What Select Sire bull to use?

[millstreaminn]

I'm going to sync my cattle in a month and was wondering what bull you would recommend I use on my commercial angus? These cows are daughters of New Design 878 and Gar Predestined. I just usually just pick a bull based on price- like to stay around 50 a straw. My Select Sire tech doesn't AI many beef cattle so I need to preorder the semen so he can get anything Select Sires offers. I am mainly looking for low birthweight and docile cows. I'm only breeding 8 cows so I would like to stick to one bull. All of my cattle seem to have similar builds, they are large framed, easy fleshing with good feet and udders. I was thinking about trying War Party but am open to any good bull.

Here's a summer pic of one of the cows. Thanks!

 

[robert]

War Party seems to be a pretty decent breeding bull, better watch out for Select, they are continuing to sell DD Carrier bulls and with Predestined already in your herd (he's DDC) you'll want to insure any bull you use is DDF.

 

[robert]

nice looking cow there in the pic!

 

[millstreaminn]

nice looking cow there in the pic!

Thank you. She's around 6 years old and had 4 bulls and one heifer. Like a fool, I let my neighbor talk me into selling him her only heifer calf. :bang: I bred her with sexed semen last year but she didn't take. Second dose was regular semen and she had a bull this winter. He's heading to my neighbors for a herd sire. She a decent cow.

 

[bse]

Are you breeding heifers in the mix? If not why low BW? A cow should be able to handle most any bull in there line up., Use a different bull on heifers and cows that is a big advantage to AI

 

[millstreaminn]

Are you breeding heifers in the mix? If not why low BW? A cow should be able to handle most any bull in there line up., Use a different bull on heifers and cows that is a big advantage to AI

2 heifers, 6 cows. I guess I want to stay with a low BW bull because I remember the days of pulling 130 Holstein bull calves out of my dairy cows. I just love those 65 pound angus calves.

 

[bse]

You should be able to add 15lbs to those cows and sleep ok, I do understand it, but by adding a little it opens up alot more choices.

 

[alexfarms]

Try an outcross. Get away from the genetic problems and get some heterosis. There are a few good Hereford bulls at Select Sires. Try Redeem on the cows and Tested on the heifers. If you won't try two bulls consider either Tested, Sheyenne or Durango for both good calving ease and growth. All four of those Hereford bulls are 100% dehorners. Redeem is $30/straw, Durango is $25/straw, Tested and Sheyenne are $20/straw, so you'll save some money there also.

 

[branguscowgirl]

nice looking cow there in the pic!

x2. Nice cow!

 

[gizmom]

We have used Coleman Regis I would think he would cross really good on 878 cows and he is a heifer bull. We have some nice calves on the ground out of him, we don't have any cows in production out of him as yet.

Very nice looking cow and beautiful country.

Gizmom

 

[Till-Hill]

Try an outcross. Get away from the genetic problems and get some heterosis. There are a few good Hereford bulls at Select Sires. Try Redeem on the cows and Tested on the heifers. If you won't try two bulls consider either Tested, Sheyenne or Durango for both good calving ease and growth. All four of those Hereford bulls are 100% dehorners. Redeem is $30/straw, Durango is $25/straw, Tested and Sheyenne are $20/straw, so you'll save some money there also.

I was told by a Select rep none of them bulls were tested homo polled or maybe you have more info?

I would use a Simmental bull like TJ Easy Money or Raisin Cain myself.

 

[alexfarms]

Try an outcross. Get away from the genetic problems and get some heterosis. There are a few good Hereford bulls at Select Sires. Try Redeem on the cows and Tested on the heifers. If you won't try two bulls consider either Tested, Sheyenne or Durango for both good calving ease and growth. All four of those Hereford bulls are 100% dehorners. Redeem is $30/straw, Durango is $25/straw, Tested and Sheyenne are $20/straw, so you'll save some money there also.

I was told by a Select rep none of them bulls were tested homo polled or maybe you have more info?

I would use a Simmental bull like TJ Easy Money or Raisin Cain myself.

Yes, I do have more information. Check the online pedigrees for each of them linked below. Down just a couple lines above the epd boxes it says: DNA horn/polled test: Homozygous polled On all four of those bulls. You'll have to show it to your Select Sires rep the next time you see him and show him how smart you are.

Durango: http://www.herfnet.com/online/cgi-bin/i ... 9=515E515F

Tested: http://www.herfnet.com/online/cgi-bin/i ... 9=515E5158

Sheyenne: http://www.herfnet.com/online/cgi-bin/i ... 9=515E5127

Redeem: http://www.herfnet.com/online/cgi-bin/i ... 9=515E505F

 

[Till-Hill]

Awesome! Thanks. I like some Hereford in the mix but I hate horns!

 

[alexfarms]

Awesome! Thanks. I like some Hereford in the mix but I hate horns!

You are very welcome!!! There is nothing I like better than putting some honest facts out there for people to look at. The AHA acceptance of the DNA horn/poll test is one of the best things that has happened to the Hereford breed in quite some time and it has the potential to really move the breed forward in a positive direction.

 

[cbcr]

If you are going to stick with breeding them Angus, the DDC is something you need to watch out for. Even though some of the bulls that Select carries are DDF, close up parentage are DDC, With you already having a potential for the DDC with the breeding you have I personally would stay away from anything that DDC up close.

With that said in the Angus lineup certainly Werner War Party would be a solid choice. While from what I have heard that he is not a big framed bull, his offspring seem to have plenty of frame, he seems to be out breeding himself.

Another bull would be the Coleman Regis 904 bull. Again he is not big framed, so using him on bigger framed cows should work out fine. I have seen some Regis calves, some of his bulls are built like tanks, nice and wide, ample length, good feet and legs, frame was OK too. Bull was a 6 frame as a yearling out of a cow that was probably a 6.2 frame. Heifers by this bull seem to be pretty decent as well.

Other bulls to consider are TC Thunder 805 and Boyd Forword 6025.

Hybrid vigor is something to consider as well. In the SimAngus they have a bull SDS In Force 112Y that looks pretty good. He is 5/8 Simmental and 3/8 Angus. If there is anything that I don't like about the bull is that his yearling frame score was only a 5.4 which isn't as tall as I would like, but then again if your cows are big framed and you wanted to downsize a little he might be a good choice.

 

[Till-Hill]

Be alot easier if AI companies would just print the info!

 

[redcowsrule33]

Not an Angus breeder, but... if I had to pick some bulls to make Cat II's out of...

I would agree with the Regis nominations. I also find Sandhill Butkus and Conneally Comrade interesting.

 

[AllForage]

Are you willing to try something out if the "mainstream" angus?

 

[Chuckie]

A bull with a 3.0 BW should not be a problem with a cow. It does limit you on your choices. I have yet to pull a calf, but had to assist a calf with a foot bent backwards. My cows have had weights up to 100 lbs. But most are in the 70's to 95.

I like your cow, as she is thick through her girth, rib cage and barrel.
War Party has great numbers, and is really muscled, and long. But he doesn't carry the depth through his shoulders and barrel like GAR Predestined, TC Thunder, B/R New Day, etc... I don't think that he will compliment your cow. I would look for a long bull with the fullness. I am not saying that I would breed to the three bulls that I mentioned above either. I am only comparing their structure.
I have been watching the sales, and I have noticed that the sound, more correct bulls have been selling higher than the bulls with the really high EPD's as far as the highest sellers. They both are selling high, but a 1.05 RE did not bring a lot more than a .65 RE.
I have always felt that Select Sires really limited what they offered as far as bulls. There are so many others, that you are missing a lot to choose from. I have nothing against them at all, as they are a great company, but they need to expand the offering of bulls as the other companies offer the same bulls. I took their AI course and was very happy with it.

 

[robert]

If the individual is DDF ( or free of any simply inherited trait) it doesn't matter how close or how many generations before were carriers of the defect(s). Period. I would be sure to use DDF bulls down the line as Predestined is a carrier.