OCC bulls pros vs cons

[Colorado greenhorn]

Bought a couple canes of OCC Big Time last year along with 5 straws of OCC Accolade and OCC Thumper and OCC Best Yet but ended up not using them. Considering using them this coming breeding season in my fall program.Your experiences are appreciated

 

[BFE]

According to some on here you have to watch the feet on OCC stock. I've only had one experience, bought an older bull one time as a backup plan late in the season. Only had one calf from him, from a cow I left with him to keep him company. Good thing I didn't have to use him more, I was not crazy about the bull's feet. Whale of a bull everywhere else, but a house ain't much good without a foundation.

 

[Ebenezer]

My experience and from others who have used them and other herds: watch feet, look at EPDs- CEM as a lot of herd sires historically are negative, watch YH as that will give you a lot of small framed calves, know DOC, not all will mature small but some will never be able to overcome small and others will get too big, cows that fatten too much while young will become barren too soon, ... like a lot of herds if there are any others out there that concentrate bloodlines. I am down to one bull that I will use AI that is an OCC bull. He does not breed true to the OCC type and provides useful outcross here. He seems to follow the background outside cow line and not the sire lines. There are likely other bulls to use that will work good but I do not want questionable traits such s fuzzy hair costs in summer... One time use in an animal is enough for me and then linecross.

 

[jdg]

Agree with the above comments. Many of them make good terminal grass finishing type offspring. Fewer bloodlines will leave you daughters that might make it to your your grandma pen. This is admittedly more second hand than first hand experience...but I've been in quite a few herds.

 

[Katpau]

The Thumper bull belonged to my friend and neighbor. He was out with a large group of commercial cows for a number of years. I remember the calves as thick and attractive. He was not a heifer bull. Calves were good size. I don't know how many daughters he kept or how they did. I will have to ask him. It has been quite a few years. The bull was born in the fall of 2007, so not on cows until Spring 2009. His oldest daughters would be 13.

 

[T Farms]

Bought a couple canes of OCC Big Time last year along with 5 straws of OCC Accolade and OCC Thumper and OCC Best Yet but ended up not using them. Considering using them this coming breeding season in my fall program.Your experiences are appreciated

I have a Best Yet son, nice size and thick, positive CEM plus 70lb YW. excellent calves. I have a bull that a half-brother to Best Yet from Work of Art, same thing except the bull a touch taller. Also have a Legacy son from the same Dixie Erica 730W dam which is a Rear End daughter. I have had no problems. For replacements we try to keep the genetic ancestry traced back to Tim's Dixie Erica of CH 1019, she is the ideal mama phenotype. from experience one thing I would not use is PCC bulls, to many dink calves that won't hold up in severe northern winters. Pharo went too far with the frame downsizing.

 

[BritishWhiteGal]

I feel like they tend to be post legged, like every one else I say really watch the feet.

 

[Colorado greenhorn]

I have a Best Yet son, nice size and thick, positive CEM plus 70lb YW. excellent calves. I have a bull that a half-brother to Best Yet from Work of Art, same thing except the bull a touch taller. Also have a Legacy son from the same Dixie Erica 730W dam which is a Rear End daughter. I have had no problems. For replacements we try to keep the genetic ancestry traced back to Tim's Dixie Erica of CH 1019, she is the ideal mama phenotype. from experience one thing I would not use is PCC bulls, to many dink calves that won't hold up in severe northern winters. Pharo went too far with the frame downsizing.

I've seen Pharo cattle as they are based within a couple hours of me and I agree they are too small although Kit Pharo is a hell of a promoter

 

[Farm Family]

Cannot comment specifically on the OCC bulls you mention but some of our favourite cow lines have OCC genetics running in the back ground or directly.

BC Lookout 7024 is an OCC Legend…love our Lookout cows. They handle stress and maintain fleshing abilities on low inputs. Not overly huge but by no means small cattle. Ideal moderately framed angus.

Have an OCC Legend cow that is now 8 years old and she is as solid and sure as they come. She is smaller framed but raises them up right and gets the job done with minimal inputs. When feed is tight and cattle rationed and/or we are going through a hard winter she doesn't skip a beat and remains fleshy.

No SAV Checkmate daughters in production yet but calves sure are nice and demonstrate those OCC growth patterns…OCC Paxton is running in the background on those.

What works in some herds is a fail in others…these are our experiences as they apply to OCC genetics.
The OCC Legend cow last fall.

 

[BFE]

Cannot comment specifically on the OCC bulls you mention but some of our favourite cow lines have OCC genetics running in the back ground or directly.

BC Lookout 7024 is an OCC Legend…love our Lookout cows. They handle stress and maintain fleshing abilities on low inputs. Not overly huge but by no means small cattle. Ideal moderately framed angus.

Have an OCC Legend cow that is now 8 years old and she is as solid and sure as they come. She is smaller framed but raises them up right and gets the job done with minimal inputs. When feed is tight and cattle rationed and/or we are going through a hard winter she doesn't skip a beat and remains fleshy.

No SAV Checkmate daughters in production yet but calves sure are nice and demonstrate those OCC growth patterns…OCC Paxton is running in the background on those.

What works in some herds is a fail in others…these are our experiences as they apply to OCC genetics. View attachment 33697
The OCC Legend cow last fall.

I forgot about Lookout, he was a widely used bull and for good reason. He made them thick, and really put the guts on the Simmentals.

I had a son who was a tank. I would use Lookout again.

 

[Farm Family]

Agreed BC Lookout was used in many Simmental herds I know. Definitely added volume and dimension. I think he even softened and extended those front ends…I know our Lookouts are very smooth made through the front end.

 

[GoWyo]

I have a couple of Lookout daughters (one is 10 this year and has something wrong with her back, so she will be culled after I wean her calf). I also had a Lookout son that I raised and used until he was 7 years old and got a stifle injury. His daughters have done very well here. They all have a classic Angus look with nice heads and beautiful udders. Feet have been pretty good until they hit 9-10 years old. Easy fleshing and hold up in short feed conditions.

 

[Farm Family]

This is the OCC Legend cow with her calf yesterday! For a smaller framed cow she knocks it out of the park every single year! At least imo…Grows them big and thick. Thought I would share since I had posted another pic of her in this thread earlier.

 

[mayesfarm]

My sons spent the afternoon riding through the OCC fall calving herd last Saturday with Tim. They were impressed with the uniformity of the herd, when I asked what they looked like, the answer was "like they just print copies!" They report slick hair, very deep bodies and fleshing ability that we are not used to in the southeast. They also said that there are a lot of grandma cows (10-15 yr old) in his herd that looks like 5 year olds. They have to have pretty good running gear to get that old. I have used some of his bulls AI in my commercial herd over the years with no problems what so ever.

 

[elkwc]

Have seen a lot of their genetics. Have a little in the background of a few. From what I've seen and those I've talked too short frame size and low growth are 2 areas of concern and reasons they have either quit using them or use them on a limited basis. Have been told there are a few outliers that have more frame size and growth. Have a neighbor who bought one from their sale. So have seen some direct from Ohlde's. Many have been breeders who use their genetics. I only know of one breeder in this region still using their genetics up close. Some like a little in the background. What works for one doesn't for another. They are good cattle if they fit your needs. Have heard they work well if finishing on grass. Not as well if feeding in a feedlot. I have to raise what my buyers desire and need pounds. So we have only sampled their genetics but they didn't work for us.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

BC Lookout is Bill Conley's bull. Bill has my kind of cattle. Deep, soggy, sound structured cattle.

 

[GoWyo]

In feedlot some of them can be little fat butter balls at 1100#. They generally don't PAP very well so not good at elevation, though there are some that do ok. I raised a Lookout son that left some good daughters here and have a couple Lookout daughters that have raised good progeny, but they need to be bred to something with some growth.