-fixed,
time-tested qualities are making extra profits available for professional
ranchers through reduced labor and more live, saleable calves. These low
stress birth traits in Texas Longhorn-sired calves continue to profit owners
when the mother cow quickly re-breeds after an easy birth.
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