Martyn
Member
- Location
- South west
Advice needed on how people choose a beef bull to use on heifers. I'm at my wit's end.
We have a limi bull that we purchased when we first started of farming on our own. We purchased him at about 14 months old and used him on heifers and cows in his younger age and now cows as he weighs over a tonne. He's a quiet gentleman and we have had over 700 calves from him. The vast majority we dont touch, providing cows are kept not to fat then he's been a huge success for us. Calves are wild and hard work to train to a teat.
We have needed a bull to cover our dairy heifers, we purchased a Hereford a few years back and although he had years of easy calving breeding the dam things seam to come out with big heads and where to big for heifers. The calves were quite doopy but have gone on well as beef animals. Unfortunately he got to four years old and twisted it's gut or something and quickly had to go up the road!
Then we purchased a Angus from a big breeder who sells lots of easy calving types to dairy farmers. Started calving this autumn and every heifer has needed assistance, they really arnt over fat, they are calving at 23/24months and only received cake upto 4months old.
Today we have ended up with two massive calves, and a trashed dairy heifer. It's heart breaking and time consuming, we dint appreciate how easy our old limi was!
Now really don't know what to do in a month's time for covering the dairy heifers. Will a bull that's thrown big calves for heifers also cause problems on the milking cows?! How do people buy easy calving bulls?
We have spent a lot of money trying to get it right, plus all the herd health checks/blood tests and feels like a total disaster.
We have a limi bull that we purchased when we first started of farming on our own. We purchased him at about 14 months old and used him on heifers and cows in his younger age and now cows as he weighs over a tonne. He's a quiet gentleman and we have had over 700 calves from him. The vast majority we dont touch, providing cows are kept not to fat then he's been a huge success for us. Calves are wild and hard work to train to a teat.
We have needed a bull to cover our dairy heifers, we purchased a Hereford a few years back and although he had years of easy calving breeding the dam things seam to come out with big heads and where to big for heifers. The calves were quite doopy but have gone on well as beef animals. Unfortunately he got to four years old and twisted it's gut or something and quickly had to go up the road!
Then we purchased a Angus from a big breeder who sells lots of easy calving types to dairy farmers. Started calving this autumn and every heifer has needed assistance, they really arnt over fat, they are calving at 23/24months and only received cake upto 4months old.
Today we have ended up with two massive calves, and a trashed dairy heifer. It's heart breaking and time consuming, we dint appreciate how easy our old limi was!
Now really don't know what to do in a month's time for covering the dairy heifers. Will a bull that's thrown big calves for heifers also cause problems on the milking cows?! How do people buy easy calving bulls?
We have spent a lot of money trying to get it right, plus all the herd health checks/blood tests and feels like a total disaster.
