I am new to the forum, so if this question has been asked before I apologize. I am looking to graze beef cattle then possibly get into some direct marketing. I am looking for some opinions on the Belgian Blue breed and if they would be a good choice for this type of setup? Thanks!
Belgian Blues
- Thread starter TNGrazer
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SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE
Well-known member
Put your vet on speed dial for the C-sections! :shock: ;-) :cboy:
belgian blue cross other breeds= calving dificulties are minimum. if you breed fullblood to fullblood C sections. BB heifers have very small pelvick area so they have trouble producing calves. heres a good cross Belgian Blue bull X with Angus/salers cows = good calves, with no calving dificulty.
belgian blue cross angus or shorthorn will grade
belgian blue cross angus or shorthorn will grade
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
You know I have NEVER been able to figure out how this breed survives - or better still WHY anyone would propagate a breed that cannot reproduce without human intervention.
Have you ever seen a bull? They can't hardly pick up their feet to step over something because they are so muscle bound. A breeder had a young bull on display. We watched them load him into a trailer. They had to pick up both front feet and put them onto the trailer floor (which was only about 12 inches off the ground) than the pushed him forward - than they picked up his rear end with men placing his feet on the floor. Now, it wasn't because he was being stubborn - he simply COULD NOT pick up his feet that high. Pathetic.
Now, I'm not throwing stones, we talked to the fullblood breeder and he said anything over a 1/2 blood, you have to figure on C-section :shock: Now that's a breed I want to promote.
Have you ever seen a bull? They can't hardly pick up their feet to step over something because they are so muscle bound. A breeder had a young bull on display. We watched them load him into a trailer. They had to pick up both front feet and put them onto the trailer floor (which was only about 12 inches off the ground) than the pushed him forward - than they picked up his rear end with men placing his feet on the floor. Now, it wasn't because he was being stubborn - he simply COULD NOT pick up his feet that high. Pathetic.
Now, I'm not throwing stones, we talked to the fullblood breeder and he said anything over a 1/2 blood, you have to figure on C-section :shock: Now that's a breed I want to promote.
Jeanne - Simme Valley":qepx0q7j said:
Agreed, a group of us talked to a guy who flushed his prized BB cows, put those embryos into big dairy type recips, and then implanted the blues with an angus embryo or just bred them to a lbwt Angus bull. That was ~14 years ago and we thought this breed was going the way of the dodo bird....but it never dies. I don't know WHAT people see in these things.
Gliderider
Well-known member
I did a search on this breed and this is what I came up with. Kind of funny what they claim, when real worlders know different. The bull on their frontpage looks like he can barely move.
http://www.belgianblue.co.uk/
British Breeders have selectively bred the 'British Type' of Belgian Blue, with great emphasis being placed on:
Ease of Calving
Short gestation period
Good Mobility and Structure
Excellent Temperament
http://www.belgianblue.co.uk/
British Breeders have selectively bred the 'British Type' of Belgian Blue, with great emphasis being placed on:
Ease of Calving
Short gestation period
Good Mobility and Structure
Excellent Temperament
rkm
Well-known member
We bred few holstein heifers to BB for freezer beef. Yea we drank the kool-ade! Had couple heifers left over and bred them to limo. Well that got rid of the excellent temperment, never had to lift their front feet to get them into trailer, but they must of been double muscled, cause they cleared that trailer a couple of times before we got them loaded. Who said cross breeding dosn't pay. 
B WEIR
Member
All our cows are calving to belgian blue this year with the exception of a few that were AIed to a club calf bull.No problems with calving other than one was born dead.it is true when you get up to percentage blues you do have calving problems.We sell most of our calves as freezer beef and you can't beat the blues on dressing % always high 60s.
Australian Cattleman
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I heard a long time ago that there were more problems with the fullbloods and purebreds than there was in crossing them. I could not afford to have them neither could any commercial breeders.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
But my point is - why would anyone propogate a breed that cannot propogate by itself :shock:
