Why Angus
EASE OF CALVING
Difficult calving can result in serious economic loss through calf and cow mortality. The Angus breed is renowned for ease of calving. Due to its size and short gestation period, Angus is particularly suitable to farmers whose objective is to secure a calf per cow each year.
HARDINESS
Angus breeding is practiced to a large extent in the West and Northwest, where its qualities of hardiness and ability to thrive under less favoured grazing conditions are well recognized. The breed is well suited to extremes of weather and can be out-wintered very satisfactorily.
SUCKLING
Angus calves grow quickly, producing relatively early, high quality beef animals particularly suited to the butcher trade. Angus cows have excellent milking ability which, added to their ease of calving and high fertility rates, makes them ideal suckler animals.
BEST ALL ROUND BALANCE
Without doubt Angus are the best all rounders. With traits of easy calving, early maturity, high fertility, quiet temperament, optimal growth rate and efficiency, producing carcase quality, and ability to finish early, it is no wonder Angus is the breed in demand for both pedigree and commercial herds.
POLLED
Angus cattle are naturally polled and this is passed onto future generations even when crossbred. The distressful effects of dehorning your cattle can be avoided by using Angus.
TEMPERAMENT
For temperament you will not find a breed more placid and easier to rear. The quiet Angus temperament is a distinct advantage for suckler farmers. Dairy farmers find the Angus very suited to bucket feeding.
Characteristics
Irish Angus Cattle are characteristically black, polled beef type animals.
The coat colour is black or red with the possible exception of the underline behind the naval, where minor white markings are permitted. The hair is short to medium in length, silky and of medium thickness. The skin is black pigmented.
The head is small to medium in length, broad in the forehead, wide and black on the muzzle and is always polled. Scurs are undesirable characteristics
The body is long with a straight wide back, deep body and chest and with the underline parallel to the back. The hidquarters are long, wide and fully fleshed with the flesh carried well down to the hocks.
Among the beef breeds Irish Angus produce relatively small calves at birth which are generally born without difficulty. However, they grown quickly producing relatively early maturing, high quality beef animals particularly suited to the best quality butcher trade. They have a high carcase to liveweight percentage and low percentage of bone in the joints.
Irish Angus are hardy, adaptable cattle suitable to beef production under a range of different production and environmental conditions.
The Irish Angus is a particularly suitable breed for crossing with dairy breeds to produce animals suitable for beef production. Its easy calving, pollness, beefing quality and colour marking characteristics are much valued in this regard.