Travlr
Well-known member
There's some really simple things you can do to influence the sex of the calf you get. Inseminate in the horn that's not ovulating for heifers, for one. Male semen is faster but female semen lasts longer.
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Good looking little feller.
simme
Old Dumb Guy
First priority for me is to get a cow settled. For years, straws were 1/2 cc volume. Thats about 10 drops of diluted semen. Now they are 1/4 cc. Only 5 drops. I fear that placing those 5 drops of dilute semen in the non-fertile horn in order to delay its travel "back up the road" would decrease the overall success rate.
Travlr
Well-known member
It only takes one and in most cases there are hundreds (thousands?) that reach the egg. If the cow isn't breeding it's usually not a lack of sperm that is preventing conception.
Total sperm numbers per straw can be 10 x 106 total sperm.
simme
Old Dumb Guy
How many have you bred that way in your herd and what results did you get? % settled and % female calves? Any pictures of cows and condition?
Travlr
Well-known member
The last run of replacement heifers I sold was intended to be a lot of twenty, but one was injured so only nineteen were bred and all of them settled and sold.
I learned about breeding in the different horns for sex differentiation from a guy that owned a dairy and worked professionally as an AI tech. And he did all of my AI work when I was in Arkansas... with good results.
And I'm not claiming 100% success. But some of these strategies have a pretty worthwhile influence and decent results considering the effort that's involved. We were getting about 67% heifers when we bred for females and a little over 70% when we were breeding for bulls.
A far as pics, All of my pictures were taken with a camera that used film and I don't have a lot of pics of my places or my cattle. But I think I have one or two in the computer.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Simme - you might think about using OMF Epic. He is a spread bull. Moderate CE and great GROWTH.
This is an Epic out of SV Java. He is a beast. I have 2 Epic bull calves just weaned and they are a spitting image of this guy. Epic is $30 and $50 sexed.
This is an Epic out of SV Java. He is a beast. I have 2 Epic bull calves just weaned and they are a spitting image of this guy. Epic is $30 and $50 sexed.
simme
Old Dumb Guy
He is a good choice and I know he has worked well for you. I might use him a little. What I am looking for now is really hard to find - a RED simmental AI bull with good growth and good maternal traits. Near average or better for milk, docility, stay, AND maternal calving ease. Around a 6 frame. Hard to find a red one that checks most of those boxes.
I get pretty good growth to weaning. But our forages here (endophyte fescue and bermuda) just don't give as much growth post weaning (I calve in the fall) in the very hot summer weather as the forages just a few hundred miles north in a little cooler environment. There are some things to help with that here - like feed or ear blood. But, I don't want to do either.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Epic does but not RED. I have 2 red growth bulls.
LLSF Redstone
SAS Infra-Red
Great growth with frame.
Infra-Red's sire is WS All Aboard....the bull that has been identified with Hydrops. A genetic defect that started with him and has passed on to some daughters and sons. ASA discovered it ?last year? and does NOT have a DNA test for it yet. So (good thing and bad thing), we have 3 daughters that we have listed as NFS. The good part is 2 of them are RED, so they haven't been sold. We have sold 5 red heifers before weaning, with only 1 red left for sale. Have not sold any blacks yet.
So, the good is: I also still have his 2 red calves.
InfraRed has 20+ 2 yr and older daughters, and none have reported a genetic Hydrop pregnancy. I actually called a few owners and confirmed with them. I'm pretty sure he is clean, but without being able to test these calves, I won't sell them.
Great calves. Also got some great steers out of him. Defect only affects pregnancies.
LLSF Redstone
SAS Infra-Red
Great growth with frame.
Infra-Red's sire is WS All Aboard....the bull that has been identified with Hydrops. A genetic defect that started with him and has passed on to some daughters and sons. ASA discovered it ?last year? and does NOT have a DNA test for it yet. So (good thing and bad thing), we have 3 daughters that we have listed as NFS. The good part is 2 of them are RED, so they haven't been sold. We have sold 5 red heifers before weaning, with only 1 red left for sale. Have not sold any blacks yet.
So, the good is: I also still have his 2 red calves.
InfraRed has 20+ 2 yr and older daughters, and none have reported a genetic Hydrop pregnancy. I actually called a few owners and confirmed with them. I'm pretty sure he is clean, but without being able to test these calves, I won't sell them.
Great calves. Also got some great steers out of him. Defect only affects pregnancies.
redcowsrule33
Well-known member
GW Copperhead has caught my eye, but I haven't used him as he is only a halfblood. Sampled KBHR Charger on some heifers this summer.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
Jeanne, have you downsized the frame on your cattle? Some very good Simmental herds here have shorter frame bulls. Thats why the older bloodlines fill my need better. I still want my bulls tall and long. As market calves i never have one culled for being tall, only for being short.Simme - you might think about using OMF Epic. He is a spread bull. Moderate CE and great GROWTH.
This is an Epic out of SV Java. He is a beast. I have 2 Epic bull calves just weaned and they are a spitting image of this guy. Epic is $30 and $50 sexed.
You get a red bull... you know I'm gonna need to have a chance at him. Bonus points if he has a blaze face.
You the man!!!
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Kenny - I downsized my herd maybe 15 years ago. Herd was 7-8.5 frame, now 5-6 all weighing the same if not more. Lots more depth and thickness. LOVE this style of cattle. I only had the tall cattle because people showed up with a measuring tape to buy. Taller the better. I cut the legs off and kept the GOOD in them.
What are you (or feeder buyers) referring to as "small/short"? Frame 4?
What are you (or feeder buyers) referring to as "small/short"? Frame 4?
kenny thomas
Well-known member
Its more of what the buyers see. I would not consider a bull less than 6.5 because i dont want any chances of a 5 frame calf. On a feeder calf in my area there can be $1 a pound difference in a good 5.5 to 6 frame calf compared to a 5 frame. A 4 frame is hard to get a bid on here.
I totally agree that anything over a 7.5 or maybe even 7 frame isn't needed either.
You of course are doing the correct thing of producing what your customers want. Simme at this time is producing what i want so i keep returning. When he goes red i will have to reconsider. Lol
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Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
LOL - in selling breeding stock, I play heck keeping a red heifer - especially if she has white on the face. Color means nothing to me. Even on the steers. All my steers (other than some kids may pick out for show) goes to a feedlot. He buys sight unseen. Takes ANYTHING I will sell - any color. I just sold him a freemartin for same price as steers - $2.50/lb - all over 700#.
In your areas that have feedlots, if you sell thru a salebarn and a feedlot buys, can't you contact them later to see how they are performing and try to sell DIRECT to the feedlot?
In your areas that have feedlots, if you sell thru a salebarn and a feedlot buys, can't you contact them later to see how they are performing and try to sell DIRECT to the feedlot?
kenny thomas
Well-known member
Nearest feedlot to me is over 1000 miles. I sure wish i was close to one.
