ffamom":3gt0vt1y said:
I know I would be able to sell a bull if his birth weight is greater than 80 lbs.
If this is the case, what is the problem? They are sold all the time - you are now confusing me
If you had intended that sentence to have a "not" in it - then I would say you are not only very wrong - you are dealing with people who do not know much about breeding.
Remember there is another half to the equation and that is the cow. Almost every small holder expert does this and so do some of the big boys - but it is really prevalent with the hobbyist. Epd is a guide only. No matter what anyone tells you - never forget that.
Also - there is a real danger in continually retaining those low birth weigh animals - especially when they are retained generation after generation as this tends to continue to reduce the size of the female - and in turn it often affects their ability to have a calf. I have all sorts of cows and heifers that have or have had - and indeed will have in the future - calves on their own - well out of site of human eyes - if they need to be watched like a hawk I would not want them.
Calving ease SHOULD NOT always be considered to be a weight issue either.
You would be surprized at how many people do not know this.
There are dozens of highly thought of bulls in any breed that have a larger birth weight than 100 pounds - not always an animal I would use but I think you are putting far too much into this "weight issue". And there are lots with far lower birth weights that I would not use.
Case in point - someone recently wrote - no Herefords - they have a big head. It showed me they know little about calving. I have actually compared head diametre at birth - and yes I have a few black bulls on the place now and then - there is little to no difference in the majority of cases - and just as often as not the black calves were larger and had as much potential for trouble.
Nothing in life is a guarantee - especially an epd.
I am an accidental poet as well it seems.
People actually believe them to be gospel - and that is a mistake.
If a heifer/cow cannot handle a higher birth weight when it happens, I would not have her in the herd - and the older she gets the more important it becomes as she gets closer and closer with increasing age to having that one big calf. Not due to genetics, but simply due to the odds.
In all honesty I also believe a lot of folks have probs because they breed on age rather than size - and start them off too small.
Have fun and if those calves turn out I would use the same guy again - after all - no one had trouble this time - so next time they will hopefully and probably do just as well.
All breeding is a bit of a crap shoot despite what anyone tells you.
And do not be surprized if that larger heifer does well and also has SMALLER calves than the others.
You seem to have been 100% unassisted. That is the important factor.
You were fine and will be fine.
Have fun.
Bez+