2000 pound cow?

[caryc]

On a USAA commercial they've got a cowboy type hyping their insurance. Anyway he's talking about a 2000 pound cow that broke a gate.

They are showing a bunch of average looking beef cattle. I'm no cowboy but isn't 2000 pounds rather a large estimate for an average cow?

My sister had a nice big sorrel horse and I think it weighed around 1200 pounds. One ton is a pretty big cow.

 

[CGDustDevil]

Well, depending on whether they're using the term 'cow' appropriately I suppose. 2000 Lbs is a bit heavy for a female which I think usually come in around 1300-1600 lbs... But 2000 is certainly in line with a medium size bull which can reach 2300-2400 lbs if I recall.

Best regards, Pete

 

[ndcowboy]

I've seen the commercial too and there is no way any of the animals in that ad weigh 2000.
However, I spend a lot of time at the livestock salesbarn and I have seen a couple of 2000 pound cows. They are huge. You see 2000 pound bulls on a weekly basis, but ton cows are a rarity.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

How about market-weight beef steers?

 

[pruger45]

A cow is a cow in my book!

 

[mcb66]

The biggest cow we have ever had was 1800 pounds, she was a beast and mean as snake. When she went through the sale barn the auctioneer told the the crowd to no to bid unless you were prepared, this one is dangerous! We still made good money on the crazy thing. For us a 2000 pound bull is getting too big. We tend to sell them 1800 pounds or so. They can get so big that they hurt the cows and heifers.

 

[Selena]

The only cow I've seen even close to 2000 pounds was a Charolais that was grain fed. And a good part of that weight was bone structure. As noted before bulls get that big and more but mainly because they tend to live longer. Even then about that weight they are replaced because they tend to ... shall we say damage the cows they breed.

Item last: keep in mind this commercial is farmed out by the USDA... a group long on paper and short on the knowledge of agriculture.

 

[5of7]

I grew up on a small farm in Mi. and we always had around 25-30 head of milk cows, bulls and feeder steers.

The biggest bull we ever sold weighed a tad over 1200 lbs and the cows weighed between 800 and 1000 lbs. The feeders were sold at around 600 to 700 lbs.

Now we didn't have ever breed on the farm and most were mixed breeds, but I think that 2000 for a cow is a little high. 8)

 

[tinman]

There are "bulls" and there are "cows". Sub categories will include the words "steers" and "heifers"....... Yes, we all have seen a herd in a field and said "hey, look at those cows".....but as a generic descriptor, the accurate term would be the word "cattle". There are meat cattle, dairy cattle, working cattle and the category that I call "meadow ornaments". These not only encompass your plain ole "Bessie" type cow that "was just too cute to put in the freezer", but the new-ish (to this country) miniature cattle breeds. In the cattle industry, the (desirable) dimensions of the various breeds can vary greatly. From the Zebu (mini) at 400-600 lbs., to the Chianina (oxen) which can go over 3,500 lbs. there are a lot of choices. Having dealt with a few of the different breeds, I can attest that if any variety really wants defeat a gate,fence (or you) they are almost always successful to some degree. Because even a "small" (500 pound) hunk of angry meat, wrapped in leather (and often equipped with horns) can be a formidable opponent to most anything. :wink:
As to the perceived size disparities.....we are taking much better care of our animals than used to be the norm. A 25 year old horse is not at all uncommon...(I recently saw an article concerning a 40 year old).....and a 5-6 foot tall cow/bull is not unheard of. :idea:

 

[tinman]

.........Even then about that weight they are replaced because they tend to ... shall we say damage the cows they breed.

This is a concern especially when doing cross-breed mating's...... :roll:

 

[Acorn]

I saw the commercial and the man says 2000 lb. animal.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...

When I was somewhat younger we raised beef and milk cattle on my ex-father-in-laws small 36 acre farm.
We raised white-face and Charolais for meat and Holsteins for milk. My FIL bought the calfs and had them delivered to his farm...he just told me what my calf cost. I paid him and then helped with the butchering along with the other SILs.
Most of the steers when butchered were a bit lighter than 1200lbs, IIRC.

Meanest of the group was a Holstein milk cow that freaked out one evening and climbed out of the milking stall and ran down the barn and thru the door with my FIL under it. He was pretty bruised up and cut here and there, but no broken bones. I think he spent a day or two in the hospital for observation but he was off work for a week or so.
The milk cow got made into hamburger...my ex-FIL never did have much of a sense of humor.

 

[427mach1]

Many years ago we would go to the Interstate Fair at the Spokane Fairgrounds. There was a large bull that was regularly on display - some sort of deep red color but not a hereford, maybe a shorthorn or limousine. The first time I saw him, they advertised him as 2800 lbs. The last time I saw him he was up to 3200 lbs and he was an absolute monster, with a head probably 18 inches wide.

 

[Bob Wright]

Many years ago I saw some Chianina hybrids reported that the bulls weighed 4,000 pounds.

These were supposedly the oxen of Biblical times.

They were crossed with the Brown Swiss and had velvety like coats. But they were B-I-G-!

Bob Wright

 

[Bob Wright]

Little off the subject but a chance to expand my education:

What are the cattle, medium size, black with a white band around the shoulders? I see these often around here in the Mid-South and don't know what they are.


Bob Wright

 

[caryc]

I saw the commercial and the man says 2000 lb. animal.

OK, I suppose you want to argue about technicalities just for the sake of starting an argument.

Sure, the man says 2000 pound animal. But I don't think he is talking about beavers or antelopes. What we see on the screen is (in layman's terms) a bunch of cows that in no way would weigh in at 2000 pounds. So it is natural that he would be talking about one of those cows pictured.

 

[Robb Barnes]

Bob, those were either Dutch Belted or Belted Galloway most likely.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Sure, the man says 2000 pound animal. But I don't think he is talking about beavers or antelopes. What we see on the screen is (in layman's terms) a bunch of cows that in no way would weigh in at 2000 pounds. So it is natural that he would be talking about one of those cows pictured.

Hi,

It's a commercial... the place where lizards talk and all kinds of other creative but strange things happen. What's "natural" could certainly be the subject of endless discussion! :lol:

Rick C

 

[Acorn]

What makes you think I want to start an argument?
All I was doing was clarifying.

 

[caryc]

What makes you think I want to start an argument?
All I was doing was clarifying.

Ok, let's just assume that they also have hippos on their farm.

 

[Acorn]

No but as others that have knowledge of these things, bulls weigh more than cows and some can weigh 2000 pounds. Simple enough.
No need to get silly.

 

[willk]

There are "bulls" and there are "cows". Sub categories will include the words "steers" and "heifers"....... Yes, we all have seen a herd in a field and said "hey, look at those cows".....but as a generic descriptor, the accurate term would be the word "cattle". There are meat cattle, dairy cattle, working cattle and the category that I call "meadow ornaments". These not only encompass your plain ole "Bessie" type cow that "was just too cute to put in the freezer", but the new-ish (to this country) miniature cattle breeds. In the cattle industry, the (desirable) dimensions of the various breeds can vary greatly. From the Zebu (mini) at 400-600 lbs., to the Chianina (oxen) which can go over 3,500 lbs. there are a lot of choices. Having dealt with a few of the different breeds, I can attest that if any variety really wants defeat a gate,fence (or you) they are almost always successful to some degree. Because even a "small" (500 pound) hunk of angry meat, wrapped in leather (and often equipped with horns) can be a formidable opponent to most anything. :wink:
As to the perceived size disparities.....we are taking much better care of our animals than used to be the norm. A 25 year old horse is not at all uncommon...(I recently saw an article concerning a 40 year old).....and a 5-6 foot tall cow/bull is not unheard of. :idea:

Many years ago I was so proud of a brand new 5 strand barbed wire fence I had just finished. However the first chance a Charlois Hereford cross got at it, she went right through it with virtually no effort.

 

[gramps]

Little off the subject but a chance to expand my education:

What are the cattle, medium size, black with a white band around the shoulders? I see these often around here in the Mid-South and don't know what they are.


Bob Wright

Oreo's :mrgreen:
gramps

 

[gramps]

Many years ago we would go to the Interstate Fair at the Spokane Fairgrounds. There was a large bull that was regularly on display - some sort of deep red color but not a hereford, maybe a shorthorn or limousine. The first time I saw him, they advertised him as 2800 lbs. The last time I saw him he was up to 3200 lbs and he was an absolute monster, with a head probably 18 inches wide.

Yep, at a fair in Nashville they had a Holstein bull, that they claimed weighed 3,000 lbs. I am 5'10", and it's back was taller than my head. A friggin monster I tell ya!
gramps

 

[krw]

Little off the subject but a chance to expand my education:

What are the cattle, medium size, black with a white band around the shoulders? I see these often around here in the Mid-South and don't know what they are.


Bob Wright

Oreo's :mrgreen:
gramps

When my daughter was little, She called them Oreo cows too. :lol:

 

[CraigC]

As has been said, heifers don't typically get that big. We raised Brangus (black angus/brahma cross) up until a couple years ago. Heifers would average about 1200lbs. However, our last bull was over 2200lbs when we sold him. That said, you don't typically have a herd of bulls so to show a herd of "cows" and reference a "2000lb animal" would be a little misleading, by at least 500lbs.

 

[caryc]

As has been said, heifers don't typically get that big. We raised Brangus (black angus/brahma cross) up until a couple years ago. Heifers would average about 1200lbs. However, our last bull was over 2200lbs when we sold him. That said, you don't typically have a herd of bulls so to show a herd of "cows" and reference a "2000lb animal" would be a little misleading, by at least 500lbs.

Thanks Craig, at least someone gets my point. :wink:

 

[whichwatch]

It's TV, plus it's an advertisement, ever heard of embellishment?? Does the food you get at TGI Fridays, or anywhere else look like it does on TV?

 

[rugerjunkie]

When I farmed , my dad and I raised and milked holstiens. Most mature holstien cows will probably run a 1,500-1600lb average. A few we had were over 1800lbs but they weren't all too common. We did AI and hadn't had a bull on the farm since I was in junior high. (We did have smaller angus bulls for the heifers though)
Roscoe was well over 2,000lbs , closer to 2,500 and ornery as hell! There was a log chain in his nose ring to help remind him to keep his temper in check!

The largest critter I ever saw was at the sale barn one day. A holstien bull that went over the scale at 3,675lbs. That is not a typo! That bull was absolutely huge!

 

[caryc]

It's TV, plus it's an advertisement, ever heard of embellishment?? Does the food you get at TGI Fridays, or anywhere else look like it does on TV?

Oh wow...I'm glad you told me it's TV. Thanks for cluing me in. I thought it was real. I can relax now. There's always one of you in the crowd. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: