Bulls for Brangus Cows

[Taurus]

WalnutCrest and BackboneRanch, You know I think you both have excellent stock, but if consistency in the look of a herd of calves is important, and you're starting out with a black herd, I just see the calves starting to all have different colors. I have been trying to knock the chrome off my SH influenced cows and it's a long process. If you're in a position where you're finishing your own animals, then the color doesn't matter anymore and you can use more 'exotic' breeds and I don't doubt have great success with it as well.

If he wants a consistent color, Aubrac-colored cows cross fine with Charolais (which was one of the terminal breeds he said he is considering). You'll have a higher chance of getting brindled cattle if you're breeding Aubrac-colored cows to red bulls. Based on his initial comments (maternal, hardy, low-input, moderately framed, long lived, Continental, etc.), Aubrac would be a fine fit for what he's doing. As would some of the other suggestions that others have made. Not pimping a breed; just stating a fact.

Nesikep is right, you will get odd colors out of Aubrac or Murray Grey crosses. You can get brindled calves out of black bulls as well and I don't think Charolais will knock off brindles. However I do think that Murray grey x brangus bred to Charolais will give you a super nice group of grey calves.

 

[Taurus]

WalnutCrest and BackboneRanch, You know I think you both have excellent stock, but if consistency in the look of a herd of calves is important, and you're starting out with a black herd, I just see the calves starting to all have different colors. I have been trying to knock the chrome off my SH influenced cows and it's a long process. If you're in a position where you're finishing your own animals, then the color doesn't matter anymore and you can use more 'exotic' breeds and I don't doubt have great success with it as well.

If he wants a consistent color, Aubrac-colored cows cross fine with Charolais (which was one of the terminal breeds he said he is considering). You'll have a higher chance of getting brindled cattle if you're breeding Aubrac-colored cows to red bulls. Based on his initial comments (maternal, hardy, low-input, moderately framed, long lived, Continental, etc.), Aubrac would be a fine fit for what he's doing. As would some of the other suggestions that others have made. Not pimping a breed; just stating a fact.

You may have a good stock of Aubrac cattle but the profits will hurt you when you have to sell Aubrac cross calves at the sale barn. It might works in the southern climates where the colors are not concerned with the buyers. OP is already concerned about the colors as his cattle are not homo black, Aubrac might not be ideal breed for him. Even if you are breeding Aubrac cross cows to a Charolais bull, you still get odd marked calves which might not get docked at the sale barn if you sells them in the south. So don't get upset if someone disagreed with your suggestions but if your goal is selling feeder calves at the sale barn then Aubrac isn't right breed for you.

If Jerseys got a bad rep at the sale barn, then there is a good chance that Aubrac might will get discounted as well. Look at British Whites, Speckle Park and Pinzguaer cattle, they were prevented from being acceptable with the commercial folks because of the longhorn markings.

 

[Gators Rule]

My concerns with the Gelbvieh are two fold. My first concern is the quality of the beef. As the market stands now, the packers like cattle that are 50% British 50% Continental. Will taking Gelbvieh cross cows to a Limousine or Charolais bull result in diminished carcass quality? This wouldn't matter when selling at the salebarn right at weaning, but if I am going to deal with cattle brokers I need to give them what they want. My second concern is that it may bring too much extra milk into a well milking herd. Though using a terminal sire on all the GelbviehX cows would mean excessive milking to the point of rolling fat heifers offers no issue from the F2 reproductive standpoint since they are all going to the packer anyway, I still don't want to encounter diminishing returns. More milk still means more input, which in turn means fewer mama cows. Will the Gelbvieh influence of more pounds at weaning equal less total pounds from each calf crop?

I'm addressing your concern of over milking traits if you use Gelbvieh. That depends on the bull, not the breed. Some bloodlines actually can reduce the amount of milk produced. Same could be said for Simmental. For instance, one of Simmental's most popular bulls actually reduced milk production and a ton of breeders used him for that purpose....coupled with the fact that he produced some awesome sons and daughters. Simmy's as a rule of thumb were high on milk production and needed to be moderated, and Dream On helped accomplish this moderation. I'm not a Gelbvieh pimp, but if you were interested in the Gelbs, I would at least research some of their more moderate milk producers before kicking them out of the running. I raise PB Sims, so therefore I don't raise Gelbviehs, and that's the only reason, as they are a very good breed.

 

[cow pollinater]

I'm really, really happy with what my hereford bulls are doing on eared cows. The first crop of daughters have calved and are pretty awesome for heifers.
I am going back on those with balancers but if I wanted to keep it simple and highly marketable I'd run cleaner made brangus or ultrablack and horned hereford back and forth.

 

[cloud9cattle]

If it were me I would select the top 10 Females Seperate them and start using AI to bring in better genetics for replacements. Regarding bulls you can go wrong with an angus hereford or sim angus bull.

 

[wacocowboy]

I would go with Herford on the brangus cattle you will get replacements and steer that will do really well. If you keep the black baldie heifers just put a terminal bull like a Char on them, and don't keep any heifers so you don't have to worry about getting to far removed from brahma influence. I also know people use Beefmaster and Simbrah on black baldie brangus and get excellent results.

 

[andybob]

http://sangacattle.webs.com/apps/photos ... =194027855
Try black Mashona for grass based genetics with heat tolerance, tight udders, high fertility and well marbled beef.
Tuli have similar traits but are not black, there are a couple of well conformed red bulls at AI in the USA.

 

[JWBrahman]

Would you mind posting some photos of your Brangus? I have a sneaking suspicion that some of your heavier milking Brangus are a combination of Red Brahman x Angus instead of Grey Brahman x Angus. As Ricebelt pointed out earlier, if you put a Hereford on them you may get RWF calves. If you go back on them with a Black Angus you will not wipe out the ear and red hide the way you would using a continental breed.