Ankonian Elixir: Information please

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

Anybody had any experience with the calves off this bull.

http://www.ankonyatpineridge.com/bulls/ankelixir100.html

I was at the bull sale at the test station this past weekend. Now I don't know if this happens to anyone else but I saw one bull that stood out as 'the one to buy' for my herd. They started with 100 bulls from different breeders in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. By the time they culled for growth, breeding soundness and structural soundness, they had 66 left. I marked down a half dozen I figured would probably do but really liked the looks of this Elixir son. I had my 'bull budget' all worked out and started bidding and he shot right past my 'bull budget'. Fortunately my wife was sitting with me and told me to go ahead and buy him. He wasn't the most expensive Angus bull, but he was definitely in the top five. All they give you at the sale is birthweight, on test weight, yearling weight, and current weight. All pretty good from what I can see. Anybody have any more info on the calves off this guy. Also, do the Angus have their own Frame Score rating. He was a 5.0 on the general program and a 6.5 on the insert that gave his weight. He certainly doesn't look like a 6.5 compared to the Charolais and Lim's they had at the sale.

 

[Frankie]

Interesting post. Glad you got the bull you wanted. We have to pay shipping on Elixir's semen, as opposed to other semen companies that deliver to us, but we did use him one year. We sold some straws to friends to use, sold an open heifer right off wheat pasture, sold some cows bred, and sold a really good looking bull calf still nursing his dam, so we didn't wind up with any in our herd. The Angus Association uses the same frame score charts as everyone else. If I remember right Elixir 100, himself, is a FS 7 bull? I hope you get better responses than mine; I'd like to hear more about his calves, too.

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

Interesting post. Glad you got the bull you wanted. We have to pay shipping on Elixir's semen, as opposed to other semen companies that deliver to us, but we did use him one year. We sold some straws to friends to use, sold an open heifer right off wheat pasture, sold some cows bred, and sold a really good looking bull calf still nursing his dam, so we didn't wind up with any in our herd. The Angus Association uses the same frame score charts as everyone else. If I remember right Elixir 100, himself, is a FS 7 bull? I hope you get better responses than mine; I'd like to hear more about his calves, too.

Good to hear that you had some success with him. Buying an expensive bull up here is fairly risky business as if they hurt themselves in any way, they are worth about 10 cents a pound at the market. The bull I bought seems to have eye appeal as well as some decent looking weight gain. He gained 4.36 lbs a day on the test station ration so I hope that means his calves are easy gainers, too. I'm hoping that between him and my little heifer bull, I should be able to juggle enough so I don't have to buy another bull for 4 years or so. Interestingly enough, my brother bought new bulls this year as well so we are going ahead with a whole new breeding team this year. I'll send some team pictures when we get them all home.

 

[Beefy]

CRR-
My dad and I will probably be buyng 2-3 angus bulls from Pine Ridge in the next month or so. Buddy and my dad are related. we live about 10 minutes (maybe) away. just thought it was neat that you posted the link, cant really answer your questions though.

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

CRR-
My dad and I will probably be buyng 2-3 angus bulls from Pine Ridge in the next month or so. Buddy and my dad are cousins. we live about 10 minutes (maybe) away. just thought it was neat that you posted the link, cant really answer your questions though.

Well I guess if you are buying 2-3 bulls off them, the bloodlines can't be too bad. :lol:

 

[la4angus]

Well I guess if you are buying 2-3 bulls off them, the bloodlines can't be too bad. :lol:

Not only are the bloodlines not to bad, but Ankony at Pine Ridge has some of the top cattle and best bloodlines in the Angus breed.
They are not promoted as much as they were in previous years.

 

[Beefy]

for us the convenience factor is a huge plus also. I'll get back with you on waht i see that i like this year.

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

Well I got the new bull home, Saturday. In hindsight I should have spent some time working on my brother's fence before I dropped him off. He found a dead spot, and off he went. Spent about two hours chasing him before we finally got him in the barn. Got a big gash on my forehead chasing him through the tree rows and man did it bleed. Don't think he's ever been herded by someone on foot before. Took alot of whiskey to numb the pain of those unused muscles. Went back yesterday and he'd broken out of the barn but seemed to have really calmed down. Fixed the fence so he shouldn't be wandering any more. I'm thinking about taking A.I. lessons. Of course I'll be fine once the stiffness wears off. Might take a bit more whiskey to get through it, though. :lol:

 

[la4angus]

Might take a bit more whiskey to get through it, though. :lol:

See CRR. There is always a bright spot in any experience.

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

Yes, every cloud has a silver lining. Besides for the first initial reaction of trying to run away, I'm still pretty happy with the looks of that bull. The first thing my brother said yesterday morning is 'Your bull's gone'.Gave me a real bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Guess he just didn't like the barn. He just pushed his way out through the gate. I was also real impressed how calm he was for being chased so much. I would have expected him to be much more aggressive. My other bull was supposed to be down there to greet him but he's now in with my other brother's cows. The other brother is in charge of fencing on both places and cattle being where they aren't supposed to be is a fairly common occurence. :roll:

 

[RD-Sam]

Well I got the new bull home, Saturday. In hindsight I should have spent some time working on my brother's fence before I dropped him off. He found a dead spot, and off he went. Spent about two hours chasing him before we finally got him in the barn. Got a big gash on my forehead chasing him through the tree rows and man did it bleed. Don't think he's ever been herded by someone on foot before. Took alot of whiskey to numb the pain of those unused muscles. Went back yesterday and he'd broken out of the barn but seemed to have really calmed down. Fixed the fence so he shouldn't be wandering any more. I'm thinking about taking A.I. lessons. Of course I'll be fine once the stiffness wears off. Might take a bit more whiskey to get through it, though. :lol:

This cracks me up! :lol2:

Beefy, how did the Ankonian bulls work out? Any out of Elixir?