Raising your own bulls

[mrvictordomino]

Re closed herd. We always kept our own heifers but bought in bulls. Always the best we could afford with the traits we like. How do you run a fully closed herd? Sounds interesting. How do you get the diversity? I take it you are starting with very good stock.

My experience in running a true closed herd is that you need to have numbers (as in cattle not EPD's) to make it work. I currently breed 225-250 females annually. My herd has been closed to outside females since 1987 and the last bull was in 2003. All were of the same blood line but different sire lines. I had at least 5 different sire lines of the Victor Dominos when I closed. I cross sons of these bulls to daughters of other bulls to keep the consistency up and so I don't get into a corner genetically. The results of some of the crosses actually make unique combinations that are used to further the line breeding program.

 

[mrvictordomino]

In-breeding and line-breeding are somewhat the same. You call it line-breeding when it works ----- you call it in-breeding when it's a flop.

In-breeding is much closer breeding than line-breeding. A true well planned line-breeding program works. If it flops it is due to genetics not suitable to be line-breed.

 

[C-Ranch]

Ok, question for the bull breeders and experts. This year (2020) I missed banding a Red Angus x Hereford cross Bull calf. He will be a year old in Feb. I decided to sale it for freezer beef, but have been getting a lot of calls from people wanting to use it as a commercial bull. The sire is a Registered Red Angus but because I didn't track birth weight etc, I'm having a hard time wanting someone to use it to breed their cows. I especially wouldn't want them to use it on heifers since I don't know actual BW or can assure them it would be calving ease. So, what would you all do? Get a breeding exam and Trick test and let whomever use it at their own risk, or stay the course and sale as freezer beef?

 

[76 Bar]

Sharpen your knife.

 

[ismith]

Sell it to whoever will pay the most.

 

[kenny thomas]

Sell it to whoever will pay the most.

I agree. If you look around there are a lot worse bulls being used just because they are black.

 

[Buck Randall]

I agree. If you look around there are a lot worse bulls being used just because they are black.

Yep. One man's steer is another man's prize bull. As long as he's not advertised as something he isn't, let the highest bidder decide his fate.

 

[C-Ranch]

Thanks for the advice guys. I guess ill contact the Vet Monday and get the ball rolling. Worse case he ends up hamburger.

 

[cbcr]

Ok, question for the bull breeders and experts. This year (2020) I missed banding a Red Angus x Hereford cross Bull calf. He will be a year old in Feb. I decided to sale it for freezer beef, but have been getting a lot of calls from people wanting to use it as a commercial bull. The sire is a Registered Red Angus but because I didn't track birth weight etc, I'm having a hard time wanting someone to use it to breed their cows. I especially wouldn't want them to use it on heifers since I don't know actual BW or can assure them it would be calving ease. So, what would you all do? Get a breeding exam and Trick test and let whomever use it at their own risk, or stay the course and sale as freezer beef?

Another thing you could do to give you some insight is genomic test him with Neogen using the Igenity Beef Profile. This will give you information on 16 different traits and 3 different indexes.

https://www.neogen.com/igenity-beef/

 

[C-Ranch]

Another thing you could do to give you some insight is genomic test him with Neogen using the Igenity Beef Profile. This will give you information on 16 different traits and 3 different indexes.

https://www.neogen.com/igenity-beef/

Thanks