Cross bred bulls

[Bar M]

I have asked this question to friends of mine and get mixed answers. So knowing that we have people on here from the great north to south america. i have to ask, if a person uses a cross bred bull on a set of cows angus, red angus, or any other cross are we getting enough hi-bred vigor out of these bulls or are we better off using a purebred bull?

might be more then one question there, but just a thought i will throw out there

 

[3 M L & C]

I took a cattleman class and they said best hybrid vigor was two purebred of different breeds. Once you add a third breed the vigor goes down but still higher than running straight one breed herd. If the class was right. I think the hybrid bulls would be best if you have been making hybrid cows and wanted to keep the calf being born 50-50

 

[RSL]

Maximum advantage comes from using a 3rd breed on a half blood cow. Heterosis results from crossing 2 unrelated breeds and happens for a variety of reasons, but basically the genes that improve a trait in one breed may differ from the genes that impact the trait in another breed and together they complement each other and create hybrid vigour.
If you use a half blood cow, you get maximum maternal heterosis (tougher, stronger cow). By using a 3rd breed of bull, you then also get heterosis in the offspring, so the calf benefits from maternal and its' own heterosis.
I think crossbred bulls fit well when the cross is produced from different breeds, but the same "type", and when a two or three breed cross complicates management too much. It is possible to use a crossbred bull in a simpler system and retain quite a bit (but not all) of the heterosis.