Bull for Charolais Cross Cows

Farm King

I have a few Charolais cross cows in the herd (golden colour) and am planning what breed of AI bull to use on them this year. I usually just use Charolais but am considering a change this year to see how it works out. What bull do ye lads use on these type of cows?

LivInt20

Farm King wrote: »

I have a few Charolais cross cows in the herd (golden colour) and am planning what breed of AI bull to use on them this year. I usually just use Charolais but am considering a change this year to see how it works out. What bull do ye lads use on these type of cows?

Use a good Simmental Bull.

The Heifers will bring milk back into the herd and the bulls should be Charolais in colour and hold their price.

hugo29

Farm King wrote: »

I have a few Charolais cross cows in the herd (golden colour) and am planning what breed of AI bull to use on them this year. I usually just use Charolais but am considering a change this year to see how it works out. What bull do ye lads use on these type of cows?

if your up for an experiment, try a Salers on a couple

redzerologhlen

Farm King wrote: »

I have a few Charolais cross cows in the herd (golden colour) and am planning what breed of AI bull to use on them this year. I usually just use Charolais but am considering a change this year to see how it works out. What bull do ye lads use on these type of cows?

Limo I would say, most of the calves will still look like golden charolais.

Dozer1

+1 for the limo,

adne

+1 on lim.

Cover both heif and bull offspring.

Adx a nice lm bull

simx

adne wrote: »

+1 on lim.

Cover both heif and bull offspring.

Adx a nice lm bull

+1 on limmy too, i just bought a bull after adx, hope hes a good lad:D

1chippy

+ 1 on the sim. smashing cross, with a decent frame.

24_7

I'd stick with Ai'ing them to charolais or belgium blue. What sells well locally

micky mouse

24_7 wrote: »

I'd stick with Ai'ing them to charolais or belgium blue. What sells well locally

Plus two for lim.Dont know if a blue would be a great cross on a ch,would the colour not be bright,and i think the buyers like the darker colour in the blues

just do it

What's your land like? If you've wet land be wary of going with SIM as you're getting into bigger cows.

adne

You dont say what your plans for the offspring are i.e keep as replacements, sell as weanlings, sell as stores, finish out so i dont think anyone can offer accurate advise

Farmer Pudsey

It all depends on what you are doing with the calves. If they are to be sold as weanlings you have to consider the export market. LM bull will breed fine red bulls and heifers for export with the option that a maternal bull will give suitable breeding heifers.

If selling as year-year and a half steers and heifers then a charly or LM bull will give a good quality store for tho sell for finishing however Charley will not give hybrid vigour. A hereford bull would also suit to a certain extent.

For finishing you can go LM or CH however ration is getting expensive so this opens the option of an AA or HE and to finish the bull @16-18 months with a short finishing period indoors. Cost of ration has to become a factor in finishing systems.

If you wanted breeding heifers a Simental bull will bring milk but also size another option would be a Shorthorn which wopuld bring down the size of cow and introduce hardiness,docility and milk.

Bizzum

adne wrote: »

You dont say what your plans for the offspring are i.e keep as replacements, sell as weanlings, sell as stores, finish out so i dont think anyone can offer accurate advise

Spot on.

For the sake of argument though, I've crossed Lim, BB, Sim and CH on Charolais cows. Different types of cattle but some super stock.

Farm King

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

It all depends on what you are doing with the calves. If they are to be sold as weanlings you have to consider the export market. LM bull will breed fine red bulls and heifers for export with the option that a maternal bull will give suitable breeding heifers.

If selling as year-year and a half steers and heifers then a charly or LM bull will give a good quality store for tho sell for finishing however Charley will not give hybrid vigour. A hereford bull would also suit to a certain extent.

For finishing you can go LM or CH however ration is getting expensive so this opens the option of an AA or HE and to finish the bull @16-18 months with a short finishing period indoors. Cost of ration has to become a factor in finishing systems.

If you wanted breeding heifers a Simental bull will bring milk but also size another option would be a Shorthorn which wopuld bring down the size of cow and introduce hardiness,docility and milk.

Thanks for that. I suppose I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to keep the offspring of a charolais as replacement heifers but I now see that is an option.

I like the idea of the simmental bull to bring milk back. Have used APZ before on shorthorn cows

Not a huge fan of LM due to docility but maybe I should be considering them. What is best bull with Progressive Genetics for replacement heifers?

Not mad about AA due to small weanlings.

Will also consider Shorthorns. Again what PG bull would ye advise?

1chippy

ozs for limo a bit dearer than the usuals or was last year anyway but throwing good calves and curaheen apostle for sim

Farmer Pudsey

Farm King wrote: »

Thanks for that. I suppose I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to keep the offspring of a charolais as replacement heifers but I now see that is an option.

I like the idea of the simmental bull to bring milk back. Have used APZ before on shorthorn cows

Not a huge fan of LM due to docility but maybe I should be considering them. What is best bull with Progressive Genetics for replacement heifers?

Not mad about AA due to small weanlings.

Will also consider Shorthorns. Again what PG bull would ye advise?

Would not know much about AI bulls .

Docility on LM is an issue however if you are in the field with the cattle ( not counting them from the jeep) then they are not as wild.

The biggest issue with the size od AA is that dairy breeding of fresians heifers are always trying to use either an eay calving AI or small framed bull. On big Mature Contenintal cows you can go for big framed Stock bull or a AA bull that has a poor index for calving diffuculty however you would have to watch cows as they will be caving to a difficult bull. The Cow will also bring frame to the calves. It is the same with Shorthorn or Herefords.

On here a few weks ago some posted a video from MC Quantock a bull breeder from Canada they breed Hybrid bulls using AA or HE with Continental crosses they actuall use these as breeding bulls. I found there website.
http://www.mcquantock.com/

blue5000

Farm king what are your plans for the calves, are you trying to breed replacements?

weatherbyfoxer

going to go diffrent here and suggest a blonde bull...i ran one here with the suckler herd for 9 years and still use one the odd time with ai to breed replacments....only used the calving jack 4 time in his time here yet still made as much as the good limos and charlys at weanling sales also never had any of our stock make u grade in the factory till we introduced the blonde terminal sire

have a limo stock bull now for hybred vigour due to the fact that i have alot of blonde blood in the herd

Another reason i bought the limo was when i was looking at him before buying i ask the breeder about docility his reply was him walking in to the pen and pulling the bulls tail while the bull stood chewing his cud not batting an eye!

pakalasa

weatherbyfoxer wrote: »

..
Another reason i bought the limo was when i was looking at him before buying i ask the breeder about docility his reply was him walking in to the pen and pulling the bulls tail while the bull stood chewing his cud not batting an eye!

I have a limousin cow that is the quitest you've ever seen. I had to get rid of her mother, as she tried to kill me enough times. Point I'm making is, you'd want to be looking at the docility figures aswell.

weatherbyfoxer

pakalasa wrote: »

I have a limousin cow that is the quitest you've ever seen. I had to get rid of her mother, as she tried to kill me enough times. Point I'm making is, you'd want to be looking at the docility figures aswell.

5 star docility with a high reliablity percentage on my bull pakalasa,dont believe everyting you read ether ;-).