Back in the 70's the beef industry said that we wouldn't be successful with hybrid bulls even though the poultry industry had been using hybrid males for years with great success. At the same time the swine industry was also starting to use a significant number of specific crossbred boars. Today in the swine industry the majority of commercial, progressive swine herds use hybrid boars...are they are successful.
Now, before some of you jump all over me on this, I need to remind you that these boars are not just crossbred mutts of 3 or 4 different breeds, but typically a two breed cross of complimentary breeds. Generally the breeds that make-up the boars genetics are not found in the maternal line so that the producer can maximize heterosis. I see a whole lot of hogs, and most of these are 3 or 4 way cross hogs. They are very consistent in type.
Now, getting back to the 70's, the "experts" at the time said we couldn't use hybrid bulls because we would have too much inconsistency in our calf crop. Well, reasearch has proven that there isn't anymore inconsistency in calf crops sired by good composite or hybrid bulls than by good purebred bulls ...I know, for some of you this is a hard pill to swallow.
If you look at the variety in body style in just the black Angus breed, there is tremendous variability. Some breeders will breed a small framed 6I6 daughter to a big framed 5175 son. The resulting bull calf looks very impressive and is sold to a commercial producer. In the resulting calf crop there are some big framed, slab sided calves, small framed calves with no butt, and everything in between. Just because a bull is a purebred, doesn't mean he will sire consistency.
There are plenty of good F1 Balancer, SimAngus, and other
- composite bulls that will sire very consistent calves; especially when the parents of the bull
are of consistent body style, frame, etc.