Beef AI/Bulls MEGATHREAD

Royals · 28-06-2020 10:43pm

Anybody got potterleagh mark or loyal calves on the ground?

charolais0153 · 28-06-2020 11:00pm

Royals wrote: »

Anybody got potterleagh mark or loyal calves on the ground?

1 potterleagh marl calf, easy calving thats about it

Lady Haywire · 28-06-2020 11:03pm

One Potterleagh Mark bull, didn't think much of him til he got creep feed, ended up making 920 @290kg.
Two Loyal bulls, both PB, easy calving. Last years one didn't look great til he hit 11 months, this years one is off a heifer, bit light in the bone.

High bike · 28-06-2020 11:07pm

Lady Haywire wrote: »

One Potterleagh Mark bull, didn't think much of him til he got creep feed, ended up making 920 @290kg.
Two Loyal bulls, both PB, easy calving. Last years one didn't look great til he hit 11 months, this years one is off a heifer, bit light in the bone.

would Loyal be suitable for maiden heifers calving at 24/25 mts?

Lady Haywire · 28-06-2020 11:15pm

High bike wrote: »

would Loyal be suitable for maiden heifers calving at 24/25 mts?

Would depend on the heifer, ours was older than the age we'd normally bull at, as she repeated twice to On-Dit straws before I changed tack & put Loyal on her.
Her cow lineage were also good calvers so the calf practically shot out of her. So yes, I'd use him on heifers if they're 450/470kg or over.

On the other hand, our contractor had a heifer sectioned to him too :pac:

High bike · 28-06-2020 11:29pm

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Would depend on the heifer, ours was older than the age we'd normally bull at, as she repeated twice to On-Dit straws before I changed tack & put Loyal on her.
Her cow lineage were also good calvers so the calf practically shot out of her. So yes, I'd use him on heifers if they're 450/470kg or over.

On the other hand, our contractor had a heifer sectioned to him too :pac:

thanks I’ll prob give him a miss so, they’r 430/440 I’d say might try Knell instead

Lady Haywire · 28-06-2020 11:32pm

High bike wrote: »

thanks I’ll prob give him a miss so, they’r 430/440 I’d say might try Knell instead

Know nothing about him, I would normally go for THZ but just fancied a change up for a bit. Would take THZ over Loyal, put it that way.

High bike · 28-06-2020 11:38pm

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Know nothing about him, I would normally go for THZ but just fancied a change up for a bit. Would take THZ over Loyal, put it that way.

had knell on a first time calver this year and no issues,I have a couple of thz in the tank is he easy enough fo heifers ?

tanko · 28-06-2020 11:40pm

High bike wrote: »

thanks I’ll prob give him a miss so, they’r 430/440 I’d say might try Knell instead

Used Ivor LM2014 on a couple of cows that calved this year. He seems to be very easy calved, would be ok to use on heifers i’d say.

High bike · 28-06-2020 11:46pm

tanko wrote: »

Used Ivor LM2014 on a couple of cows that calved this year. He seems to be very easy calved, would be ok to use on heifers i’d say.

no shortage of stars there anyway,were they commercial or pedigree ,what are the calves like?

Mac Taylor · 28-06-2020 11:49pm

High bike wrote: »

no shortage of stars there anyway,were they commercial or pedigree ,what are the calves like?

I’ve used him on both, no problems calving....his calves have a bit of style about them.:D I posted pictures of them a few months back.

tanko · 28-06-2020 11:57pm

High bike wrote: »

no shortage of stars there anyway,were they commercial or pedigree ,what are the calves like?

Commercials.
They’re grand i suppose, nice shape to them, they seem to be very light boned tho.
They’re not like ZGM calves which start putting on muscle and a shapely back end after a few weeks.
LM2014 would be easier calved than ZGM i’d say.

Lady Haywire · 29-06-2020 12:11am

High bike wrote: »

had knell on a first time calver this year and no issues,I have a couple of thz in the tank is he easy enough fo heifers ?

He's the only bull I've used continuously on heifers and never had to pull one. Have a 3rd calver off him & while she'll never be big, she breeds very well in comparison to larger cows. Wouldn't be as flashy stock off him as other bulls though they mature nicely.
6 of our calves this year are off a THZ son, was expecting them to be average enough but am surprised by how shapey they all are.

I've LM2014 put on a heifer this year too, if she holds she'll be 22 months at calving.

charolais0153 · 29-06-2020 1:43am

Have a lovely ivor heifer off a eby springer, tuny when born too

Welding Rod · 01-07-2020 2:01pm

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Personally think the docility stars is a lot of bull. More to do with the cow who's rearing it, how they react to human contact.
Monkey see, monkey do.

Exactly. Docility in stock is surely 95% management.
Fellas who see cattle once a day, if that, from the road, or the jeep or the quad, and expect animals with good behaviour around humans.
Then to add fuel to the fire, the same lads get up close and personal to the stock only when dehorning, injecting, dosing or testing. All the stock see from their masters is fuggin grief and torture.
If I was a 700kg cow, in that kind of set up, I know who I would line up for a bit of a maul given the chance..ðŸ’¥

Anto_Meath · 01-07-2020 2:16pm

Welding Rod wrote: »

Exactly. Docility in stock is surely 95% management.
Fellas who see cattle once a day, if that, from the road, or the jeep or the quad, and expect animals with good behaviour around humans.
Then to add fuel to the fire, the same lads get up close and personal to the stock only when dehorning, injecting, dosing or testing. All the stock see from their masters is fuggin grief and torture.
If I was a 700kg cow, in that kind of set up, I know who I would line up for a bit of a maul given the chance..&#55357;&#56485;

Very true, 5 minutes spend in a field every now and again breaking off a few ash branches for cattle can be the most valuable time anyone could spend. I have a LMX bullock that the flies have attacked (think he cut it on barbed wire) and every 3rd evening or so if I have time I a break a bit of a branch off a tree and the cattle all gather around me and I get a get a spray of tar on it. Its far handier than trying to get him into the pen every few days. In actual fact when he is in the crush he can be difficult enough and try to jump out of it. He is out of OKH Keltic Handsome, good bullock but I would class him as difficult.

farming93 · 01-07-2020 2:18pm

I know of a man that would never have a limousin into the place. I had a pedigree limousin that I bought last year she was quiet coming into the place. Anyways she calved recently and I could milk her by hand when she calved. Ive a mix of bucket reared and suckler cows /calves. I can pet 70%of them and get within arms reach of the rest.

patsy_mccabe · 01-07-2020 2:27pm

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Would depend on the heifer, ours was older than the age we'd normally bull at, as she repeated twice to On-Dit straws before I changed tack & put Loyal on her.
Her cow lineage were also good calvers so the calf practically shot out of her. So yes, I'd use him on heifers if they're 450/470kg or over.

On the other hand, our contractor had a heifer sectioned to him too :pac:

I've had no luck with On-dit straws I bought from Munster AI either. I think I've used 4 straws and none held.

annubis · 01-07-2020 2:31pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've had no luck with On-dit straws I bought from Munster AI either. I think I've used 4 straws and none held.

have a on dit daughter from one of my better cows, you know what she is nice quiet cow but nothing special, thought she would be greatest cow ever with all the talk of him being a cow maker but she is not even that milky

patsy_mccabe · 01-07-2020 2:31pm

I've had A few lads into the place recently and all have commented on how quiet my pedigree cows are. They all stood around while we walked tru them. One fella says "Jaysus, ye must live with them".

Welding Rod · 01-07-2020 3:43pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've had A few lads into the place recently and all have commented on how quiet my pedigree cows are. They all stood around while we walked tru them. One fella says "Jaysus, ye must live with them".

Ah, you should be able to leave your hand on any cow you have in the field. Some might shift away a bit, and more stand for a bit of a scratch.
I couldn’t put up with anything even slightly flighty.
I’m throwing a small bit of creep feed in an open trough the other side of the fence now. Calves are coming through no problem now once I arrive with my bucket. I stand there next to the trough and all are gathering around and having their fill. It’s a great way to get calves to settle down to close human contact. If you are keeping some of the heifers for replacements, better again.
That said, one fifth calver always quiet as an old donkey, flipped this year after calving ...... two months on, she’s still a bit “bright”!!! No fuggen way am I giving her the bull again. She won’t by flighty when she’s hanging up ....

Lady Haywire · 01-07-2020 4:04pm

Welding Rod wrote: »

That said, one fifth calver always quiet as an old donkey, flipped this year after calving ...... two months on, she’s still a bit “bright”!!! No fuggen way am I giving her the bull again. She won’t by flighty when she’s hanging up ....

Did you have to do anything with her calf last year- injections etc? Noticed a couple of years ago that cows whose calves needed attention at birth one year seemed more protective the following year. Could have just been coincidence though!

Welding Rod · 01-07-2020 4:28pm

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Did you have to do anything with her calf last year- injections etc? Noticed a couple of years ago that cows whose calves needed attention at birth one year seemed more protective the following year. Could have just been coincidence though!

No. Nothing like that to be honest. She had a tough calving this year, which is probably the core reason. To be honest, I was afraid to go into the pen with her, as she was clearly.not in the mood for intervention. I left her at it, even though it was clear to me she just wasn’t able to present the calf. Eventually after about five hours, I got her to stick her head through one of the headlock barriers, and managed to lock her. Got vet and we managed to get a very nice LM2395 bull calf out of her. Twisted uterus. I fear she will be mental for ever more!

tanko · 01-07-2020 4:34pm

annubis wrote: »

have a on dit daughter from one of my better cows, you know what she is nice quiet cow but nothing special, thought she would be greatest cow ever with all the talk of him being a cow maker but she is not even that milky

Have five cows off On-Dit here, he’s not a milk improving bull that’s for sure.
Length and frame improving but not milk.

Seanhorse91 · 01-07-2020 10:45pm

Royals wrote: »

Anybody got potterleagh mark or loyal calves on the ground?

I’ve both. Around 5 off Loyal, 4 would be pedigree. Savage easy calving, had him on a Charolais first calver at 24 months and she slipped out a lovely heifer. Definitely would use him on heifers again.
Pedigree Charolais heifer had a Potterleagh mark heifer calf. No bother calving on her own, and a lovely shapey now.

RobinBanks · 02-07-2020 10:04am

annubis wrote: »

have a on dit daughter from one of my better cows, you know what she is nice quiet cow but nothing special, thought she would be greatest cow ever with all the talk of him being a cow maker but she is not even that milky

i'm the same, I had a 4-5 on-dit straws and all i got out of them was 1 heifer and she's nothing special!! will probably sell her.

dodo mommy · 02-07-2020 11:27am

I have a few on-dit cows here and they are absolute smashers no shortage of milk and great shape producing excellent calves.

RD10 · 02-07-2020 12:10pm

Had a hellios heifer the other day, Nice calf, also polled which is a bonus. Seems like she's going to be very quiet too - it's funny she'll stand there nice and quiet in the field beside mama.
Think I'll be keeping as a replacement as the mother is nice and milky.
Anyone else have experience of hellios?

dodo mommy · 03-07-2020 5:36am

RD10 wrote: »

Had a hellios heifer the other day, Nice calf, also polled which is a bonus. Seems like she's going to be very quiet too - it's funny she'll stand there nice and quiet in the field beside mama.
Think I'll be keeping as a replacement as the mother is nice and milky.
Anyone else have experience of hellios?

I don't have any hellios calfs but I have an excel Calf the same way she will always come over and start licking my trouser when in herding. She is a definite keeper to she has a great back end on her and mammy has milk.

Sheep breeder · 03-07-2020 9:06am

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've had no luck with On-dit straws I bought from Munster AI either. I think I've used 4 straws and none held.

Good to know that, have them in the tank and used none yet and have a cow to bull and was going to use him, it be fieldstone alfy now.

Beef AI/Bulls MEGATHREAD

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