Bull Question

[Rod]

I bought 40 brangus first calf heifer pairs last week that were bred to an angus bull. I plan on growing the calves out to 500lbs before selling and letting the cows get bred back in the meantime. I then plan on selling all of them as heavy bred in the late fall. I just haven't been able to make my mind up as to which bulls to use, CHAR. or ANGUS. If it were me I would prefer the brangus-char. cross as they grow much quicker and the smokey calves do well in my area, but I know everyone seems to be hung up on angus these days. I'd just like to hear opions on which cross would sell the best. Thanks.

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

For smokie calves you can not beat the brangus crossed with a silver Murray Grey bull! And you are correct,they sell well in a lot of places! ;-) :cboy:

 

[cherokeeruby']

I bought 40 brangus first calf heifer pairs last week that were bred to an angus bull. I plan on growing the calves out to 500lbs before selling and letting the cows get bred back in the meantime. I then plan on selling all of them as heavy bred in the late fall. I just haven't been able to make my mind up as to which bulls to use, CHAR. or ANGUS. If it were me I would prefer the brangus-char. cross as they grow much quicker and the smokey calves do well in my area, but I know everyone seems to be hung up on angus these days. I'd just like to hear opions on which cross would sell the best. Thanks.

Do you already have a buyer in mind? Are you selling them as heavy breds through a sale barn. Going to advertise and sell them that way?

Sale barn, doesn't matter what they are bred back to. If you sell them off the farm Char, Angus, Hereford would all be snapped up in my opinion.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Be hard to beat them smokies, or baldies from a hereford.

 

[Rod]

I plan on advertising in the local paper. So far I've sold everything in a weeks time. I went to a dispersal sale yesterday and the heavy breds were out of sight, just hope they stay up! I do have a herford bull I use on a replacement herd to get the black baldies, but his red genes are pretty stought and I've got about as many red white baldies.

 

[txag]

his red genes are pretty stought and I've got about as many red white baldies.

if you're getting red calves out of black cows, it's because the cows carry a red gene.

 

[Rod]

My angus threw black calves out of the same herd, I just assumed it was my herford bull.

 

[txag]

My angus threw black calves out of the same herd, I just assumed it was my herford bull.

for a calf to be red, it must inherit a red gene from each parent. the hereford bull can only pass on red genes, but for the calves to be red, the cow must also pass on a red gene.

 

[Rod]

Does 1 black gene always dominate a red gene?

 

[txag]

Does 1 black gene always dominate a red gene?

yes

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

As TXAG said, black gene is dominant. So any of your BLACK cows that are having red calves, are carrying 1 red gene & 1 black gene. There is a 50/50 chance whether her calf will be red or black bred to a red bull. 100% chance they will be black out of a true Angus bull (homozygous black - 2 black genes).
So if your cowherd is BWF (Hfd x Angus) - all the cows are heterozygous black.

 

[Beefy]

I would go with the angus bull if they were mine until the 3rd calf. if you are advertising them as carrying their second calf i think more people would be interested in second calvers carrying angus calves and might shy away from them if they know they are young and bred to a charolais. no doubt the charx would grow faster though.