DiamondSCattleCo
Well-known member
Randy Kaiser from Kaiser's Celtic Cattle (http://www.kaiserscelticcattle.com/) blew on his little horn a couple years back, and like the rat that I am, I decided to follow him off the cliff and give Welsh Black bulls a try around here. I'm only about 1/4 done, but to put it simply: I am impressed.
These calves are without a doubt the brightest I've ever had on the place. (edit: These are the brightest calves I've ever seen, period) Over the years, I've bred to Angus, Maine, Red/Black Simm and Shorthorn. Low BWs, High BWs, calving ease bulls, terminal bulls. And none are anywhere near as hardy and quick to start as these hided brutes are. I thought I was going to have some troubles this year because I'd shaved some corners on mineral, but thus far I'm not having any trouble at all. Quite the opposite.
I chose a little smaller BW bull, because I didn't like how much space I saw between the bulls eyes, but I really didn't need to. My birthweights are off by 10lbs lower, leaving me with 80-90lb birthweights, but these calves are just being spit out with no effort at all. Case in point was 4am morning: I walked out to do a calf check and a water bag was _just_ showing. I figured "great, I'll toss some bedding down in the barn, walk the cow in and I won't have to drag a calf in the sleigh. In the time it took me to walk to the barn, toss a bale of straw in, kick it around a bit, have a smoke and go back (about 10 minutes), that cow had laid down and dropped a 93lb heifer calf.
When I get a chance, I'll snap a couple pics and post them, but these are good solid calves. And very thick hided. Ideal calves for my Northern Sask winters. A couple nights ago, I got fooled by a cow and did my last check at 3am. I decided to grab a couple hours snooze time, and didn't get back out until 7am. There was a little 80lb popsicle laying beside mom, with frozen afterbirth on its ears (it went down to -24C that night). The calf wasn't shivering (not usually a good sign) and thought for sure I was going to lose some ear, but I ran them in, hair dried the ears quick, and the calf is no worse for wear. He was up and sucking an hour later.
About the only thing that confuses me a bit is the odd colors I'm getting. Breeding to my blacks, I'm getting blacks of course. But my red roans are showing me nothing but black roans, which is a little odd. Usually a red roan crossed with a black nets you a red or a black, with the OCCASIONAL black/blue roan. And the oddest coloring of all: My traditional Simm/Shorthorn cross cows, whether they be red blazes or roans, are giving me grey calves (no rat tails). Very odd indeed.
Anyway, I'll post more about them as the year drags on. But for those looking for a good black cross to your existing cows, I think you should definitely grab a close look.
Rod
These calves are without a doubt the brightest I've ever had on the place. (edit: These are the brightest calves I've ever seen, period) Over the years, I've bred to Angus, Maine, Red/Black Simm and Shorthorn. Low BWs, High BWs, calving ease bulls, terminal bulls. And none are anywhere near as hardy and quick to start as these hided brutes are. I thought I was going to have some troubles this year because I'd shaved some corners on mineral, but thus far I'm not having any trouble at all. Quite the opposite.
I chose a little smaller BW bull, because I didn't like how much space I saw between the bulls eyes, but I really didn't need to. My birthweights are off by 10lbs lower, leaving me with 80-90lb birthweights, but these calves are just being spit out with no effort at all. Case in point was 4am morning: I walked out to do a calf check and a water bag was _just_ showing. I figured "great, I'll toss some bedding down in the barn, walk the cow in and I won't have to drag a calf in the sleigh. In the time it took me to walk to the barn, toss a bale of straw in, kick it around a bit, have a smoke and go back (about 10 minutes), that cow had laid down and dropped a 93lb heifer calf.
When I get a chance, I'll snap a couple pics and post them, but these are good solid calves. And very thick hided. Ideal calves for my Northern Sask winters. A couple nights ago, I got fooled by a cow and did my last check at 3am. I decided to grab a couple hours snooze time, and didn't get back out until 7am. There was a little 80lb popsicle laying beside mom, with frozen afterbirth on its ears (it went down to -24C that night). The calf wasn't shivering (not usually a good sign) and thought for sure I was going to lose some ear, but I ran them in, hair dried the ears quick, and the calf is no worse for wear. He was up and sucking an hour later.
About the only thing that confuses me a bit is the odd colors I'm getting. Breeding to my blacks, I'm getting blacks of course. But my red roans are showing me nothing but black roans, which is a little odd. Usually a red roan crossed with a black nets you a red or a black, with the OCCASIONAL black/blue roan. And the oddest coloring of all: My traditional Simm/Shorthorn cross cows, whether they be red blazes or roans, are giving me grey calves (no rat tails). Very odd indeed.
Anyway, I'll post more about them as the year drags on. But for those looking for a good black cross to your existing cows, I think you should definitely grab a close look.
Rod
