Brangus Cattle Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Brangus breed of cattle was specifically developed to combine the two most popular beef cattle the Brahman and the Angus breeds.
The result of the cross was the Brangus which is quite a popular beef breed and renowned for its hardiness, disease resistant, easy calving and good quality of milk for its calves.
They are also naturally polled and come in two basic colors which are either all red or all black. The cows are very fertile and the have superior carcasses for the meat industry.

BRANGUS BREED OF CATTLE QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
The Brangus is a cross between two superior beef cattle creating one breed with an excellent meat quality, hardiness and disease resistance.
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Other Names:	None
Main Purpose:	Meat
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Can be used for	Breed, Meat, Skin
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most Climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Cattle?	Novice to intermediate Cattle farmer/keeper level
Cattle Associations:	Texas Brangus Breeders Association, International Brangus Breeders Association, and Australian Brangus Cattle Association
Cattle Clubs:	Please refer to the Texas Brangus Breeders Association, International Brangus Breeders Association, and Australian Brangus Cattle Association for more information on breeding, clubs and showing of the Brangus cattle breed.
Where to buy them?	Please refer to the Texas Brangus Breeders Association, International Brangus Breeders Association, and Australian Brangus Cattle Association for more information on breeding, clubs and showing of the Brangus cattle breed.
Child Friendly?	Livestock should not be left unattended around unsupervised children
General Information:	In order for cattle to be registered as a pure Brangus, they have to be either completely red or completely black in color. They also have to have at least 37.5% Brahman and 62.5% Angus blood to qualify as a pure Brangus. They are exceptionally hardy and can survive in pastures that are not too lush and still produce a high quality of beef. They thrive in any temperature especially able to withstand high temperatures and humidity without succumbing to over-heating or dehydration. In colder climates, their thicker coat provides them with more than sufficient warmth to enable them to graze outside in the winter. Their excellent survival instincts make for great mothers but the dams can be extremely protective and should be given quite a wide birth as they can get aggressive when protecting their young.
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The Brangus are medium sized cattle with a straight back and neckline. They have medium sized alerts ears and long strong legs. The male usually has a hump at the back of his neck, loose skin and a prominent but tight dewlap. They have a small almost triangular shaped head and a light color nose.

Size:

Medium

CATTLE ⇒	COW	BULL
Breed Color:	Black or red	Black or red
Breed Weight:	500 kgs	900 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear	Unclear
Horns:	Polled	Polled
Temperament:	Docile, well behaved and easy to handle	Docile, well behaved and easy to handle. It is always good to remember that no matter the breed bulls are dangerous.
Matures at age:	6 to 8 months or 9 + months	6 to 8 months or 9 + months
Puberty Age:	6 to 15 months	9 to 1o months
Breeding Age:	13 to 15 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Cow breeding & Milking Info	Cover 25 to 30 Cows in 1 season

COW BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
Most Cattle produce milk but not all of them are used in the dairy Cattle capacity for their milk. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. The cows are excellent mothers with good maternal instincts, easy birthing with little to no birthing problems. They are not used for milking as they usually only produce just enough milk to feed their young.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 6 to 24 hours Most ave. 12 to 16 hours Cows usually come on heat every 21 days.
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days to 24 days Heifer – usually ave. 20 days Cows – usually ave. 21 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 279 to 287 days but most gestation is 283 days. Cows that are carrying bull calf’s their gestation period is usually a little longer than cows that are carrying heifer calves.
No. Calves/Litter:	1 calf at a time. Cows rarely have twins or triplets, but it can happen
Lactation Period:	Cows lactation period can last for up to about 10 months (305) days.
Milking From:	1 to 6 weeks after Calving
Drying off Period:	The cow should have a 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. Drying off period for around 60 days before she can calve again.
Milk Quality:	Good
Milk Ideal for:	Calves
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CATTLE MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Brangus cattle breed were specifically bred to produce the best qualities of both the Angus and Brahman cattle breeds. As a result, the beef quality of the Brangus is exceptionally good scoring a 97% tenderness rating as opposed to the 94% of the Angus breeds. They fill out well and have a high carcass yield with a good bone to meat ratio. The calves grow quickly, and they tend to produce a lean meat with almost no excess fat, their meat has a great marbling and hardly any wast.

Meat Production?

N/A

CATTLE ⇒	VEAL	BEEF
Ave. Maturity Age:	6 to 8 months	9 months up to 4 years

CATTLE SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Brangus offers a very good quality of highly durable leather. It is used in the manufacture of many fine leather goods and has quite a high quality.

Skin Production?

Yes, Quality: Good

Skin is used to Produce:

Calf/cow skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, handbags, belts, furniture, rugs, etc.

CATTLE ⇒	CALF	ADULT
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months for Calf skin	1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

HISTORY

The development of the Brangus breed of cattle began in 1932 with the first Brangus breeder’s organization being established in 1949.

The breed was developed mostly by the USDA in Jeanerette, Louisiana at the USDA’s Experiment Station there. They were not the only ones during this time to be experimenting with the cross-breeding of the Brahman and Angus cattle breeds. There were a few farmers across various U.S. States that were also carrying out their own breeding program.

They all had a similar goal in mind to create a beef breed that had the superior meat quality of the Angus but would retain the Brahma’s natural hardiness and superior survival instincts thus being able to thrive under various adverse conditions and climates.

The early breeders of the Brangus formed and organized the American Brangus Breeders Association in 1949 with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1973 the headquarters were moved to San Antonio in Texas and the association was renamed International Brangus Breeders Association or IBBA for short.