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blonde d'aquitaine as a stock bull

  • 11-07-2014 9:35pm
    #1
    Livestockmad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 136 ✭✭


    Im debating buying a blonde d'aquitaine bull for next year. Has anybody ever used them on continental cows? And how did they get on calving, and as weanlings? I have a mixture of cows charolais, blues, angus, black whiteheads, simmentals and salers. Iv only ever used one blonde and im very happy with her. Iv been using charolais bulls all along but I find them not terribly growthy and I have been reading that blondes are light at birth and grow well? And please dont suggest limousins I dont know why but I have never liked them. Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    GrandSoftDay
    Closed Accounts Posts: 743 ✭✭✭GrandSoftDay


    Livestockmad wrote: »
    Im debating buying a blonde d'aquitaine bull for next year. Has anybody ever used them on continental cows? And how did they get on calving, and as weanlings? I have a mixture of cows charolais, blues, angus, black whiteheads, simmentals and salers. Iv only ever used one blonde and im very happy with her. Iv been using charolais bulls all along but I find them not terribly growthy and I have been reading that blondes are light at birth and grow well? And please dont suggest limousins I dont know why but I have never liked them. Thanks

    I prefer limmys myself :D Get one with a bit of width if your getting one is the most important thing I'd say because some of them can be very narrow. I like them though even though they aren't suited to our gig. Great length and growth, hard to finish because they are so fine boned and grow so much. Some of them can be leggy enough looking as weanlings aswell.


  • #3
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    Blue5000 is the man to ask :)

    The man think would be to put effort into finding one that has breeding behind him that you think would match up with your cows. As GrandSoftDay says above, they have a tendency to bring calves that are fine boned. Wouldn't be an issue if your cows carry bone though!


  • #4
    greysides
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 9,041 Mod ✭✭✭✭greysides


    What's their docility like? I've heard things..........

    The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress. Joseph Joubert

    The ultimate purpose of debate is not to produce consensus. It's to promote critical thinking.

    Adam Grant



  • #5
    Genghis Cant
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,980 ✭✭✭Genghis Cant


    greysides wrote: »
    What's their docility like? I've heard things..........

    We've had a good few and never a wild one.
    On the right cow they work well. Seem to cross well on good Ch cows.
    The better your herd of cows are, I think, the more you get away with on the bulls side.


  • #6
    Livestockmad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 136 ✭✭Livestockmad


    Genghis Cant wrote: »
    We've had a good few and never a wild one.
    On the right cow they work well. Seem to cross well on good Ch cows.
    The better your herd of cows are, I think, the more you get away with on the bulls side.

    Thanks! The most of my cows are milky charolais believe it or not! So I think it would suit them but I dont know the breed fully as iv only had only blonde calf


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  • #7
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    You're brave! I wouldn't have the balls (ha!) to buy a breed if I'd only had one calf off of it. What blonde bull was it out of interest? Be nice if you could get a bull by the same sire.


  • #8
    Mad4simmental
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,580 ✭✭✭Mad4simmental


    First one here this year running with the girls. Two lads next door have them for years with very good results.

    We got a mix of heifers and cows this year getting back into sucklers. Two of the cows had blondes in them and I have to say they are the hardiest calves when they hit the ground. Small heads and very easily calved with quick growth. I am very impressed with them anyway.

    We got him off the lad in tipp advertising them on done deal. Gentleman & a fine place. He would have 20 or more to choose from at any time.


  • #9
    onyerbikepat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,921 ✭✭✭onyerbikepat


    Never had blondes here but heighbour has them. I get the impression that they sell poorly as stores, but great cattle to finish on farm. They are light boned and they bring poor colouring when crossed with red type cattle. Poor milkers from what I hear too.


  • #10
    The Cuban
    Closed Accounts Posts: 492 ✭✭The Cuban


    Only half true,
    Heres the full story
    Lots of hard calving, calves are very soft, the first shower of rain and they are bent into an s-hook.
    They are like a bare hairless charlie out of a dairy cow and are a poor seller as a Weanlen,
    As stores they are very hard to finish and need huge amounts of meal to get them factory fit at which stage they never hit the top grades.


  • #11
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Have one here, a son of OXY, easy calving, use him mostly on angus x cows. They are tight gutted long fine boned animals. Killed some of ours this year as bulls and got on well, mixture of U and R+, one O out of a whitehead that probably should have got more time. Av carcase weight was 398kg.
    Wouldn't notice them being wilder than anything else around the place:D I don't keep the heifers for breeding, but have sold some to a neighbour who is happy with them. There are variations in every breed and if you want milk avoid OXY and KOY in the breeding, because once it's gone that's it.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



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  • #12
    Tyson Lannister
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 329 ✭✭Tyson Lannister


    I've a few kilmoney Bruce out of aaxbrfr cows, very happy with them. I can't post pics though not enough posts yet. Very hardy calves.


  • #13
    Miname
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,984 ✭✭✭Miname


    Tyson Lannister wrote: »
    I've a few kilmoney Bruce out of aaxbrfr cows, very happy with them. I can't post pics though not enough posts yet. Very hardy calves.
    When crossed on a blue you will get a seriously stylish calf. I have a few cows calving down to blond in the next month, any I had so far all went well . They are very hardy calves.


  • #14
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    scroll through here and you'll get a few blonde x photos, anymore questions fire away
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue5th/

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



  • #15
    sheebadog
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,246 ✭✭✭sheebadog


    blue5000 wrote: »
    scroll through here and you'll get a few blonde x photos, anymore questions fire away
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue5th/

    Nice photos. Like the old ransom plough.
    Friend of mine is one of the top breeders of Blondes in the country. He keeps two "types" and never interbreeds. One type are the fine boned kind and the other are strongboned heavy types, more like Charolais really.
    He reckons that the fine boned type have very small calves with excellent growth rates, but they have a light (thin) skin and don't like cold climates. The heavy boned lines can survive the cold very well.


  • #16
    The Letheram
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 227 ✭✭The Letheram


    We have a few blonde suckler cows here. We had Simmental cows years ago and ran a blonde bull with them. We kept the heifers as replacements and they are now the best cows about the place. We run a blue bull with them now and sell the weanlings. I would like the blondes as a breed and I often use them on maiden heifers as I find them easy calved and god to grow on.


  • #17
    Livestockmad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 136 ✭✭Livestockmad


    .Kovu. wrote: »
    You're brave! I wouldn't have the balls (ha!) to buy a breed if I'd only had one calf off of it. What blonde bull was it out of interest? Be nice if you could get a bull by the same sire.

    Apx was the first one I used!! But iv tried kce on six cows this year! And iv an outfarm which is hard for Ai-ing cows (how else would that be put :D) and to be honest im fed up of it and I taught sure I may aswell be hung for a sheep as a lamb if you get what I mean! And jump in and try the blonde (cattle that is ha )


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