Blonde bulls

Davy_g

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Down
Ok maybe a better question for you would be what breeds would you put a blonde bull over and what breeds wouldn’t you? I have almost every breed here. Blue X, Pure Lim, Lim X, Sim X, Char X, Saler, AA pure, AA X, Her X, SH X and pure Sussex to give you an idea. I do now have around 380 head of breeding cows with 90 incalf heifers and 120 maidens to follow. Iv got 15 stock bulls currently. But always buying and sometimes sell a few of them. We also try to A.I 10% but going to try 15-20% this year.
That’s a good number is that enough to run a stock bull and A.I?
Ok, that’s impressive. Me with my 30 head….embarrassing!
I would put blonde to all your native x cows with a view to finishing all the stock. Use a terminal blonde. Good growth, fleshing ability and fat cover.
I would use a more maternal blonde on all your continentals (except blue) with a view to breed replacement females. All the resultant breeding females to be put to a native, this would leave a 1/4 blonde calf with plenty of growth and confirmation that is easily finished.
The males to be pushed hard and finished as bull beef if you have a market/outlet for them or cut and finished a few months later.
Although a blue blonde cross is good to look at from a power point of view they are not a great proposition to get a fat cover of 3 on.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
Ok, that’s impressive. Me with my 30 head….embarrassing!
I would put blonde to all your native x cows with a view to finishing all the stock. Use a terminal blonde. Good growth, fleshing ability and fat cover.
I would use a more maternal blonde on all your continentals (except blue) with a view to breed replacement females. All the resultant breeding females to be put to a native, this would leave a 1/4 blonde calf with plenty of growth and confirmation that is easily finished.
The males to be pushed hard and finished as bull beef if you have a market/outlet for them or cut and finished a few months later.
Although a blue blonde cross is good to look at from a power point of view they are not a great proposition to get a fat cover of 3 on.
Nothing wrong with that. We’ve only doubled numbers in the last 3 years due to higher beef prices.
I’d like to start up a pedigree herd this year also with a view to breed my own stock bulls.
Iv A.I’d 22 mostly Blue X Lim cows to Hallfield Fanfare they will be due in a few months so I’ll see how they get on.
I did have a few blonde cows years ago and I’m sure they were sired by a bull called Fallou but I could be wrong! They bred quite well I put an Angus bull over them.
Iv kept around half my bull calves whole from last year, we are trying out the bull beef see how they get on and if good will do that with them all. I do sell about 1/3 to 1/2 of the calves and finish the rest, and now try to breed our own replacements save buying.
Do you finish some of your cattle?
 

Davy_g

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Down
That's exactly what I said to dad 😂 he's very good on his legs and feet and walks very well considering the size of him.
Are you tempted to try a few straws?
Yep. Just to add to the collection of straws in my tank i may never use. Swear i just buy 10 of everything and have a stock bull.....
 

Davy_g

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Down
Is there a reason why there isn’t any blonde bulls entered for the Stirling bull sales? Iv not seen any for a few years Iv been anyway
Supply and demand. There is little supply in Scotland and possibly less demand? A fair few Scottish bulls headed to Carlisle over the years as the number of pedigree breeders decreased. Perth or Sterling as its known now is still a stong hold for AA, charley and more recently Limmy and Shorthorn. Shame, I think my old man judged the Blondes at Perth back in the day, decent numbers then.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
Supply and demand. There is little supply in Scotland and possibly less demand? A fair few Scottish bulls headed to Carlisle over the years as the number of pedigree breeders decreased. Perth or Sterling as its known now is still a stong hold for AA, charley and more recently Limmy and Shorthorn. Shame, I think my old man judged the Blondes at Perth back in the day, decent numbers then.
Thanks for the reply!

So basically there are no local breeders hence the no entries so it’s not the society who wouldn’t support it?
A real shame as I’d like to try a blonde stock bull just seem hard to source (especially a good one).
It’s a shame for the breed as be a good advertisement for them for sure.

Stirling is where Iv gotten most of my boys from the others Carlisle and a few private.

Iv noticed there has only been 700 pedigree calves registered in 2021 so I guess bulls won’t be easy to find if that’s all that’s being pedigree bred/registered.
 

Davy_g

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Down
Thanks for the reply!

So basically there are no local breeders hence the no entries so it’s not the society who wouldn’t support it?
A real shame as I’d like to try a blonde stock bull just seem hard to source (especially a good one).
It’s a shame for the breed as be a good advertisement for them for sure.

Stirling is where Iv gotten most of my boys from the others Carlisle and a few private.

Iv noticed there has only been 700 pedigree calves registered in 2021 so I guess bulls won’t be easy to find if that’s all that’s being pedigree bred/registered.
There are more and more breeders starting in Scotland and still a few of the established - quite a few on here. If the breeders enter bulls and make a proposition to the Society im sure they would support it. Plenty of the breeders on here will have bulls for sale - Jess, Stuart, Graeme etc??

Dad used to buy bulls for 3K and sell for similar prices. Not much has changed in 30 years except all in the inputs are way up. Pedigree farming only pays if you get pedigree prices and are selling breeding females. Many farm Blondes commercially as they are hardy and only register the best of the calves. Calf and resultant cow numbers fell for a good few years but have stabilised now and infact an increase
 

Optimus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North of Perth
Iv certainly not seen many maybe 2/3 Iv ever seen.
What did you cross the blonde with?
would you have another?
Bit of everything, they left good calves crossed with the Galloway's we had.also had a couple of pure cows.
At the moment no, but I'm not fully convinced the way the limmys are going.they have good shape but don't grow quick enough so maybe one day we'll go back to a blonde.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
There are more and more breeders starting in Scotland and still a few of the established - quite a few on here. If the breeders enter bulls and make a proposition to the Society im sure they would support it. Plenty of the breeders on here will have bulls for sale - Jess, Stuart, Graeme etc??

Dad used to buy bulls for 3K and sell for similar prices. Not much has changed in 30 years except all in the inputs are way up. Pedigree farming only pays if you get pedigree prices and are selling breeding females. Many farm Blondes commercially as they are hardy and only register the best of the calves. Calf and resultant cow numbers fell for a good few years but have stabilised now and infact an increase
Well that’s very positive for the breed and I’d certainly like to join them with a few pedigree cows one day.
Ok I’ll have a look out thanks.
What’s the names of there herds?
The 12k Hallfield bull would of certainly helped the breed maybe be a few more 5 figure bulls this year.

I’m trying to study the pedigrees on the blonde database a little and see which sort of lines I’d fancy a go at myself. I have noticed it’s not very up to date or maybe lagging as you click on a sire say he has 75 registered calves when you click on the 75 it will then give you say 60-65 registered calves which I find strange and same with some breeding cows will say 4 calves but only show you 3 etc.

The inputs are only going to get worse I can only imagine what feeding and bedding prices will be like next year. I think pedigree prices of every breed will shoot up.

I get that as even pedigree registering calves will be costly!
Does it cost you to notify the society or maybe they don’t do that do they?
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
Bit of everything, they left good calves crossed with the Galloway's we had.also had a couple of pure cows.
At the moment no, but I'm not fully convinced the way the limmys are going.they have good shape but don't grow quick enough so maybe one day we'll go back to a blonde.
Iv been told they do cross better on natives as easier to get finished and get the fat cover on them.
Interesting you say that I had 6 Lim stock bulls now down to 4 and won’t be replacing a single one of them. The breed is full of lies, false figures say there easy calving great temperament etc and yet my blues and Charolais will calve much much easier.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
Maybe a long shot here but if you don’t ask you don’t get.
Does anyone have or know anyone that sells blonde embryos?
I’ve a batch of heifers I could potentially use for this if I can get some before I put the bulls in.
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
Maybe a long shot here but if you don’t ask you don’t get.
Does anyone have or know anyone that sells blonde embryos?
I’ve a batch of heifers I could potentially use for this if I can get some before I put the bulls in.
The last lot of embryos I saw for sale were from the Marstonmill herd, Ian & Sue Archer, but I think they may have sold them all by now.
I think Abbie Westcott, Exmoor herd, and Thor Atkinson, Newlands herd, have both recently done embryo programmes on some of their cows. They might have just been for private use as I've not seen them advertise any for sale. It would be worth asking them though.
Otherwise it's something that's not very common within the breed.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
The last lot of embryos I saw for sale were from the Marstonmill herd, Ian & Sue Archer, but I think they may have sold them all by now.
I think Abbie Westcott, Exmoor herd, and Thor Atkinson, Newlands herd, have both recently done embryo programmes on some of their cows. They might have just been for private use as I've not seen them advertise any for sale. It would be worth asking them though.
Otherwise it's something that's not very common within the breed.
Ok so my chances of getting my hands on some are very slim.
I don’t suppose you know which cows/ Bloodlines they have flushed/used?
Would that of been a cow Penelope-Pitstop? I remember seeing her at the highland show she was some cow absolutely huge and very correct.
Do the society not encourage breeders to do this especially with good stock and blood lines?
It’s certainly where other breeds are thriving and easy to get your hands on good genetics and further improve the breed.
 

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