What do you look for in a momma cow?

[Uncle Dude]

If you were looking at bull EPD's to make some momma cows what EPD's would you look for? What are the most important and the least important?

Thanks Uncle Dude

 

[Bez+]

Cannot do that without knowing the other half of the breeding program - the cows you are breeding.

Bez+

 

[dun]

Breed would help too

 

[hillsdown]

You always want the bull to contribute to your herd and improve on their inadequacies. What he is lacking, if your cows are strong on, they can always compensate each other...

 

[deenranch]

If you are looking at EPD's only.... I would look at the MCE (maternal) and the milk EPD.

 

[dcara]

If I'm looking for a bull to develop future momas and build the herd (what I call a foundation bull) I'm equally, if not more, interested in the bull's moma. Both her phenotype and EPDs. fertility, longevity, udders, feet etc

 

[rowdyred]

What am I looking for in a momma cow? If I'm buying a cow, I want a big 5 year old thats already had a calf, gentle and bred. Color dont really matter to me.

 

[Shaun7HL]

I would look at frame size and utters and epds then go out to find a bull that you want build your program with

 

[backhoeboogie]

Ear.

 

[novatech]

Ear.

I'm with you on that.
This may not be the case but if you haven't got cows that are good enough now, then raising heifers solely based on a bulls EPS's is a waste of good bull semen.
Sell out and buy the heifers you would like to have raised and then raise replacement heifers from them. Even then you will find all the heifers will not be keepers.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Ear.

I'm with you on that.
This may not be the case but if you haven't got cows that are good enough now, then raising heifers solely based on a bulls EPS's is a waste of good bull semen.
Sell out and buy the heifers you would like to have raised and then raise replacement heifers from them. Even then you will find all the heifers will not be keepers.

Once you have a herd of good momma's, a terminal bull will trim that ear if it is that big of a thing. You'll get a few more nickels for the steers but a few less for replacement heifers you sell.

We've just had a huge culling down in central TX because of the drought. Eared females will bring a premium next year if it is anything like the replacement scenario of years past.