I am not familiar with this cross, but if your heifers will be ready to breed in Feb, and the bull you are looking at is 8 months old; I doubt that the bull will be mature enough at 11 months old to be breeding. That is young for any breed, and I believe Brangus are later maturing - sexually. As far as what to look for, if the bull is 8 months old, he should weight about 800#, should have good muscling in rear quarters & strong well muscled loin. Be sure to look at his leg structure, you don't want his rear legs too straight when viewed from the side. Also, get behind him. You want him to stand good & wide at the hocks, or do they almost touch (called cow hocked - not good). As far as his papers, you would have to talk to another Brangus breeder, unless the breeder you are dealing with is known to you to be a reputable breeder. Yes, Charolais are know to be hard calvers, so you will want to make sure they are grown out well (they should weight at least 850# at breeding) and should use an "easy calving bull"- smooth shoulders, slender head, low birth weight, and easy calving pedigree. Jeanne
> I have 10 charlois heifers that
> will be ready to breed around
> February. I am considering
> purchasing a registered brangus
> bull to breed to them. Can anyone
> tell me anything about this cross
> good or bad. I have been told that
> some charlois heifers have a hard
> time with their first calf. Any
> precautionary measures? also, what
> do i need to look for in a herd
> bull in regard to actual pysical
> appearance and information on his
> papers. I sort of have a young
> bull (8 mos. old) picked out but
> any helpful hints would be greatly
> appreciated. Thanks
Simme Valley in NY
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