pricefarm
Well-known member
Iam looking for a new bull. I have always used Reg Angus bulls in the past. Iam think of buying either a Hereford or Simmental bull. All my cows are black or black white face. Which one would you use ?
Simmental vs Hereford Bull
- Thread starter pricefarm
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FlyingLSimmentals
Well-known member
Either breed should work well if bull selection is done well. Really depend on what you want. Hereford I'd figure will sire more white faces etc... Are we talking polled red herefords or black herefords. Fleckvieh Simmental or Purebred Black or Red Simmental. Blaze Faces etc...
A.J.
Well-known member
Either breed should get you some nice calves. They should very marketable as feeders and make some nice replacements as well. The Hereford would cross really well with them, but you will possibly get some red calves from time to time. A homo black Simmental or Simangus would get you some nice calves as well and no reds. I like red calves just fine, but they get discounted here.
Ky hills
Well-known member
I recently had a similar decision. If not for the ridiculous Hereford dock on the red calves I would have continued with Hereford bulls in our herd. Over half of our cows are Hereford and BWF, so we decided to go with a black Simmental.
pricefarm
Well-known member
Polled Hereford and Black Simmental would be what I would want.
FlyingLSimmentals
Well-known member
I would choose the Black Simmental pretty much the same reasons AJ and Ky Hills said.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
What are your goals?
pricefarm
Well-known member
To raise the heaviest weaned calf that I can that is either black or black white face so they don't get docked at the sale barn. I really don't have any plans to keep back any more replacement heifers.
Ky hills
Well-known member
That was my goal as well. We had used Hereford bulls for a few years to concentrate on some replacements. Their growth was decent but the Hereford dock was not very incentivizing so my hope is that the Simmental will add more growth and still be good for replacements if we hold any back.
If you use a Hereford bull, 50% of the bwf cows could throw red calves. Any of your black cows that aren't homozygous black could too. Use a registered Black Hereford bull that is tested homozygous for black, and all of your calves will be black baldies. Dunno about VA, but here a black baldy will bring what a black will. Or, if they like just a little bit of ear up there, a Brangus would be awesome on those cows.
Muddy
Well-known member
Black baldy sim or black Hereford bull...I prefer black Hereford if I want some replacements.
pricefarm
Well-known member
I don't know of anyone around my area that raises black Herefords. Anyone know of any breeders near southwest VA?
pricefarm
Well-known member
What should a 2 year old Hereford bull weigh on average?
I have yet to see Black Herefords that appear to have much to offer besides the black color... but there are some good options out there in either the Herfs or the Simmys. With your goal of heavy black hided weaned calves I'd say Simmental or SimAngus
gitnby
Well-known member
think thats the route im takin....red get docked here too.
gitnby
Well-known member
how would white faced sim bull work on these cattle.....for w/f calves?
Muddy
Well-known member
I've heard that white face gene from Simmental are different from the w/f gene from Hereford. Apparently sim w/f gene didn't got passed on to the offspring every time.
Lucky_P
Well-known member
"Apparently sim w/f gene didn't got passed on to the offspring every time."
I'm not sure of the inheritance, but have had, many occasions, several SimAngus cows, with full white faces, bred to a blaze faced Simmental bull drop solid black calves, or occasionally black calves with just a few white hairs here and there on their faces.
I'm not sure of the inheritance, but have had, many occasions, several SimAngus cows, with full white faces, bred to a blaze faced Simmental bull drop solid black calves, or occasionally black calves with just a few white hairs here and there on their faces.
IMO a horned Hereford is the best option. Have considered the Simmental influenced black cattle. IMO when they turned Simmentals black they lost alot of what made Simmentals a viable option. They have lost frame size and muscling and growth. Have a neighbor with a nice set of cows that used one. Our Angus and Baldy calves of the same age weigh more and sell better. We get a few red baldies but they sell right on the group with the blacks. In this area Horned Hereford sied baldies top the market.
