Would you ?

[EAT BEEF]

How many of you would use a home raised bull and would you use him on your best cows?

 

[msscamp]

By 'home raised', I'm assuming you mean a bull that we bred and raised. If that is the case, absolutely! Yes, he serviced our best cows.

 

[DaletheDairyFarmer]

Have done it several times. AI'ed closely related females and used bull on the rest. Of course if you are going to raise one he needs to be out of a top end cow,out of a strong maternal line, mated to the proper bull, and show signs right off at birth that he is the one ; ease of birth,aggressive appetite, good growth, proper conformation, good temperment, proper testicular development, among other things. So to answer your question, Yep and I'm doing it again right now. He will be a year old in december.

 

[ANAZAZI]

Yes I will! I am making my own little composite breed,in wich I am combining traits as extreme calving ease, lots of milk, a good disposition and fertility, and then some piedmontese muscle to that.

 

[dun]

If a bull is good enough to sell to someone else as a breeder he sure should be good enough for you to use on your own cows. If he isn't good enough for your cows he should be a steer.

 

[grannysoo]

Sure! Why not?

 

[Jovid]

Absolutely!!!!.....If you are raising seed stock why wouldn't you keep the best for your own use.

 

[angus9259]

That's all I do. AI everyone and keep my best bull for cleanup.

 

[bigbull338]

yes i would use a home raised bull to breed my reg cows.as a matter of fact im raisingf a bull now to put with them in the fall or spring.since we have a stock cow herd.i could put the young bull in with them.

 

[CPL]

I think its a good sign, specially in registered herds when someone uses their own cattle, replacement heifers and bulls, in their herd.

 

[Avalon]

When its time to go looking for a new bull, I look for the best I can buy. If he's on my place then thats who I use.

 

[BC]

Yes, I would use a bull out of my herd. I am using a bull that I raised this year. He is an AI calf out of my top cow. He topped his gain test at 5.36 lbs/day, had 18.71 inch ribeye and had 4.18 IMF.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

How many of you would use a home raised bull and would you use him on your best cows?

EAT BEEF-

There are many factors to consider in answering your question. The bull being a "...home raised bull..." is NOT the basis for selection. ...and whether he would be used on "...your best cows..." is also NOT the criteria for Sire selection for a cow herd. There are too many 'unknowns' in your decision-making protocols.

IF your bull is of high enough quality in Genotype and Phenotype and Functional Trait analysis to be able to IMPROVE those characteristics which your cows possess - by ALL means utilize his genetics! And if his dam is your best cow (or ONE of your best cows) - breed him BACK to her! Just make very certain that his genetics justify his use as your Herd Sire!

I presume that this answer sounds to you as if I am being too picky and particular with words, but if you don't think picky, picky, picky when establishing criteria for seedstock selection, you will be continually looking for a bull to improve your previous mistakes in choices!

You will NEVER find the perfect bull for herd improvement - - but you must continue to try - wherever the search leads!

Even if it is in your own barn lot! Finding him will justify your own correct trait-selection decisions. You should NEVER be satisfied!

DOC HARRIS

 

[BC]

You will NEVER find the perfect bull for herd improvement - - but you must continue to try - wherever the search leads!

Even if it is in your own barn lot! Finding him will justify your own correct trait-selection decisions. You should NEVER be satisfied!
DOC HARRIS

Amen to that.

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

I haven't but would.

 

[EAT BEEF]

I haven't but would.

Why haven't you?

Also thank you for the replys so far.

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

I haven't but would.

Why haven't you?

Also thank you for the replys so far.

I started to do so one year with one of the flashiest bulls we'd ever had, out of my bull and my brother's cow, but I sold him to a gentleman who put him on some Brangus cows, and since I had retained breeding rights to his sire, I went that route again.

I don't have that many cows, and they are pretty closely related for the most part. While I am a believer in line breeding, I think that caution needs to be exercised. I'm using a bull right now that is a half brother to the sire of one of our cows, whose sire was out of a half sister to her dam.

I've got a couple of bull calves this year that are tempting me to keep them; one born on Good Friday that will probably go 400#, but the bottom line is that to make money in this business, you have to sell something.

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

yes,just waiting for "the one" to come... almost did it last year (super nice calf but not one of my favorite mommas). All my favorite mommas seem to just have heifers. Not this year though. Bulls calves far out number females around here this year.

 

[Ryan]

Two of our 4 herd sires are home raised. And the yearling bull we're using as clean-up on a few is home raised. Just sold a bull last month that was home raised and we'd used him til we sold him (he was an '05 model). Have had quite a few that we raised as herd sires throughout the years.

Ryan

 

[KNERSIE]

Two of our 4 herd sires are home raised. And the yearling bull we're using as clean-up on a few is home raised. Just sold a bull last month that was home raised and we'd used him til we sold him (he was an '05 model). Have had quite a few that we raised as herd sires throughout the years.

Ryan

Just curious... with the direction you've taken with your breeding program do you still have many options as herdsires outside your own genepool?