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Crossbreeding

What percent grades Choice for you NR?

Reason I ask is I do sort my own cattle. I worked in a yard and helped dort fats. What I found was that they put on what it took to fill out a load, whether the last 5 were ready or not. With todays premiums, that won't fly with me. But that is my situation. Cattle are nearby and I have the ability. My blended average on my cattle and bought ones is right around 80-83%.


You make one great point, you feed to yield grade, genetics will determine Quality grade. First Select 4 you get trying to make a choice or Prime will cure you of that,

Nice Calves,

PPRM
 
My feedyard is a little over 4 hours away and do a great job on the sorting and marketing side-I tend to sort pretty deep if I'm broke that week lol. We average around 93% AAA or better which I presume is the equivalent of your choice. Our yield grades are mostly 2's and 3's with the odd 1 here and there-I don't think I could live with the type of cowherd that I might need to improve my yield grades a point. Were going to try something different this year-I have a few cowlines produce alot of Prime-Y1's. Were going to flush those Angus cows to a high accuracy Horned Hereford bull-he's plus for marbling but leaves great daughters-EXT like udders without all the bad EXT traits plus longevity. Hope to end up with a set of real good Baldie heifers.
 
Wow NR,

Sounds to me like your program is at the real fun stage. You have cattle that are giving performance a lot of folks would love to have and you are looking at what can be done better.

The comment about pulling deep if you would lke the cash flow, I have been there, LOL.....Another lesson a guy doesn't forget.


If I might ask, which cowlines are giving you Y1's and what breeds they are?


PPRM
 
The Angus line goes back to Nichols genetics and the other one is Angus with a little shot of Simm. I actually have an old 3/4 Hereford/1/4 Longhorn cow that rings the bell on the grid too. The bull were using to flush too is OXH L1 Domino 8020-he leaves Hereford daughters that can root hog for a living-I've got some baldies off them now. I guess some guys like to buy iron I like to fool with genetics a bit lol. I was pretty much forced into finishing my cattle after having the local cattle buyers grind away on them-pretty hard to listen to guy tell you how they are too small etc when you've just got a closeout on their full sibs.
 
Northern Rancher, Bless your heart. I too like to dabble in genetics. Especially cross-breeding. These purebred guys singing on there bloodlines ten to bore me. But you tell me how your bloodline crosses with other breeds then were talking.. :wink:
 
Isn't it funny how purebred bredders are all for crossbreeding when trying to woo you away from another bredd but dead against it you are switching from theirs lol.
 
Ain't that the truth....... :roll: Someone trying to sell me seman or a bull I allways ask them how they will do on my herefies or my angus..... or my tarentaise or even the milkcow.. :twisted: If they can't satisfy my answer I don't buy.....
 
katrina said:
Ain't that the truth....... :roll: Someone trying to sell me seman or a bull I allways ask them how they will do on my herefies or my angus..... or my tarentaise or even the milkcow.. :twisted: If they can't satisfy my answer I don't buy.....
Click to expand...

Katrina, I am going to collect a young bull next week. He's a hoss! If I sent you some semen for no charge would you use it? If so, how many?

He's a son out of my bull that indexed VERY high in weaning and yearling, with great ultrasound data. His dam is awesome too!

Just wondering.
 
katrina- I empathize with your feelings about being "bored" with the "purebred guys singing on their bloodlines" :roll: - HOWEVER - if you care to "dabble in genetics", particularly envolving a quality crossbreeding program, :shock: PUREBRED genetics is the benchmark and foundation cornerstone for a successful program which will CONTINUE with reliable, dependable and profitable heterosis, or hybrid vigor traits. Using Purebred Foundation Seedstock on BOTH sides of the ORIGINAL breeding pair is the KEY to "dabbling in genetics" by using EPD's and optimal phenotype as the "tumblers" of the lock. The old breeder's adage of "Like Begets Like" is never more true than in a crossbreeding program. For a proper crossbreeding program to be successful both genetically and financially, a genetic balance must be provided at every level. Concentrated purebred seedstock can provide that balance. By using SELECTED Purebred Sires on selected crossbred cows along with careful planning, one can minimize problems down the line such as too much growth, difficult calving and unwanted extremes.

Dabble in genetics and crossbreeding, certainly, - however, validate your breeding decisions with FACTS prior to making a time-consuming and expensive mistake. :o LIKE BEGETS LIKE - both good AND bad! :mad:

DOC HARRIS
 
katrina said:
What do you suggest I use him on???
hereford hiefiers or cows?
angus hiefiers or cows ?
tarentaise hiefiers or cows?
I won't ask on the milk cow... :twisted:
Click to expand...

Just cows Katrina! Most any cows should work. I know nothing about tarentaise. I will be breeding a few heifers to him also.

All I ask is that you give me feedback on the calves. You will probably want to save some of the heifers by looking at the dam and grandam of this bull.

I ain't kidding! He's awesome! Just let me know by this Sunday. I'm taking him for a two-day jump on Monday morning early. I can ship it from the stud.
 
Mike said:
katrina said:
Ain't that the truth....... :roll: Someone trying to sell me seman or a bull I allways ask them how they will do on my herefies or my angus..... or my tarentaise or even the milkcow.. :twisted: If they can't satisfy my answer I don't buy.....
Click to expand...

Katrina, I am going to collect a young bull next week. He's a hoss! If I sent you some semen for no charge would you use it? If so, how many?

He's a son out of my bull that indexed VERY high in weaning and yearling, with great ultrasound data. His dam is awesome too!

Just wondering.
Click to expand...

Is that a Rio Blanco son Mike? What is on his dams side?
 
Mike,
You have to do better than just cows story.
My experiance with a bull that works on both hiefiers and cows usually isn't what I am looking for. NOT SAYING YOUR BULL ISN'T AN OUT STANDING BULL. I'm sure he is. You just have to sell his fine qualities to me. What is his birth weight?
His disposition, Scrotum and milking ability.
I don't want rat tails, :shock: so what don't I breed him too..
 
Is that a Rio Blanco son Mike? What is on his dams side?
Click to expand...

The Dam's sire is a WCR Sir Duke 0267 son, which is a BR Duke 261 son.

The Dam's dam is a WCR Sir Tradition 3464 son, which is an WCR Sir Tradition 066 son.

Yes he is a Rio son. A dang good one. He gained 6.1 lbs. per day for a 60 day period this fall. Ultrasound good. Moderate Frame - 5.8 and thick from top to bottom.

Epd's=BW-2.8 WW-36.5 YW-73 Milk-7.5 MTL-25

Weaning and yearling EPD's in the top 2%.

Birth Weight- 88 lbs.

Weaning weight - 823 lbs.

Yearling Scrotum 41cm.

Disposition- I can walk in the pasture and put my hands on him.

His dam and grandam on his dams side milk great. His Sire's Dam is a good milker too. After all.... she weaned the sire at 912 lbs.

Got good butt and lots of gut.

Probably Homozygous polled. Probably....no guarantee.

Negatives..........For you...Not much hair. Pretty slick. But that could be just an environmental thing.
 
Doc,
EPDs are only as good as the man behind the pencil. I have bought high powered angus seman and had to dehorn my angus bull. Trash is trash and I guarentee you there is a ton of it being passed on. Bulls that have done well at stock shows have absoulutly no use to the average stockman. I've seen it a hundred times. The only advice I can say is if you can afford it, well proven bulls with high accuraticy(sp) EPDs is the only way to go. And then it may not fit your program.
 
Katrina, picture of dam of bull I'm talking about. She had calved two days prior with her first calf. Top picture.

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13838
 

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