Just got the DNA test back on our Waygu bulls and they test out to be 100%... Daughter will get in contact with the guy who the other guy got his cows from and see what we can do about getting papers... Dehorning really set them back, but they are fertile (vet tested) and have lots of interest in our heifers. Just not sure the heifers are all into Barnie Fife bulls...
100%
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Son of Butch
Well-known member
Last year our angus herd sire wasn't available at start of breeding season.
So we turned out our non-semen tested 15 month old Barnie Fife Wagyu bull to cover for him until he was available to return 18 days later.
Barnie Fife sired 9 single birth calves in first 7 days followed by 6 more for 15 calves in first 15 days of calving this year.
I was worried when we turned him out, but it turns out the Ladies Love Asian Boys.
lol
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Better be careful naming them Barney Fife. He only had one bullet, and he kept it in his pocket!
Glad to hear they came up to your expectations!
Glad to hear they came up to your expectations!
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cowgirl8
Well-known member
No calving problems out of heifers this year. Last one just calved, so i feel ok to say this now.. didnt want to jinx the last ones..lol Our regular heifer bull is black W/F.. angus built..He's one of our homegrown bulls and is probably the best heifer bull we've ever had. You can tell which calves are his maybe75% of the time. We got a large number of solid red calves that we assume are the waygus calves seeing that most of the heifers are black w/f and getting a solid red out of 2 black w/f is slim, but not impossible... Anywhoot, we got a number of solid red, which, seeing the waygus are blackish(black but have a red tint) and its possible that once the calves shed off they'll be darker, who knows... but i was glad out of the 35 heifers, we had one flexure but calf fell out after getting the other front leg out, and we did pull one, mainly because we were tired of waiting and it was stressing the calf. We had one heifer prolapse at 6 mos gestation and then eventually died, not a bull problem. We had one not bred, but she is the only one with a name....lol... But the rest calved and nursed all on their own.. Very good heifer year. Wagus seem to be very long legged.. and their nose is different, like smaller. But all i care about is we get a live calf on the ground and the heifer takes care of it..
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Travlr
Well-known member
So are your Wagyu, Tajima cattle? Or
- Japanese Black (黒毛和種, Kuroge Washu)
- Japanese Polled (無角和種, Mukaku Washu)
- Japanese Brown (褐毛和種, Akage Washu or Akaushi)
- Japanese Shorthorn (日本短角和種, Nihon Tankaku Washu)
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cowgirl8
Well-known member
I actually know nothing about waygu. Got a good deal from a guy who bought from another guy. Our intentions are heifer bulls. They are black, not the red waygu. But not sure why their calves are coming out red. We've moved them to the solar farm area where technically, i'm free from having to check them. So i havent seen the calves for a month. Here is a picture of the, most unflattering picture of them next to another herd bull and that was after we pulled them off the cows last year, they do look better now, very long legged. Then, one calf that is the goofiest looking thing i've ever seen. They all dont look like this, he may have more simbra in him, but is out of a black w/f cow... no way this calf is out of our black w/f angus type bull. And remember, these are heifers calves... 
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
That lil red stinker almost looks like a deer. Neighbor has a bunch of wagyu animals, tho I have no pics. Sad 
I see the legs fo' sho'!
Most of mine at home got some leg. Their body seems to fill out well after a couple months. Out of my mutt brahma/ angus bull. No reds tho.
Mine carry more ear.....
Have you noticed if yours fill out more? Or do they remain lanky for a while?
I see the legs fo' sho'!
Most of mine at home got some leg. Their body seems to fill out well after a couple months. Out of my mutt brahma/ angus bull. No reds tho.
Mine carry more ear.....
Have you noticed if yours fill out more? Or do they remain lanky for a while?
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wbvs58
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Does knowing they are 100% Wagyu help with the marketing of them? Like do the buyers believe you?
Ken
Ken
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cowgirl8
Well-known member
I'll have the DNA results to prove they are.. But right now, they are heifers calves. Maybe today i'll run to the 500 acres and get more pictures of them. I'm curious as to how they are growing and how the bulls look.
Travlr
Well-known member
Polled is dominant over horned genetically.
And unless your Japanese cattle carry the genetic ability to have extreme marbling they are just the same as any other breed. You might be able to sell them at a higher price due to popular appeal, but they aren't going to be Kobe type meat. Sorry if you haven't heard this yet. Just better to know sooner than later IMO.
Rafter S
Well-known member
Years ago we had a Houston doctor who had retired and moved to the country to take up ranch life. He bought some cattle from somebody that I think were supposed to be Wagyu. If it wasn't Wagyu they were some kind of fancy cattle that produced superior meat, and he was going to make a killing with them. I looked at them. They looked to me like a bunch of old broke down Jerseys.
Dave
Well-known member
Neighbor has about 250 Wagyu cows. You just did a pretty good job of describing a lot of them. He was telling me the other day what the F-1 Wagyu calves are worth. It is more dollars per pound but I am not sure it makes up for the slow growth in the calves. He breeds his commercial herd replacement heifers to a Wagyu for the calving ease. I know that he does well on his purebred Wagyu selling the vast majority for big bucks as breeding stock. One thing is Wagyu have to be the stupidest cows I have ever had to deal with.
Rafter S
Well-known member
That sounds similar to the situation a few years ago with emus and alpacas. When they finally got everyone involved in raising them that was gullible enough they were suddenly worthless. (I'm not saying the same thing will happen with Wagyus.)
Dave
Well-known member
Well my neighbor said that this bubble will burst too. He sure hasn't sold off the 600 or so commercial cows that he has. I think geographically we are located better than most for raising Wagyu. There is a company near here which owns a number of good sized feedlots and a 1,500 head a day kill plant. A big portion of their business is exporting beef to Japan. A truck driver told me that on Friday they kill nothing but Wagyu. I would bet that beef is headed straight to Japan. And being located in the PNW gives them a competative edge on shipping to Japan. My neighbor last winter told me that the company showed up and bought him out of Wagyu bulls. I don't think they are running their own cows but probably supplying bulls to people to raise calves for them.
wbvs58
Well-known member
Yes Dave, my experience here is that the buyers like to know for sure that the calves are indeed by a quality Wagyu bull and have their proven suppliers of calves. Can be hard to break into.
Ken
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cowgirl8
Well-known member
There is a easy DNA test that tells you what they are. Ours are 100% and they had other markers for the marbling. As i said before, we got them for regular market price from the guy and we use them as heifer bulls... anything other than that, who knows.
Travlr
Well-known member
That's great if your bull(s?) carry the extreme marbling alleles. That would make them very valuable if managed to increase that ability to marble.
I used to play around with Belgian Blue and often wondered what could be done if a Kobe type animal could be combined with extreme double muscling.
Son of Butch
Well-known member
I think the biggest gains in meat quality would be using Wagyu on Brahman influenced cattle, but I don't think that will happen to any significant degree.
What I think is more feasible is, bcs of sexed semen, dairies no longer need to breed the whole herd for dairy replacements. Using Wagyu on the bottom 1/2 of dairy herds in Europe could provide a local source of high quality beef to a very large European market.
