SimAngus bull consistency?

[ismith]

Has anyone here used a SimAngus bull on their cows? Wondering how consistent their calves tend to be as apposed to using a purebred bull.

 

[kenny thomas]

I'm using one now. Calves are very consistent except for the color. I have some spotted cows that the spot gene comes through. But love the bull.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Yes. They are popular here.

I have always had less consistent calves with cross bred bulls. I don't know how it could be otherwise, unless your cows were also sim Angus.

Sim Angus calves are "nice", but they will give you more variation in white markings and size and shape than purebreds. How much is more will depend a lot on what your cows are.

I also used Lim Flex bulls for a period. The physical variation here was more stark than Sim Angus. Some calves had a framy lean muscular limi look, others looked much more Angus. That said, I had better calving and mothering results with Limi Xs than with Simi Xs.

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

I use a SimAngus bull as my clean up bull and most of my cows are some percentage of Simmental and Angus. I'd say that my calves are incredibly consistent. However, I have a very strict breeding program. I breed using cow families and not just a bull. The key to consistency is to maintain it. I research cow families and use bulls from proven families only. They MUST have a phenotype that I want, and it better have been transmitted through many generations.

Consistency is possible, but you need to put in the time to achieve it, maintain it, and it can't be achieved by looking at EPDs only.

Hope this helps without sounding like preaching.

 

[A.J.]

My last two bulls have been Simangus, and the calves have grown out pretty consistent out of mostly crossbred cows. I plan to stay this route when it comes time to purchase another bull.

 

[Silver]

Achieving evenness is up to the breeder not the breed IMO. We use many cross bred bulls (Simmental / RA) on cross bred cows, our steers sold in two cuts this year.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

I agree with Silver about achierving eveness in the herd in that like begets like. Have a nearby (6mi) who raises Sim Ang , nice calves but
too big for my taste, allbeit they are very good.