Shorthorn AI sire help

[frieghttrain]

Watch your heifers carefully we used TC Thunder with 17 CED and our heifers calved like this two 10 two 11 one 15 days early. I's this just this bull or is it the more calving ease they have the more early they calve? They will be small alright to small for me but you're right number 1 priority is a live calf. Joe

 

[Son of Butch]

is it the more calving ease they have the more early they calve?

Generally yes.
When you buy a calving ease bull you are buying a shorter gestation period, usually a few days less than breed average.
Rule of thumb.
calving ease = lower birth weights = fewer days in gestation
higher birth weights = gestation period longer than breed average

 

[Lucky_P]

Short gestation time probably does play a significant role with regard to CED for some sires, but body shape also is important. Easier for a heifer to deliver a 60 lb snake than a 60 lb bowling ball.

Used, with good success, for a number of years, a Shorthorn sire with very high CED... his average gestation length is 271 days; small, slender calves, easily born - I'm comfortable using that one on virtually ANY heifer.
Some years back, we used an Angus bull that was noted for high CED/low BW... and those calves usually just fell out looking like a drowned rabbit... about 2 weeks early... but they'd get up and nurse quickly - and if you monkeyed with them within the first 24 hrs, after they got dry, they'd run a mile away.
But, the first calf we had by that bull was out of a mature cow - and it was big, dead, 108 lb heifer. You've also gotta be cognizant of what's behind the cow... if she's got big BW close up in her ancestry, it can show up when you're not expecting it.

 

[frieghttrain]

is it the more calving ease they have the more early they calve?

Generally yes.
When you buy a calving ease bull you are buying a shorter gestation period, usually a few days less than breed average.
Rule of thumb.
calving ease = lower birth weights = fewer days in gestation
higher birth weights = gestation period longer than breed average

Okay that's what I thought our heifers don't need calving ease that high. Joe

 

[tamarack]

A red roan heifer calf off a Australian sire

 

[Son of Butch]

Yeah, my first priority is to get a live calf. If I can't get a live calf from one of the best calving ease bulls from the best calving ease breed, I might as well take up golf!

Excellent point and well said woodswalker :nod: I'm going to have to remember that line.

 

[Draper]

Anybody have any thoughts on going with a white bull? Aren't they homozygous for roaning? Would that give me better odds of roan calves?

Nope. 50% roan, 50% solid.

WRONG! White bulls are homozygous roan and will throw a Roan or double roan every single time. A white SH bull will never throw a solid red calf

 

[redcowsrule33]

Did I say solid RED? No. A white bull on roan heifers (which the OP had) would be either roan or white (double roan). A white bull will throw 100% roan on solid red heifers.