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Charolais scoring system

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  • 14-03-2014 5:40pm
    #1
    Invalid user
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭


    Hi guys, I am looking to get into farming, I grew up in it and I have been away from it for some years now and I wish to get back into. I am looking to buy maybe 2 purebred charolais in calf cows to start breeding my own herd. I have been looking at the scoring system on society sales catalogues and I have to say I don't really understand it. Can anybody tell me, what I am looking for on the scoring system under headings such as terminal index, replacement index, star rating, etc etc for a good cow to use as a starting point for breeding my own herd with and also what age, pregnancy number, daim and sire would you guys recommend I look at for starting out. Thanks for your help.


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    #2
    Genghis Cant
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 4,980 Mod ✭✭✭✭Genghis Cant


    Jaysus, you've asked a lot there.
    Some of the info you're after is on the Charolais.ie website.
    It can be confusing, in fact I don't really know where to start explaining. I will say this, many of the figures are more or less meaningless, unless they have high reliability.
    I'm not so sure that the Society sales are the best place to cut your teeth. I'd be more inclined to visit a couple of herds and see what you see at grassroots level.

    If you're trying to build a herd, it's vital that it's built on a solid cow family. You really need to get the right cow to start off.
    I often thought an embryo would be a great start but it has its limitations too.


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    #3
    LivInt20
    Registered Users Posts: 491 ✭✭LivInt20


    You need to read Beef Eurostars explained

    follow links

    www.bunnaagri.com/news.html


    www.icbf.com/publications/files/EuroStars_Explanatory_leaflet_140313.pdf


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    #4
    Invalid user
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Invalid user


    Thanks livint, that's good material for me to read.. If you were looking to start a breeding herd, how would you go about choosing your starter cow? Would you consider the embryo route or would you buy an in calf cow and if so what should I be looking for in that cow?


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    #5
    Genghis Cant
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 4,980 Mod ✭✭✭✭Genghis Cant


    Invalid user wrote: »
    Thanks livint, that's good material for me to read.. If you were looking to start a breeding herd, how would you go about choosing your starter cow? Would you consider the embryo route or would you buy an in calf cow and if so what should I be looking for in that cow?

    Different men look for different things in a PB cow.
    I like a cow to be feminine, long, ripple of muscle, nice topline, enough width up through the body and shoulder, nice depth of body, good mover, exactly enough milk to do a good job on her calf.


    Much the same things as you'd look for in a woman :-)


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    #6
    Bellview
    Registered Users Posts: 2,678 ✭✭✭Bellview


    LivInt20 wrote: »
    You need to read Beef Eurostars explained

    follow links

    www.bunnaagri.com/news.html


    www.icbf.com/publications/files/EuroStars_Explanatory_leaflet_140313.pdf

    Icbf numbers should not be only ref. use your eye also as gen states. IMO the reliability of icbf us poor and unless it's compulsory for farmers to add sire at time calf birth their data will always be poor


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