Thoughts on Bull to use

RogR

Currently run a small suckler herd to sell weanlings, just beef a few not fit for sale. usually I bull my limousine heifers to shorthorn and my shorthorn heifers to limousine. this year I have some year and half Hereford x british freisian heifers to bull in june to calf at 26 months, any thoughts on best cross for these for ease of calving and a quality calf, was thinking of saler but have been told a shapey arsed cow is needed to get anywhere with these!!

Mad4simmental

RogR wrote: »

Currently run a small suckler herd to sell weanlings, just beef a few not fit for sale. usually I bull my limousine heifers to shorthorn and my shorthorn heifers to limousine. this year I have some year and half Hereford x british freisian heifers to bull in june to calf at 26 months, any thoughts on best cross for these for ease of calving and a quality calf, was thinking of saler but have been told a shapey arsed cow is needed to get anywhere with these!!

Blonde or a nice lim,

RogR

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Blonde or a nice lim,

Was thinking of munster ai limo HCA. How are the blonde on first calves? Any good ones in ai, I only ai heifers Have a Cvv limo for my cows

tanko

RogR wrote: »

Was thinking of munster ai limo HCA. How are the blonde on first calves? Any good ones in ai, I only ai heifers Have a Cvv limo for my cows

If using Lim, HCA would be a very good choice. What about AA, an easy calving one would be a safe option on young heifers.
Don't know much about Blondes, are there any available suitable for heifers.

Farrell

tanko wrote: »

If using Lim, HCA would be a very good choice. What about AA, an easy calving one would be a safe option on young heifers.
Don't know much about Blondes, are there any available suitable for heifers.

Used Blonde on first calving heifers BUH with no issue.
I'd rate the blonde like the limousine for calving ability & both can be as wild as each other

Genghis Cant

You must have some smashing Sh X Lm heifers?

For the whitehead heifers you wouldn't go too far wrong with HCA. Should bring decent bulls an super heifers to bull if you wanted to.

tanko

Farrell wrote: »

Used Blonde on first calving heifers BUH with no issue.
I'd rate the blonde like the limousine for calving ability & both can be as wild as each other

BUH is 9.9% calving difficulty, you must have serious heifers.

Farrell

tanko wrote: »

BUH is 9.9% calving difficulty, you must have serious heifers.

Nothing much, bulls we've used on first calvers recently are BUH, UBY, SFL, LLX, & FZM.
Only trouble was with a BUH, where the heifer had a sadled pelvis

tanko

Farrell wrote: »

Nothing much, bulls we've used on first calvers recently are BUH, UBY, SFL, LLX, & FZM.
Only trouble was with a BUH, where the heifer had a sadled pelvis

What do you think of SFL?

Mad4simmental

RogR wrote: »

Was thinking of munster ai limo HCA. How are the blonde on first calves? Any good ones in ai, I only ai heifers Have a Cvv limo for my cows

I'm really starting to love blonde. Five first calvers after lying down and had bigger sh!ts than the little blonde calves. The heifers are stress free and should be reddy for the bull in 40 days no problem.

They get up and suck in five minutes and kick and buck around. You'll have a job to tag one after a day old. The blonde have a small head and pop out quick but grow quick and make lovely stock.

Genghis Cant

Mad4simmental wrote: »

I'm really starting to love blonde. The blonde have a small head and pop out quick but grow quick and make lovely stock.

Never had a problem calving a Blonde calf either.

The only thing in this case that would swing me towards a Lim is the colour the calves would come off a Ba X Whitehead. It shouldn't make a difference but I know it does when youre selling them.

Base price

RogR wrote: »

Currently run a small suckler herd to sell weanlings, just beef a few not fit for sale. usually I bull my limousine heifers to shorthorn and my shorthorn heifers to limousine. this year I have some year and half Hereford x british freisian heifers to bull in june to calf at 26 months, any thoughts on best cross for these for ease of calving and a quality calf, was thinking of saler but have been told a shapey arsed cow is needed to get anywhere with these!!

Can't help you on what bull to use but I am seriously impressed with your cows. In my opinion Shorthorns compliment the lighter boned continental breeds and visa versa.
Wouldn't be a LM fan myself. I prefer BA due to the carcass length and the fact that I used to breed them.
Agree with Farrell about temperment, not much between all the continental breeds.
If I was to get back into suckling then I would like a beef Shorthorn cross dam.

Farrell

tanko wrote: »

What do you think of SFL?

Only used him on a SIX from a dairy herd (50% HO), good muscled calf (best calf she's had so far) got €1390 at 400Kg - 10 months.
I've used other BB (SHZ & ODY) on the cow & they've not being as Export friendly

Base price

Mad4simmental wrote: »

I'm really starting to love blonde. Five first calvers after lying down and had bigger sh!ts than the little blonde calves. The heifers are stress free and should be reddy for the bull in 40 days no problem.

They get up and suck in five minutes and kick and buck around. You'll have a job to tag one after a day old. The blonde have a small head and pop out quick but grow quick and make lovely stock.

They come out the back end like a bag of bones.
However within a few weeks they blossom into the super quality stock that they are.

Mad4simmental

Base price wrote: »

They come out the back end like a bag of bones.
However within a few weeks they blossom into the super quality stock that they are.

Couldn't have put it better. I'll be hard pushed to use anything elce on first calvers agen but ba.

Base price

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Couldn't have put it better. I'll be hard pushed to use anything elce on first calvers agen but ba.

Mmm....
BA's are a far better terminal sire than most Continental breeds.
I have been there and done that - all be it several years ago.
There is no continental breed that can match BA's feed conversion efficiency, length of carcass and kill out rates.

Charliebull

HCA is very easy calved and nice stock

As a matter of interest what shorthorn are you using on the lim for replacements

onyerbikepat

Base price wrote: »

Mmm....
BA's are a far better terminal sire than most Continental breeds.
I have been there and done that - all be it several years ago.
There is no continental breed that can match BA's feed conversion efficiency, length of carcass and kill out rates.

How come the bigger AI companies are not pushing them more. NCBC have only one BA bull in their catalogue, for example.

Base price

onyerbikepat wrote: »

How come the bigger AI companies are not pushing them more. NCBC have only one BA bull in their catalogue, for example.

Not popular enough so therefore not enough usage to justify keeping several bulls - unfortunately.

Milked out

What's the gestation length like with the BA? If it's short would consider using on dairy herd. Use aa he and bb on cows I don't want heifers from or if late in the season, with regard to easy calving i think gestation length has a lot to do with it, would ye think the same on the suckler side?

Tyson Lannister

Used a lot of KCE blonde and CBQ part this year and very happy with both Bulls, great calves can post a few pics. Only difference is the blonde seem to have longer gestation, for me anyway. And my cows are plain.

RogR

Not much of an Angus fan. Self praise is no praise but I have some nice cows. Love the shorthorn x lim cows, easily kept, plenty of milk in tight udders, good legs, forage well on poor land, quiet as anything, bring a good calf every year and easy on the eye! I think I'll put HCA on the Herefords and hope for heifer calves. My favourite shorthorn who is no longer available was SBU have smashing cows from him and the bull calves were decent. Others iv used are sea field titan and Firefox but don't have calves from either yet. Was a fan of kkj in by gone years also have a 14 year old cow from him going strong

Bullocks

Tyson Lannister wrote: »

Used a lot of KCE blonde and CBQ part this year and very happy with both Bulls, great calves can post a few pics. Only difference is the blonde seem to have longer gestation, for me anyway. And my cows are plain.

What kind of calves would a blonde bull throw out of aax and limx from the dairy herd ?

Mad4simmental

Milked out wrote: »

What's the gestation length like with the BA? If it's short would consider using on dairy herd. Use aa he and bb on cows I don't want heifers from or if late in the season, with regard to easy calving i think gestation length has a lot to do with it, would ye think the same on the suckler side?

The have a long gestation but very easy calved. gestation probably isn't as important to suckler men as dairy lads except for the few late girls that are border line to cull of not.

Miname

Bullocks wrote: »

What kind of calves would a blonde bull throw out of aax and limx from the dairy herd ?

Rats is what they throw, leggy good for nothing screws. I bulled 7 heifers to a blonde that were limos off bf and il never let a blonde near them again. I've a limo off another one that's a fair bit better and I've a charlaois off one that came off white but a cracking calf for a heifer. I've a wide variety of calves off different breeds this year and the only lads that are growing right are the charlaois. The limos next in line. I've one speckled park bull of another limo x bf heifer and he would definitely be a good choice for heifers and a very short gestation.

Tyson Lannister

Bullocks wrote: »

What kind of calves would a blonde bull throw out of aax and limx from the dairy herd ?

I
Have a lot of Aaxbrfr cows and never used blonde on them but used part a lot and got good quality calves plenty growth and weight
Actually I have one kilmoney Bruce this year out of an AAxmontbeliarde cow and he is a tank of an animal.

RogR

What colour did the speckle park come? Was the heifer black or red? I believe there very easily calved

Miname

RogR wrote: »

What colour did the speckle park come? Was the heifer black or red? I believe there very easily calved

Came all black of a black cow but a nice square animal with lovely straight back

Pat the lad

RogR wrote: »

What colour did the speckle park come? Was the heifer black or red? I believe there very easily calved

Had 2 heifers calve down to speckled park this year. Thought them hard calved out of good sim & limo heifers. Fairly big and all bone.
Calves came pour white with black nose.
Commrades calved easier to limo and heifer cakced by her self to bb (sfl)