Built Right (Simm) sired cattle can be NASTY!

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Just a vent...
I purchased a set of embryos sired by Built Right out of Joy's Shadow, out of the original Joy cow x PowerDrive (full sister to Ebony's Joy). I had a bull calf about 4 years ago that bat crap crazy! We tried everything to halter break this bull calf (started at a week of age) and his entire goal was to kill you and get away. I cut my losses early. I tried to wean him in a 12 x 24 corral, but he jumped the fence two days in a row. I ended up putting him on our trailer, overnight, and hauling him to the stockyards the next day. He clawed at the trailer all night, raising up on his hind feet to try to crawl through the opening at the top. When we tried to unload him at the stockyards, he about killed 2 people getting out of the trailer and into a pen (he was about 500 pounds). I thought it was just bad luck, and his recip dam must have had something to do with it.
Fast forward to current fall. I had the second embryo, another bull. He was so cute for about 2 days, then turned bat crap crazy like the other. We put halters on all calves starting at one week of age, every Sunday after church. We work them, walk them, brush them, and earn their trust. This dude, we call Kronos, every week since a week of age has made it his goal to try to take you down, smash you to the ground, and damage you in every way possible. I have a severely bruised knee from two weeks in a row of abuse by this guy. He uses his back feet like boxing gloves when he is tied, wraps his body around yours and pushes you against the fence while beating you up with his back legs. If you get near his head, he does his best to slam you into the fence while spitting on you. His recip dam is one of my BEST, CALMEST cows ever! I can walk up to her, scratch her, love on her, and she seeks my attention while I am in the pasture checking cows.
We halter break a lot of calves every year, and ONLY these two have ever been so bad I gave up. I plan on cutting him, and send him to the stockyards before he is 5 months old. The third embryo will be thrown away, not worth my time trying again.

 

[Aaron]

Temperament is largely genetic. It can easily skip a generation or even two and come right back. There are some wicked nasty Hereford AI bulls out there that can pass it down. One sale I was watching had a yearling the owner told me 'don't bid on - let a big rancher buy him and throw him on a huge range where he can't hurt anyone.' That bull's grandsire was a real miserable SOB, big time AI bull, and his great granddam would kill anyone if given the chance - beautiful cow though. Actually quite often you find it in the AI bulls because temperament is not a concern for something that is confined to a pen for most it's life. Problem is that it can show up later on.

 

[Till-Hill]

Sucks when that happens

 

[Son of Butch]

But, but he's got a blaze face....

It does suck... :idea: maybe bottom 1% docility does mean something.
Though he's a blast from the past, Thanks for at least giving others a heads up.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I have never seen that sort of temperament from Built Right calves. I have a BR cow in my herd still. "Maybe" it's the donor dam's temperament - not the bull?

 

[Bright Raven]

I have 4 or 5 cows that go back to Built Right, only one raises the question regarding disposition. Star Baby has Built Right as her paternal grandsire. She has a good disposition but her calves have been difficult to halter train. I have had trouble with Lock N Load 1143Y calves when halter training.

I think halter training can trigger behavior that you do not see otherwise. I have had calves that behave perfectly until you put them in a halter.

Uno Mas calves can be nasty. Kris, you remember Miss Adorable?

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Halters are for horses. I done told you Ronnie.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I have never seen that sort of temperament from Built Right calves. I have a BR cow in my herd still. "Maybe" it's the donor dam's temperament - not the bull?

We have a cow that is an 07 model, Built Right sired. She is easy to work with. I have two Built Right x Angus cows that are OK; not your friendliest, but by no means crazy or dangerous (both embryos from the same flush). Our best show heifer this year is a Built Right x Wide Track, and will seek you in the pasture for a few rubs and loving.
Kronos donor dam is in the top 25% of the breed for DOC, and has 61 calves on the ground so I think her numbers are pretty good. I have heard from MANY people that Built Right was darn right dangerous in the pasture. He was mean! I can see that in some of his calves, and there is a reason he has more than 500 calves registered to his name and he is in the bottom 1% of the breed for docility. With that said, his females are mostly really good cows, with a great udder and teat size. So, if they are good on temperament, they are a keeper!

 

[True Grit Farms]

I have never seen that sort of temperament from Built Right calves. I have a BR cow in my herd still. "Maybe" it's the donor dam's temperament - not the bull?

We have a cow that is an 07 model, Built Right sired. She is easy to work with. I have two Built Right x Angus cows that are OK; not your friendliest, but by no means crazy or dangerous (both embryos from the same flush). Our best show heifer this year is a Built Right x Wide Track, and will seek you in the pasture for a few rubs and loving.
Kronos donor dam is in the top 25% of the breed for DOC, and has 61 calves on the ground so I think her numbers are pretty good. I have heard from MANY people that Built Right was darn right dangerous in the pasture. He was mean! I can see that in some of his calves, and there is a reason he has more than 500 calves registered to his name and he is in the bottom 1% of the breed for docility. With that said, his females are mostly really good cows, with a great udder and teat size. So, if they are good on temperament, they are a keeper!

Why would you even take a chance using or buying anything with Built Right in the pedigree? Life's to short to risk putting up with cattle that have a bad attitude.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I have never seen that sort of temperament from Built Right calves. I have a BR cow in my herd still. "Maybe" it's the donor dam's temperament - not the bull?

We have a cow that is an 07 model, Built Right sired. She is easy to work with. I have two Built Right x Angus cows that are OK; not your friendliest, but by no means crazy or dangerous (both embryos from the same flush). Our best show heifer this year is a Built Right x Wide Track, and will seek you in the pasture for a few rubs and loving.
Kronos donor dam is in the top 25% of the breed for DOC, and has 61 calves on the ground so I think her numbers are pretty good. I have heard from MANY people that Built Right was darn right dangerous in the pasture. He was mean! I can see that in some of his calves, and there is a reason he has more than 500 calves registered to his name and he is in the bottom 1% of the breed for docility. With that said, his females are mostly really good cows, with a great udder and teat size. So, if they are good on temperament, they are a keeper!

Why would you even take a chance using or buying anything with Built Right in the pedigree? Life's to short to risk putting up with cattle that have a bad attitude.

First, anyone that has owned a Built Right female know's their value as a productive cow. There is a reason his semen goes for $150 a straw now, if you can find it. His female's do not typically have a problem with attitude. I would take a pasture full of Built Right females! That 07 cow I have has successfully raised 11 calves, and is still going strong, AI bred for her 12th calf in the fall.
Second, I bought those embryos over 9 years ago. At that time, Built Right was alive and heavily used. I bought the embryos with the hope of getting some nice females. Sadly, I only got the two bulls.

 

[True Grit Farms]

So in the last 15 years you haven't found any Simmental bulls that are better than Built Right for producing females? I'm not following along very well, bottom 1% in docility is as low as it gets and is a heritable trait. But Built Right does a good job at passing the blaze face to his offspring.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Is docility inheritance different for different sexes? :hide:

 

[Stocker Steve]

Halters are for horses. I done told you Ronnie.

They ride cows in the third world. Is Kentucky like that too?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

As far as I know, docility has a very LOW inheritance factor. Not saying you shouldn't watch for it. Nothing will get a cow culled faster than bad temperament on my farm.