Adding a new breed to a suckler herd

Grahamc94

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scotland
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
 

Grahamc94

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scotland
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.
 

Grahamc94

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scotland
Beef shorthorn, easy calving low cost, quiet temperament, self replacing! Just sold Limmy bullocks off mine, straight off cow out the field, £900! Cows live out on brassica an second quality hay an straw, lim x heifers make nice cows, what’s not to like 😂
Got some shorthorn x holstein cows. Good cows but we’ve found shorthorns can get too fat as stores with us in comparison to the Angus. The Hereford is still a bit unknown to us as we only started breeding them last year, although they seem to be doing ok
 

Bwcho

Member
Location
Cymru
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
Not a recommendation as such Graham, but if I were to go back into sucklers, a relatively new (to me) breed that I'd be seriously looking into and considering using would be a Bazadaise.

There's a lady on here whom I can't for the life of me remember her (user)name, breeds them and her quality stock is what caught my attention to the breed.

I must admit though, that I haven't had any first hand experience of the breed.
 

Cowslip

Member
Mixed Farmer
South devons, very quiet, quality milk, will calve to anything, can get polled bloodlines, will live out. We have pedigree and commercial, we cross them with salers and limousin. Hold there condition well, calves sold straight off the cow last year averaged 819 that's everything no creep food . They will rear twins well. And will often multi suckle, big enough to calve at 2yra old, cows are long lived and sell really well as culls.
Whats not to like??
If you require any more information please ask.
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Not a recommendation as such Graham, but if I were to go back into sucklers, a relatively new (to me) breed that I'd be seriously looking into and considering using would be a Bazadaise.

There's a lady on here whom I can't for the life of me remember her (user)name, breeds them and her quality stock is what caught my attention to the breed.

I must admit though, that I haven't had any first hand experience of the breed.
@ladycrofter, I think.

@Grahamc94 if you already have a mixed bag of cows and are using AA and Hereford bulls, with the possibility of bringing the Limousin back in, is that not enough breeds to be going on with?
 

Grahamc94

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scotland
Not a recommendation as such Graham, but if I were to go back into sucklers, a relatively new (to me) breed that I'd be seriously looking into and considering using would be a Bazadaise.

There's a lady on here whom I can't for the life of me remember her (user)name, breeds them and her quality stock is what caught my attention to the breed.

I must admit though, that I haven't had any first hand experience of the breed.
Had Bazadaise stores a few years ago, they were decent stores that done well. Any idea what they’re like for milk?
 

JP1

Member
Livestock Farmer
Not a recommendation as such Graham, but if I were to go back into sucklers, a relatively new (to me) breed that I'd be seriously looking into and considering using would be a Bazadaise.

There's a lady on here whom I can't for the life of me remember her (user)name, breeds them and her quality stock is what caught my attention to the breed.

I must admit though, that I haven't had any first hand experience of the breed.
@choochter
 

Grahamc94

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scotland
South devons, very quiet, quality milk, will calve to anything, can get polled bloodlines, will live out. We have pedigree and commercial, we cross them with salers and limousin. Hold there condition well, calves sold straight off the cow last year averaged 819 that's everything no creep food . They will rear twins well. And will often multi suckle, big enough to calve at 2yra old, cows are long lived and sell really well as culls.
Whats not to like??
If you require any more information please ask.View attachment 1011913View attachment 1011914
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
 

choochter

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
Will reply later in more detail, Bazadaise wont get too fat when finishing - 3 mostly, or 4L.
Calves are born small therefore easy calving, but retain the good shape.
For milk, got enough for own calf and they're more a terminal breed than a maternal breed.
Cross very well with Lim (will get pics), other Baz breeders I know cross with Angus
 

Grahamc94

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scotland
@ladycrofter, I think.

@Grahamc94 if you already have a mixed bag of cows and are using AA and Hereford bulls, with the possibility of bringing the Limousin back in, is that not enough breeds to be going on with?
The problem with the Angus and Hereford’s is they’re plainer and the back end and most of our cows are bought in dairy bred types so are also plain. Adding the limousin will hopefully add shape back into the herd but we want to bring in something different to produce home bred easy calving heifers.
 

Timbo

Member
Location
Gods County
The problem with the Angus and Hereford’s is they’re plainer and the back end and most of our cows are bought in dairy bred types so are also plain. Adding the limousin will hopefully add shape back into the herd but we want to bring in something different to produce home bred easy calving heifers.
Watching this. - in same boat
 

Cowslip

Member
Mixed Farmer
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1st photo is my homozygous polled south devon bull, 2nd photo is the calves the day they were weaned, 3rd photo is a south devon cow with limousin sired calf, 4th photo is a sd x lim cow this was taken in late December the day they came in from marshes. It would be great to see more south devons in Scotland, there would definitely be a market for excess heifers and there are people seeking sd x sim, sd xlim and sd x saler for suckler replacements. I can put you in touch with some Scotland breeders if your interested.
 

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