starting a new herd
- Thread starter mccabe226
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ga.prime
Well-known member
Either one sounds good to me, just make sure you're selling black calves. 
ga.prime
Well-known member
I think either would work very well. I'd go with whichever offered the best local selection of brood cows and bulls.
jscunn
Well-known member
Personally think you are better off with the Angus x Hereford cow and the Gelb bull. Easier to find quality Angus x baldies than Gel X baldies. Where are you located?
Get some good Hereford cows and put a homozygous black Gelbvieh bull on them. The heifers would make great rep[lacements and would have great calfs if they were bred to an Angus. The calf crops would be black and should ring the bell at sale time.
hillbillycwo
Well-known member
Mccabe,
I have a fewMurray Grey crosses and have an angus bull on them. They have thrown some nice calves but they areall grey but one. The heifers are going to be kept for replacements and one of the girls is going to my freezer. (she only has one eye) The steers are going to the market and I anticipate a discounted price because they aren't black. These cows really grow the babies so I am going to try a Gelbvieh homogoonous black bull to try to get the black on the calves. Correct me please if I have that messed up. Bottom line I like these cows and their maternal aspects. Gentle to handle but will get your tail for a few days over their new borns.
I have a fewMurray Grey crosses and have an angus bull on them. They have thrown some nice calves but they areall grey but one. The heifers are going to be kept for replacements and one of the girls is going to my freezer. (she only has one eye) The steers are going to the market and I anticipate a discounted price because they aren't black. These cows really grow the babies so I am going to try a Gelbvieh homogoonous black bull to try to get the black on the calves. Correct me please if I have that messed up. Bottom line I like these cows and their maternal aspects. Gentle to handle but will get your tail for a few days over their new borns.
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
are you selling all these and starting over fresh?mccabe226":13c0st03 said:
randiliana
Well-known member
hillbillycwo":1mvlxnzt said:
Doesn't matter whether you use a homo black bull or not, you will never get all black calves. You have 2 different genes at work, the black/red gene and the dilution/non-dilution ones. Black/red determines the base coat color of the animal, Grey = Black, Tan = Red. The dilution gene works in addition to the base coat color, and it is a dominant gene, which means that if one parent passes a copy of the dilution gene on, you will have either a grey or tan calf. If your cow is homo for the dilution gene, she will always have a grey calf. If she is hetero she will have a grey calf 50% of the time.
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
i used a homozygous black on red simmental/brahman F1'S and got 2 calf crops of 100% black calves other than a blaze face on a couple,,,
randiliana
Well-known member
ALACOWMAN":1ws2jrnm said:
Yes, well, those cows wouldn't have been carrying the dilution gene. These Murray Grey cows all do. All the calves would have a black base coat, just that the dilution gene would turn most of them grey.
rodhoare
New member
Hi
Just a comment on colour in Murray Greys.
We used to avoid breeding grey to grey (heterozygotes for the diluent gene) because 1/4 calves will be black.
Now that black MGs are allowed to be registered and shown in Australia we have been breeding without worrying about colour and taking what pops out. Therefore we have now got a number of black bulls and females.
Black MG bulls are in good demand as an alternative to Angus for cross breeding because of better their temperaments. A lot of our sales are to Hereford breeders.
Just a comment on colour in Murray Greys.
We used to avoid breeding grey to grey (heterozygotes for the diluent gene) because 1/4 calves will be black.
Now that black MGs are allowed to be registered and shown in Australia we have been breeding without worrying about colour and taking what pops out. Therefore we have now got a number of black bulls and females.
Black MG bulls are in good demand as an alternative to Angus for cross breeding because of better their temperaments. A lot of our sales are to Hereford breeders.
Well, if you're in Ohio, you could stop by and pick up a nice set of 2 & 3 year old Herefords that are running with an Angus bull. That would give you black baldies in the spring and you could decide next year what bull to put with the cows. Or just buy the bull, too, and start breeding your crossbreds to a good bull.
hillbillycwo
Well-known member
Randi Thanks for the information. Guess now I gotta think on things and rework or should I say restart my goals.
randiliana
Well-known member
You're welcome.hillbillycwo":3ksa9n5u said:
Jake
Well-known member
As a culmination of past topics whichever basebreed you start will your best bet to create a highly marketable product is to be able to use a homo black bull on cows that do not carry a diluter. Grey calves WILL take a dock in northern sale barns if you have 5 greys or rats your looking at a significant loss compared to the rest of the calf crop. At least to me "cool" or "colorful" is not worth losing me money.
