highest bw on "big name bulls"

[Anguscollegekid]

Does anyone know what the highest birth weight has been on the big name bulls? I believe Saugahatchee was 110 but other than that I don't know of many others. Are there any major A.I. sires out there in the Angus breed, or has there been, over 95# Birth weights?

 

[Brandonm2]

I don't know about "major AI sires" but if you peruse the AI catalogs you can find a few......not many (as it is generally viewed as a negative characteristic). Genex has at least one.

Southern Bando posted a 100 lb actual birth weight
http://genex.crinet.com/beef/index.php? ... 96&lang=EN

ABS does as well:
GDAR SVF TRAVELER 234D posted a 108 lb actual weight
http://abs-bs.absglobal.com/beef/angus. ... o=29AN1524

and Woodhill Foresight has a 98 lb birth weight
http://abs-bs.absglobal.com/beef/angus. ... o=29AN1589

and G A R 6807 TRAVELER 4144 at 100 pounds
http://abs-bs.absglobal.com/beef/angus. ... o=29AN1538

It will take somebody with more knowledge of and/or patience in Select Sires' goofy online interface to find it there; but I am sure they have one or more too.

 

[KMacGinley]

Are you talking about highest actual, in real life birthweight or highest reported birthweight? :)

 

[Aero]

we think a lot alike K :)

 

[SEC]

234D was an ET calf.

 

[salemhigh]

i know of many bulls that have a 80 or 85 on birth weight ,then you breed your commercial cows to them and end up with 120 weights, so im wondering how many birth weights are guessed rather than scaled.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

i know of many bulls that have a 80 or 85 on birth weight ,then you breed your commercial cows to them and end up with 120 weights, so im wondering how many birth weights are guessed rather than scaled.

salemhigh-

One factor to consider is what the physiological BW potential would be of the commerecial cows you are using! Not being purebred, I would imagine that they did not have recorded EPD's, - BUT - they have the characteristics nevertheless! . . and that must be considered in the mix. Too big is too big!

DOC HARRIS

 

[Frankie]

We pay very little attention to a bull's actual weight. That can vary according to conditions: calves born in the spring are usually heaver than those born in the fall. Calves born in the north are generally bigger than similar calves born in the southern US. Some people feed their bred cows more than others, etc. The BW and CE EPDs are the things we pay attention to when it comes to selecting a bull for heifers. When we're looking for bulls to AI our mature cows, we shy away from any bull that's going to give the calf a BW EPD of 5 or more. Commercial bull buyers just don't seem to like that #.

 

[Brandonm2]

i know of many bulls that have a 80 or 85 on birth weight ,then you breed your commercial cows to them and end up with 120 weights, so im wondering how many birth weights are guessed rather than scaled.

Yes, it is kind of funny to sort the list for highest birth weight EPD, expecting THOSE bulls to also have the highest actuals and then click on the bull's page and see 85. I won't say that is NOT accurate; but it is pretty peculiar.

 

[oakcreekfarms]

Like frankie said BW vary to much from herd to herd. Those 110lb BW are too heavy, yet if they ratio'd 95% within that herd then BW in those conditions on those cows was acceptable. However if that is the case you might want to check the size of the cows those bulls came from. Their size and frame may not be what you want to breed into your herd.

 

[Aero]

The BW and CE EPDs are the things we pay attention to when it comes to selecting a bull for heifers.

i assume BW ratios hold some weight with you?

 

[Frankie]

The BW and CE EPDs are the things we pay attention to when it comes to selecting a bull for heifers.

i assume BW ratios hold some weight with you?

All info has weight, but ratios don't carry as much weight as CE and BW EPDs and pedigree.

 

[oakcreekfarms]

ratios are what determines the epd's. So that comment really doesn't fit in my opinion

 

[Anguscollegekid]

You obviously select off CE and BW EPDs as they are much more accurate, but I just wonder how heavy a birthweight could be on a bull, if he had everything else going for him, to still make it big. At what point would the semen companies (or big name breeders with a lot of money to spend) say, "that's too high." Then again, typically a high birthweight will have a higher BW epd too.

 

[Aero]

All info has weight, but ratios don't carry as much weight as CE and BW EPDs and pedigree.

i assume you understand that ratios heavily impact BW and CED EPDs on young animals... right?

 

[SEC]

let's not get to "holier than thou"

I am sure through time we have all had a calf that was moderate in birth and yet had a high bwt EPD.

Anyways, seldom do you find a bull that will consistently sire calves that average 110-20lbs at birth. More times than not a sire will be very erractic which will leave him with a poor score in CE and higher BWT EPD.

Some will just simply ratio over the herd average and not be that heavy at all. At our place this year we had 3 or 4 calves over 100 lbs, the most ever. Not sure how come as we limit feed the cows prior to calving. It takes a fair bit of not feeding to affect the bwt though.


Besides all of this nonsense anyone who has been in cattle for a while will realize that 100 lbs out of a 1400lb cow is just what she is supposed to have at 7% of her body weight.

How about those calves that are born with extra frame and length yet not heavy boned?

 

[Frankie]

All info has weight, but ratios don't carry as much weight as CE and BW EPDs and pedigree.

i assume you understand that ratios heavily impact BW and CED EPDs on young animals... right?

Yes. But since we generally don't AI to young bulls, it's less important than actual EPDs.

 

[Anguscollegekid]

So if you were going to buy a new bull for your herd, would his birthweight matter? How high is acceptable? How high of a BW EPD would you tolerate for a cleanup bull and an AI sire for your herd?

 

[Aero]

Yes. But since we generally don't AI to young bulls, it's less important than actual EPDs.

very good statement.

 

[oakcreekfarms]

Progeny ratios are the ONLY thing that BW epd is determined by. Now if you are talking about individual performance ratios, I can see where you are coming from.