Help！about choose a bull

[Jack Wolfskie]

How do I choose a bull for my cow that is better suited to her? I know that I need to know the EPDs of the bulls ，but I am not sure about the EPDs of the cows. Or how can I evaluate my cows.
Looking forward to your reply, thanks!

 

[aprille218]

Are your cows registered? If so what's the number and breed? If not can you take pictures of them and give some insight on what you want to improve on.

 

[bird dog]

You can only evaluate your cows from the experience you have with them. Half my cows are from my stock, so I know them and their mothers. The other half are sale barn buys where I know nothing.
So my conclusion is to buy a good looking bull that has most of his EPD's in the average range. No extremes. I want moderation to even things out and hopefully avoid a train wreck.

 

[Travlr]

How do I choose a bull for my cow that is better suited to her? I know that I need to know the EPDs of the bulls ，but I am not sure about the EPDs of the cows. Or how can I evaluate my cows.
Looking forward to your reply, thanks!

One cow?

Post a good (I said GOOD) picture of your cow from the side, front, and rear, and we can critique her.

Do you know what kinds of flaws there are in feet and udders? Those are things that may hide even in good pictures.

 

[Jack Wolfskie]

Are your cows registered? If so what's the number and breed? If not can you take pictures of them and give some insight on what you want to improve on.

Thanks for the reply.
No registration. I'm in China.
My cows are crossbred Simmental.
Currently, I choose AI and what I'm actually going to ask is how to choose a bull's semen. How to choose the right semen based on EPD.

 

[Jack Wolfskie]

You can only evaluate your cows from the experience you have with them. Half my cows are from my stock, so I know them and their mothers. The other half are sale barn buys where I know nothing.
So my conclusion is to buy a good looking bull that has most of his EPD's in the average range. No extremes. I want moderation to even things out and hopefully avoid a train wreck.

Great. That's a solid way.You must have a lot of confidence in your herd.

 

[Jack Wolfskie]

One cow?

Post a good (I said GOOD) picture of your cow from the side, front, and rear, and we can critique her.

Do you know what kinds of flaws there are in feet and udders? Those are things that may hide even in good pictures.

Thanks for the reply. The herd is about 100 head. My herd is crossbred Simmental and some Charolais. I'll post pictures in a few days. I know nothing about beef cattle breeding.

 

[Travlr]

Thanks for the reply. The herd is about 100 head. My herd is crossbred Simmental and some Charolais. I'll post pictures in a few days. I know nothing about beef cattle breeding.

Well take some good side pictures of your best cow and your worst, and post them. Then tell us why you think each is either the best or worst. This will give us a clue about how knowledgeable you are and we can start from there on evaluating what you have.

EPDs are great tools but you really need to be able to evaluate an individual cow to select bulls that will solve their problems and enhance their strengths.

And you are in China? What an amazing country. I had a great time there in 2004 and brought home some wonderful memories. I'd be interested in some pictures of your landscape in case those kinds of questions come up. What kind of forage are you working with? How many cows do you run per acre?

 

[billyB]

If meat quality is desired you should try some Wagyu Semen on at least part of your herd. Depends on your market and goals. Finish time takes longer, but the price you can get for the processed meat is much higher. Here in the USA, it brings about 30% more than prime Angus beef and finishing cost is no more and likely less to get grade prime or above prime. About 75% of the offspring will have some or all of the quality of Wagyu beef. Yield is about the same too. Expect processing age to be 22 to 26 months. You'll want to hold back the finishing time to that. I generally take them up to 1300-1400 lbs. live weight.

 

[Jack Wolfskie]

If meat quality is desired you should try some Wagyu Semen on at least part of your herd. Depends on your market and goals. Finish time takes longer, but the price you can get for the processed meat is much higher. Here in the USA, it brings about 30% more than prime Angus beef and finishing cost is no more and likely less to get grade prime or above prime. About 75% of the offspring will have some or all of the quality of Wagyu beef. Yield is about the same too. Expect processing age to be 22 to 26 months. You'll want to hold back the finishing time to that. I generally take them up to 1300-1400 lbs. live weight.

Thanks for the reply! Compared with the US, China's beef cattle industry is relatively backward. Currently, most beef cattle farmers in China are improving the growth rate and meat yield of beef cattle. Meat quality is also considered, but it is of secondary importance.

 

[Jack Wolfskie]

好吧，拍一些你最好的牛和你最坏的牛的好侧面照片，并发布它们。然后告诉我们为什么你认为每一个都是最好的或最差的。这将使我们了解您的知识渊博程度，我们可以从那里开始评估您拥有的内容。

EPD是很好的工具，但你真的需要能够评估一头奶牛，以选择能够解决他们的问题并增强他们优势的公牛。

你在中国？多么神奇的国家。2004年我在那里度过了一段美好的时光，带回了一些美好的回忆。我会对你的风景的一些照片感兴趣，以防出现这类问题。您正在使用哪种草料？你每英亩跑多少头奶牛？

That's great! Which city in China did you go to? Tomorrow, I'll go to the ranch and take some pictures of the cows and other animals for you.

 

[StrojanHerefords]

How hard is it to get genetics into China? My advice would be to purchase semen directly from the breeder.

 

[Travlr]

That's great! Which city in China did you go to? Tomorrow, I'll go to the ranch and take some pictures of the cows and other animals for you.

It was a tour. Went to Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai. I got to hike on the Great Wall, see the terra cotta warriors, and visit the Royal Palace. Partied at a Hard Rock Cafe with a bunch of drunk Russian sailors. Saw all kinds of things that we don't see in the States. Culture shock, but very interesting and enjoyable. Great people, lots of humor, and wonderful food.

What city are you close to?