Adding a new breed to a suckler herd

Cowslip

Member
Mixed Farmer
How do you find the ones with the muscle gene calve? Due to expansion we’ll be running more heifers over the next couple of years (70 this year, looking at 90 next year) so easy calving is a massive thing for us
I try to put a 0 myostatin on my shapier cows and a myostatin 1 on my plainer cows. I use the saler on my heifers so I can weed out any problem ones before they enter the pedigree herd but like everything the key is too not get them too fat and the right sire selection.
 

Cowslip

Member
Mixed Farmer
All the South Devons I’ve seen have been huge cows, if that’s what you want?
I have cows from 650 to 950kg they eat the same, the smaller cows would be the more shapier cows and the big ones are just big, come too serious money as culls at the end of there lifetime the more shape the more ppkg, the heavier make less ppkg but have the weight behind them, personally I'm aiming for somewhere in between.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I have cows from 650 to 950kg they eat the same, the smaller cows would be the more shapier cows and the big ones are just big, come too serious money as culls at the end of there lifetime the more shape the more ppkg, the heavier make less ppkg but have the weight behind them, personally I'm aiming for somewhere in between.

A 650kg wont eat the same as a 950kg cow. Just their maintenance will be half as much again.
 
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Cowslip

Member
Mixed Farmer
After college I worked on farm calving 100 south Devon cows, some of them obviously carried 1 muscle gene and so did the bulls as had 8-10 calves that came out with double copy with more muscle than a blue ,knocked a few cows about with prolapses , and think we lost one calf through a hard calving . Had a couple born with the big muscley tongues too which took a week to suck cow properly. The calves looked unbelievable at 4-5 months, but weren’t much bigger at 12 months and never grew to much at all .
The double muscled ones are best avoided and your right they do not grow as big. I personally do not keep them if I get the odd one, they are however sought after for the native fatstock classes.
 

Cowslip

Member
Mixed Farmer
A 650kg wont eat the same as a 950kg cow. Just their main thence will be half as much again.
They all graze marshes they are all fed grass silage and straw whilst housed they all come out to eat at the same time and go back to there yard the same time. Don't notice the big ones at the trough constantly. All I know is they eat alot less than our crossbreed half dairy sucklers did.
 
Yeah, I’ve heard they are a bit keen. Mate of mine bought 10 in calf heifers out of Scotland somewhere. All due too the Simmental, all calved fine. Only gave 1 a bit of a pull. But he said he just couldn’t be doing with the way they wanted too kill everything that walked along the feed barrier. Weaned the calves and tried again the next year. Same result so he ran them barren and killed the lot. Said they weren’t worth the risk
Temperament is meant to be selected for and one of their selling points 🤷
 

valtraman

Member
Biggest issue we’ve had with stabilisers is their feet, found a lot of the cows were having major issues after 3 claves. They do make great mothers though. Very protective, sometimes too protective.
Same here couple of years while expanding we were buying stabiliser x cows in and now few years down line after keeping progeny we are having feet problems I think came from them cows. Good big cows but never lasted too long
 

Grahamc94

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scotland
Yeah, I’ve heard they are a bit keen. Mate of mine bought 10 in calf heifers out of Scotland somewhere. All due too the Simmental, all calved fine. Only gave 1 a bit of a pull. But he said he just couldn’t be doing with the way they wanted too kill everything that walked along the feed barrier. Weaned the calves and tried again the next year. Same result so he ran them barren and killed the lot. Said they weren’t worth the risk
We’ve had some that are more than happy to let you see their calf. We’ve also had many close calls with them. One did result in a trip to hospital. Safe to say she didn’t see the bull again
 

Top Tip.

Member
Location
highland
We’ve had some that are more than happy to let you see their calf. We’ve also had many close calls with them. One did result in a trip to hospital. Safe to say she didn’t see the bull again
I’ve never had any but I have watched them being sold and they seem to be fairly heavily discounted in the store ring. The one boy I know that keeps them had to start finishing them because of that. I’m pretty catholic in my taste in cows but I kind of struggle to see what they bring to the party.
 

choochter

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
Here's a few photos of my herd, mostly Bazadaise, but some LImX too. Baz bull used on all.
20211126_141309.jpg

For easy calving, here's a LImX cow with Bazadaise sired calf
missmossie_2021.jpg

And same calf on the right later on
20211115_122849.jpg

Her big sister
20211118_113438.jpg

Likewise pure Baz cow with Baz calf
Missy_Nov_2021.jpg

I use AI as well but these are some yearling homebred replacement heifers
20220121_163017.jpg

Pure Baz steer calf
20211115_123610.jpg

Father of all the above calves, 3yrs old, working just now but available later in the spring. One great advantage of Bazadaise, in my view, is that they are born small with not much muscling but they grow into a good shaped well muscled calf. I've used him on heifers and all calved themselves.
20210901_105151.jpg

Happy to help if you want more info.
 

Bwcho

Member
Location
Cymru
Here's a few photos of my herd, mostly Bazadaise, but some LImX too. Baz bull used on all.
View attachment 1012011
For easy calving, here's a LImX cow with Bazadaise sired calf
View attachment 1012014
And same calf on the right later on
View attachment 1012019
Her big sister
View attachment 1012017
Likewise pure Baz cow with Baz calf
View attachment 1012015
I use AI as well but these are some yearling homebred replacement heifers
View attachment 1012016
Pure Baz steer calf
View attachment 1012018
Father of all the above calves, 3yrs old, working just now but available later in the spring. One great advantage of Bazadaise, in my view, is that they are born small with not much muscling but they grow into a good shaped well muscled calf. I've used him on heifers and all calved themselves.
View attachment 1012020
Happy to help if you want more info.
@choochter You're the celtic sister whose username I couldn't recall 🙈 I do apologise.

These photos only goes to reinforce my earlier comments about your stock.....absolutely superb.
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
We are currently running Angus & Hereford bulls with cows and heifers and I’m in the past we’ve also ran a limousin as well. Looking to re introduce an easy calving limousin in the near future but also looking for another breed (tired stabiliser and it wasn’t great). Looking for a breed with good temperament, easy calving, will produce good breeders and produce calves with good growth rates. Cows are a mix of breeds mainly LimX also have quite a few Angus, Simmental and Salers. All suggestions welcome
South Devon
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
We have a south Devon heifer in calf, think it’s crossed with a salers. It’s a breed that I’ve worked with before and quite liked. Only issue is they’re hard to find up here
If you're not worried about pedigree, I'll keep you a polled bull calf off an outlying herd that live at 1000'.
Dopey old things that just get on with life. a dream to work with.
 

Grahamc94

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scotland
Here's a few photos of my herd, mostly Bazadaise, but some LImX too. Baz bull used on all.
View attachment 1012011
For easy calving, here's a LImX cow with Bazadaise sired calf
View attachment 1012014
And same calf on the right later on
View attachment 1012019
Her big sister
View attachment 1012017
Likewise pure Baz cow with Baz calf
View attachment 1012015
I use AI as well but these are some yearling homebred replacement heifers
View attachment 1012016
Pure Baz steer calf
View attachment 1012018
Father of all the above calves, 3yrs old, working just now but available later in the spring. One great advantage of Bazadaise, in my view, is that they are born small with not much muscling but they grow into a good shaped well muscled calf. I've used him on heifers and all calved themselves.
View attachment 1012020
Happy to help if you want more info.
How do you find they weigh? We’ve always found the the calves from any of our Angus bulls weighed better than the calves off our old lim bull.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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