Brangus

BrangusAn extremely popular new breed, the Brangus is a hardy beef cow that is now a favorite of breeders worldwide! The Brangus is fairly docile and extremely hardy. These cattle can survive in the hottest climates, thanks to their Brahman blood!

Brangus Cattle are also known for their outstanding maternal instincts, paying attentive and particular attention to their calves! Although Brangus Cattle do best with abundant feed, they have proved able to survive and even to calve and produce adequate milk under conditions of duress! Brangus Cattle are black, polled cattle.

The breed standard is based more on genetic makeup than appearance: your Brangus will only be accepted into registry if it is exactly 3/8 Brahman and 5/8 Angus. In cool or cold climates, Brahman will grow enough hair to keep them warm, though usually they are more popular in hot climates, where they flourish as compared to the Angus.

Brangus1While Angus Cattle often lose weight during hot summer months, Brangus Cattle actually gain weight! In areas and conditions where Angus Cattle do not do well, Brangus flourish and retain the Angus qualities of high carcass yield, tenderness, and marbling in high quality meat. There is little waste fat on the carcass and marbling is achieved at a very early age.

Brangus Cattle tend to be extremely vigorous and are naturally very resistant to diseases and parasites. Brangus Cattle breeding began around 1932. The goal was to produce an animal with the superior beef qualities of an Angus with the hardiness, temperament, and mothering ability of the Brahman. Basically, breeders wanted a cow that would excel in all areas, not just one.

Experimental crosses began at Jeanerette, Louisiana, at the United States Department of Agriculture Experimentation Station. Around the same period, many private breeders, notably Raymond Pope and the owners of Essar Ranch in Texas, were also experimenting.

On July 2 1949, these private breeders from various states and Canada met and founded the American Brangus Breeders Association, now called the International Brangus Breeders Association. Since 1973, the headquarters has resided in San Antonio, Texas. Today, the genetic makeup of the breed is stable at 5/8 Angus and 3/8 Brahman.

Brangus2In order to be registered officially, your Brangus must be 3/8 Brahman and 5/8 Angus, polled, and black in color. Also, the parents much each be registered with the Angus or Brahman breed association, or with the International Brangus Breeders Association. Brangus are known for their high fertility rates and their ability to calve with ease, generally without assistance.

Their calves have heavier birth weights than Angus or Brahman calves. Brangus Cattle have good maternal instincts and are wonderful milk producers. Brangus calves also gain weight quickly after birth. Heifers may be bred at 15 months and calves may be added to the herd at two years of age.

To breed your own Brangus, you must start with certified Angus and Brahman parents and then register the intermediate crosses and finally the Brangus Cattle with the IBBA. Another possibility is to purchase either a 3/4 Brahmans & 1/4 angus bull or its semen, and cross with an Angus cow to produce a full-blooded Brangus at the first generation. Hence, the intermediate registration requirements.