I no longer discuss limousin because all of my experience with them has been negative. When we decided to start using x-bred continental and british cows we went through a period of studying a number of breeds and herds. We finally settled on Gelbvieh and or Simmenthal. Disposition, fertility and milk along with moderate size, early puberty and able to do the job on grass. But generally, with no breeds being mentioned, a two year old bull that only weighs 1200 pounds isn't a herd bull prospect. The bulls birth weight can be an indicator of expected BW but too much depends on the management of the cow for it to really be reliable. EPDs are the best tool we have today for predicting BW, YW, WW, etc. Remember too, the bull is only less then half of the BW. Crossbreeding will add a little, herd managment, and the cows on BW EPD all enter in to it. We have a skinny little old cow that always drops a pretty large calf and a 1400 cow that has little 65 pound calves even when both a bred to the same bull. We only keep the big cow around because she routinely weans the heaviest calf and she is also fat as a pig even on poor pasture, and fertile as can be. Also she is a great guard cow. The term "first calf heifer" is redundant, she is either a heifer or if she's calved she's a cow. Now that I've adequatly irritated everyone.....................
dunmovin farms
> If they have a calf by their side,
> then they are at least two years
> old, and are not considered
> first-calf heifers. The calf by
> their side MAY be their first
> calf, but it has no bearing on
> anything now, unless you might
> want to learn just what their
> birth experience was. For a two
> year old bull, he is doing quite
> well.... can you find out how much
> he weighed when he was born? That
> may or may not be an issue, since
> your cows aren't first calf
> heifers. I wouldn't think that you
> would have any problems on a
> Limo-cross breeding. When my dad
> started breeding with Limousin
> bulls, he was impressed with the
> small, vigourous calf that
> IMMEDIATELY starting growing when
> it hit the ground, or so it
> seemed. Calving ease was a big
> factor for going toward Limousins.
> I am not sure how much the birth
> weight of your bull bears on
> anything.... to find that out, I
> would ask dunmovin'.... although,
> he seems to be an Angus man...
> don't hold it against him....lol