Keeping cross bred bulls. Tips and pics

[elkwc]

It amazes me that some of the same ones who think it is ok to use a pb bull on crossbred cows then say a person shouldn't use a crossbred bull even on pb cows.

There is a difference. It is a very important difference. A crossbred calf will exibit hybrid vigour, generally this vill give it more growth. A crossbred cow will also exibit hybrid vigour, it will give her better fertility, longevity and more milk, she will give more growth to her calf than a purebred cow can.

A calf benefits from being crossbred. It benefits from having a crossbred mother. IT DOES HOWEVER NOT BENEFIT FROM A CROSSBRED FATHER, it does not matter for hybrid vigour if the bull is crossbred or not.

There is a way of benefitting fully by crossing three breeds: two maternal breeds are crossed to produce the cow and a third breed, a terminal, is crossed on that cow for feeder calves.

If you have to choose between full hybrid vigour in the cow or in the calf, it is more important to have it in the cow, with a calf that gets full benefit of a crossbred mother and half the benefit from being crossbred himself (hybrid vigour is halved by the fact that his father has the same breed as one of the mothers parents).

Put a crossbred bull on a purebred cow of a third breed, the calf gets the same hybrid vigour it would have gotten with a purebred sire on a purebred cow of a different breed.

Put a crossbred bull on a purebred cow of the same breed as one of his parents the calf gets half of full hybrid vigour, with a mother that has no hybrid vigour.

Do you see the difference?

I've heard and read many of the theories and views on cross breeding and how it should be done. I have watched those who have done it with success for 30-40 years or longer and are not only well respected by their peers but copied because of their results. A couple of these breeders use crossbred Bulls on a regular basis with great results. Before the purchase of the Balancer bull I consulted one of these breeders for an opinion. I like opinions from those with real life experience in a similar environment to mine. Nothing you stated was new to me. Many breeders will tell you that you get similar hybrid results when crossing a heavy linebred animal an outcross bloodline within the breed and I agree. From my experience and those I talk is usually the progeny of a crossbred bull will perform as well and many times better than FB progeny.

 

[Nesikep]

That's a heifer calf. ;-) Pest (the cow) is pretty special. Not because she is a great cow, but she is really more of a pet than a cow. She's totally impossible to work around (hence the name Pest). When sorting cows the best solution is to just bait her out into the yard before you do anything else and let her roam, otherwise she is always in the way wanting attention. Call her name and show her the gate is open and she'll gladly come to you. Her hip has been bothering all last winter, the old girl seems to be getting around pretty good on pasture though. Thought she might have to turn into a yard cow, but she can move pretty quickly when she wants to. She will be one of the very few that will die here at home.

Here is Pest. This is from 2 summers ago, but that's about how she still looks.

I had one of my "pests" help me during vaccination time, I haltered her and tied her up in the crowding pen, and she was bait for the rest of them to go into it.. That was Rosie, and she had a bad hip later in life too, but yes, when she wanted to move she forgot all about it.. and for a small cow she could sure make big strides. Her she is full steam ahead.

 

[Banjo]

It would appear to me that if you have a decent cow herd and are wanting to grow it or raise replacements, then keeping a nice bull or two from your best cows would be fine......Like begets like.
Your not going to have a perfect calf crop all the time even from a purebred bull or at least I don't. There are always one or two or more dinkies. Maybe its the bulls fault or maybe its the cows fault. That's where constant culling needs to be done.