Using AI and ICBF

Tipperarymike

As its a fecking miserable day out, I started rooting around the ICBF website as I am planning on using AI for the first time on a bunch of 15 Angus heifers that will be just around 3 years old when they calve. They are my own rearing out of my own suckler cows. Usually I would sell these heifers but this year I am culling out about 15 cows, haven't culled anything the last couple of years. Anyway I never used AI before and am unsure about how I go about selecting a bull good enough for what I want.

So what do I want, well my the heifers are Angus out of mainly LMxFR cows and maybe 3 of them are out of Chx cows.

Ideally I would like to use a bull that would give me a fair chance of getting some nice replacement stock out of this bunch of heifers.

I am not too pushed on what breed I use, priority is easy calving, followed by good chance of milk in the offspring. One bull I looked at closely was a BZB in Dovea, a Parthenaise bull. A friend of mine has smashing calves by him this year but they are all out of Fr heifers.

Would anyone have any thoughts or experience of being in the same sort of situation? Any advice or pointers would be very much appreciated.

blue5000

I'm using zfl dovea angus bull on my heifers. Would you consider crega dice (slpelling:o) shorthorn bull in dovea?
http://herdplus.icbf.com/bull-search/view/animalId/555836859

pakalasa

You could try the simmental bull APZ in NCBC. Proven easy calving, but not really proven yet for other traits.
Are you using Dovea or NCBC?

blue5000

I think apz gestation is around 290ish days? Could be wrong now, anybody else know more?

pakalasa

Yep, 290 days (ICBF).

Viewtodiefor

pakalasa wrote: »

You could try the simmental bull APZ in NCBC. Proven easy calving, but not really proven yet for other traits.
Are you using Dovea or NCBC?

I have a very nice heifer calf off an angus cow outa this fellow. Seems quiet good

Stan 10

Another LM bull from Dovea has very good figures on ICBF is Pacha (PCH) have a look at him?

johnpawl

Used that bull myself last year on AaxBrfr cows, also looking for replacements. Got some fine stock, all bulls of course. Averaged e1200 at 11 months so worked out alright in the end.

Tipperarymike wrote: »

As its a fecking miserable day out, I started rooting around the ICBF website as I am planning on using AI for the first time on a bunch of 15 Angus heifers that will be just around 3 years old when they calve. They are my own rearing out of my own suckler cows. Usually I would sell these heifers but this year I am culling out about 15 cows, haven't culled anything the last couple of years. Anyway I never used AI before and am unsure about how I go about selecting a bull good enough for what I want.

So what do I want, well my the heifers are Angus out of mainly LMxFR cows and maybe 3 of them are out of Chx cows.

Ideally I would like to use a bull that would give me a fair chance of getting some nice replacement stock out of this bunch of heifers.

I am not too pushed on what breed I use, priority is easy calving, followed by good chance of milk in the offspring. One bull I looked at closely was a BZB in Dovea, a Parthenaise bull. A friend of mine has smashing calves by him this year but they are all out of Fr heifers.

Would anyone have any thoughts or experience of being in the same sort of situation? Any advice or pointers would be very much appreciated.

Tipperarymike

Well lads,

Thanks everyone for taking the time to stick up their thoughts.

The Shorthorn lad looks grand and had noticed him earlier in the day but my concern with him would be that I sell the weanlings usually around 12 months and would it be hard to shift on SH weanlings? One lad usually buys my weanlings and he wouldn't want SH as he does a good bit of bull beef.

Tis Dovea I would be hoping to use as there is a lad pretty near me here who does the AI for them. I am not too useful around ICBF yet, so I might be wrong here about the Simmental lad, he looks good but when I clicked in to see how many stats were on him, it wasn't loading so maybe that is what you are saying the Pakalasa when saying he isn't proven in other traits?

That Dovea LM bull looks seriously impressive.That is some price for stock at 11 months of age JohnPawl, you must have done a fair job on them? Thanks for the heads up on him Stan. I was asking my friend to look at him too and he thought he was a cracker of an animal. Think I am going to use him on them and maybe a few BZB as well and see how they go.

Stan 10

Dovea has another LM bull CWI who is a good bull as well a friend has a few heifer calves this year and he is very happy with them. I told him bout Pacha and he is putting him on this year as well.

farmerjack

Stan 10 wrote: »

Dovea has another LM bull CWI who is a good bull as well a friend has a few heifer calves this year and he is very happy with them. I told him bout Pacha and he is putting him on this year as well.

Be careful of cwi calves , temperament can be a problem with some of them

adne

Viewtodiefor wrote: »

I have a very nice heifer calf off an angus cow outa this fellow. Seems quiet good

Ive a APZ heifer out of an angusvcow too, bout 3 months old and seems very small...

mikeoh

MBP Lim bull seems to have it all IMO

moy83

mikeoh wrote: »

MBP Lim bull seems to have it all IMO

100% agree with you there

longacre

Had a couple of BZB calves this year from black whitehead heifers which I had intended selling as in calf heifers but ended up keeping.
No problem calving and while looked like Limousins at first they are now developing black hair through the red. May keep them for replacements.
Viewed some top quality parthenaise calves from BBx and PTx dams yesterday. All export quality calves. My interest in the breed is growing rapidly