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<blockquote data-quote="Dylan Biggs" data-source="post: 830795" data-attributes="member: 14282"><p>Jeanne, good reply.</p><p></p><p>You say,</p><p></p><p>"If I think my cows are perfect, I might as well quit being a breeder."</p><p></p><p>I assume this is an acknowledgement that there is always room for improvement. </p><p></p><p>You then say, "So, on your comment "my experience has been that finding all of those in one package is almost impossible". I don't think it is impossible.".</p><p></p><p>Are you saying with every bull you use and raise there is nothing you would change? If so good for you.</p><p></p><p>If this is the case then it makes your selection much easier than mine because I have yet after 27 years not used a bull yet that didn't force me to compromise on one thing or another from the list above.</p><p></p><p>Now if the bulls you have been using, for how ever long it has been that your bulls have been the complete package, why is there anything left to improve with your cows?</p><p></p><p>There seems to be a contradiction in your reply.</p><p></p><p>Depending on ones goals and guidelines it may well be that one has "arrived" with their cattle so to speak, and relative to those goals and guidelines nothing needs to be tweeked, to use your word.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>In the process of getting to the point where only very minor tweeking is all that is required, along the way I assume you made decisions with sire selection where you didn't get every thing you wanted in one bull and so my question relative to that process still remains, "what were you willing to<strong><em> compromise</em></strong> from the list of functional maternal traits listed and what <strong><em> system</em></strong> in terms of accessing degree of specific trait improvement required vs degree of specific trait compromise you were prepared to risk, <strong><em>did you employ?".</em></strong> As an accomplished breeder I am sure this will be simple for you to answer.</p><p></p><p>Regarding your comment "?? guess my cows are plenty attentive - never considered this an issue", in response to maternal attentiveness this may not be an issue for you for a number of reasons. Over the last 16 years I have had the opportunity to speak with cattle producers across Canada, in Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana. From 13,000 head cow herds to 50 head cow herds, at the very least 1200 producers and without exception cows that lose track of there calves in the process of herd moves resulting in calf and cow run backs is an issue. Probably one of the biggest challenges cow calf producer face when it comes to handling.</p><p>So you certainly are an exception. Small herd sizes and small acreages can ameliorate some of these challenges, as can calving season. Lots of ranches in the west range calve and as such move pairs from day olds and up, and the younger the calves the greater the challenge. So if your calves are already 4 months old before going to pasture staying mothered during a move is not near the challenge. Jeanne, I have no idea if you have ever moved hundreds of pairs down the road through multiple gates, 6, 7, or 8 miles away with calves that are averaging month and a half to 2 months old, but if you have, with out ever having to stop to mother up because of a lapse in maternal attentiveness then I would be curious to hear the details. :tiphat:</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dylan Biggs, post: 830795, member: 14282"] Jeanne, good reply. You say, "If I think my cows are perfect, I might as well quit being a breeder." I assume this is an acknowledgement that there is always room for improvement. You then say, "So, on your comment "my experience has been that finding all of those in one package is almost impossible". I don't think it is impossible.". Are you saying with every bull you use and raise there is nothing you would change? If so good for you. If this is the case then it makes your selection much easier than mine because I have yet after 27 years not used a bull yet that didn't force me to compromise on one thing or another from the list above. Now if the bulls you have been using, for how ever long it has been that your bulls have been the complete package, why is there anything left to improve with your cows? There seems to be a contradiction in your reply. Depending on ones goals and guidelines it may well be that one has "arrived" with their cattle so to speak, and relative to those goals and guidelines nothing needs to be tweeked, to use your word. In the process of getting to the point where only very minor tweeking is all that is required, along the way I assume you made decisions with sire selection where you didn't get every thing you wanted in one bull and so my question relative to that process still remains, "what were you willing to[b][i] compromise[/i][/b] from the list of functional maternal traits listed and what [b][i] system[/i][/b] in terms of accessing degree of specific trait improvement required vs degree of specific trait compromise you were prepared to risk, [b][i]did you employ?".[/i][/b] As an accomplished breeder I am sure this will be simple for you to answer. Regarding your comment "?? guess my cows are plenty attentive - never considered this an issue", in response to maternal attentiveness this may not be an issue for you for a number of reasons. Over the last 16 years I have had the opportunity to speak with cattle producers across Canada, in Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana. From 13,000 head cow herds to 50 head cow herds, at the very least 1200 producers and without exception cows that lose track of there calves in the process of herd moves resulting in calf and cow run backs is an issue. Probably one of the biggest challenges cow calf producer face when it comes to handling. So you certainly are an exception. Small herd sizes and small acreages can ameliorate some of these challenges, as can calving season. Lots of ranches in the west range calve and as such move pairs from day olds and up, and the younger the calves the greater the challenge. So if your calves are already 4 months old before going to pasture staying mothered during a move is not near the challenge. Jeanne, I have no idea if you have ever moved hundreds of pairs down the road through multiple gates, 6, 7, or 8 miles away with calves that are averaging month and a half to 2 months old, but if you have, with out ever having to stop to mother up because of a lapse in maternal attentiveness then I would be curious to hear the details. :tiphat: [/QUOTE]
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