Blonde bulls

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
Looking for semen from blonde bulls Whitefield Leader, Druk Lance, Blackwater Jockey and a bull I would like to know if semen has been collected from or will be is Hallfield Plato bought for £12000 recently??
Iv A.I’d 22 cows mainly blue X/Lim X to Hallfield Fanfare Iv high hopes for these.
 

andyt87

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Glamorgan
Can't tell you anything about the others, but we had 3 cows (Lim x Blue, Blue X Br Friesan and Hereford X Blue) calve to Fanfare 2 years ago. The Hereford X was the only one that calved naturally with heifer calf. 2 caesars with the others, live heifer from Lim X & massive dead bull from Blue X. Long gestation as well, hereford went 288, Lim x 299 and blue x 302 days.

Had a nice bull calf the year before unassisted from a similar Hereford X Blue heifer (294 days), so had high hopes. Hopefully we were unlucky or got something wrong with diet, but he was only 1 out of 5 AI bulls that year that gave us problems and havn't used him since.

Bull calf
400410 (3).gif

Heifer calf & dam
IMG_20210902_201038.jpg


Lim x 2nd calver (caesarean)

gdvK5kz - Imgur.jpg

Same calf @ 15/16m old
TRtrM5F - Imgur.jpg
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
I think those 3 will be in short supply tbh. Last I heard I don't think genus have any stocks of leader.
Lance your best bet is perhaps to speak to David Knight, who owned him.
Jockey probably best to speak to Ian Calderbank, who bred him.
I can send you contact details if you want.
I'm surprised you got hold of Fanfare tbh, someone told me genus had off loaded all their stocks a Yr or 2 ago in a foreign order
As for Plato, I've not heard if Thor has taken a collection of him. I'd imagine he'll use him himself for a bit before he does. I'll ask him next time I see him
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
That doesn’t sound very promising fingers crossed these calve ok then and here was me thinking I’d done my research!! Looks a good heifer by Fanfare. How did they kill out? Have you used other blonde bulls?
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
I think those 3 will be in short supply tbh. Last I heard I don't think genus have any stocks of leader.
Lance your best bet is perhaps to speak to David Knight, who owned him.
Jockey probably best to speak to Ian Calderbank, who bred him.
I can send you contact details if you want.
I'm surprised you got hold of Fanfare tbh, someone told me genus had off loaded all their stocks a Yr or 2 ago in a foreign order
As for Plato, I've not heard if Thor has taken a collection of him. I'd imagine he'll use him himself for a bit before he does. I'll ask him next time I see him
Thanks for the reply. I got hold of Fanfare from a friend out of his farm flask had 25 straws and 22 held. I’d of preferred to try Ainsley but seems hard to get hold of. Would like some Silverwood Mark he seems to be breeding rather well, I also got a few straws of Ark Diego, Bridge Elmo, Lochhead Tyson and Bradbury Evan. Do you know much about these? I was told they should produce good female replacements? Also any other bulls you would recommend that are easy to get hold of?
 

andyt87

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Glamorgan
That doesn’t sound very promising fingers crossed these calve ok then and here was me thinking I’d done my research!! Looks a good heifer by Fanfare. How did they kill out? Have you used other blonde bulls?

Don't know about killing out as she went store. I remember she topped p/kg on the day, but was light compared to the lims at same age. Down to blonde fine bone structure maybe?
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
Thanks for the reply. I got hold of Fanfare from a friend out of his farm flask had 25 straws and 22 held. I’d of preferred to try Ainsley but seems hard to get hold of. Would like some Silverwood Mark he seems to be breeding rather well, I also got a few straws of Ark Diego, Bridge Elmo, Lochhead Tyson and Bradbury Evan. Do you know much about these? I was told they should produce good female replacements? Also any other bulls you would recommend that are easy to get hold of?
That's good results 👍
We have Mark's full brother (their dam is an Ainsley daughter), and he's breeding exceptionally well for us. His first daughters start calving next year.
Don't know that much about them tbh. I've a friend who loves his Tyson calves. Elmo we used a bull from the same dam line a few yrs ago and they were good. Diego I've heard is best used on cows, and I've not heard great reports regards temperament.
I've used Hashtag and Clondown Eddie. Sourced both from Mastergen, they can get all the French bulls easily as well as quite a few of the Irish bulls. I picked both for calving ease (I served hfrs to both) and also maternal traits. Hashtag is one of the top French bulls for milk, and Eddie is 4* replacement index in Ireland.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
That's good results 👍
We have Mark's full brother (their dam is an Ainsley daughter), and he's breeding exceptionally well for us. His first daughters start calving next year.
Don't know that much about them tbh. I've a friend who loves his Tyson calves. Elmo we used a bull from the same dam line a few yrs ago and they were good. Diego I've heard is best used on cows, and I've not heard great reports regards temperament.
I've used Hashtag and Clondown Eddie. Sourced both from Mastergen, they can get all the French bulls easily as well as quite a few of the Irish bulls. I picked both for calving ease (I served hfrs to both) and also maternal traits. Hashtag is one of the top French bulls for milk, and Eddie is 4* replacement index in Ireland.
How do you find him for calving and gestation? I don’t suppose you know if there is semen from the sire do you? I know he has bred very well too.
Ok that’s great to know thank you!
Iv had a look at that website and it seems there is a few blonde bulls on there which is handy and Iv noticed a few Polled too what’s your thoughts on them?
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
Calving is generally pretty good, he's been our bull for heifers for a few yrs, avg gestation would be around 290/295days. Does occasionally throw a big calf that goes over 300days though, but that might be the cow.
No, I've not heard if they've taken a collection off Gargoyle. Guessing they won't if they've sold a son into AI.
I have used Joystick, hence why he's on their website. He looks a fair bull, and looks an easier fleshing type for a French. My first calves are due in Feb, fingers crossed I get a polled 🤞
Glacon is getting very good reports, easy calving and very shapely calves. I didn't use him as he doesn't have great maternal traits though.
I did enquire about Pirol, as he is homozygous polled (joystick is heterozygous). However I was told he wasn't suitable for pedigree use, and was only marketed for use on dairy cows. Tbh Pirol, Zoom and a new one Rupert don't look heavily muscled, or wide enough for the British Market. They are probably good for crossing onto dairy cows though.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
Calving is generally pretty good, he's been our bull for heifers for a few yrs, avg gestation would be around 290/295days. Does occasionally throw a big calf that goes over 300days though, but that might be the cow.
No, I've not heard if they've taken a collection off Gargoyle. Guessing they won't if they've sold a son into AI.
I have used Joystick, hence why he's on their website. He looks a fair bull, and looks an easier fleshing type for a French. My first calves are due in Feb, fingers crossed I get a polled 🤞
Glacon is getting very good reports, easy calving and very shapely calves. I didn't use him as he doesn't have great maternal traits though.
I did enquire about Pirol, as he is homozygous polled (joystick is heterozygous). However I was told he wasn't suitable for pedigree use, and was only marketed for use on dairy cows. Tbh Pirol, Zoom and a new one Rupert don't look heavily muscled, or wide enough for the British Market. They are probably good for crossing onto dairy cows though.
He sounds like a dream stock bull I bet he won’t be easy to replace, is he a bull or cow producer? I guess that’s a good point.
I do like the look of Joystick so you’ll have to let me know how you get on with him and fingers crossed there polled for you!
I really like the look of Glacon and Hashtag. Don’t suppose you have any pictures of his progeny from any breeder that’s used them have you?
i do agree with you there they didn’t catch my eye either.
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
He's certainly left a stamp on the herd. I do like his heifers, my show team this year are all his daughters, the first ones calve in next yr so will tell you better this time next year what they are like as cows. His bull calves do well, delivered one son tonight to a local suckler farm, he is really thick and square over his plates.
Glacon has been used a lot in Ireland, but I've not seen any in the UK yet. Grutha Blondes on Facebook posted some photos of hashtag calves yesterday which looked very nice.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
He's certainly left a stamp on the herd. I do like his heifers, my show team this year are all his daughters, the first ones calve in next yr so will tell you better this time next year what they are like as cows. His bull calves do well, delivered one son tonight to a local suckler farm, he is really thick and square over his plates.
Glacon has been used a lot in Ireland, but I've not seen any in the UK yet. Grutha Blondes on Facebook posted some photos of hashtag calves yesterday which looked very nice.
Have you just A.I’d his daughters?
Thats good your getting your bulls shifted. Have you many gone into pedigree herds? Do you have any cattle entered for the up coming Carlisle sale?
I will ask my friend to have a look thanks.
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
We had a batch of about a dozen heifers I ai'd, mainly by him plus a few by an Allacott bull. I will AI his 2020 born heifers next year as well, plus a couple by a Blackwater bull. I did stick a straw in our old show cow this year, but I was struggling to spot her bulling and I think she repeated. Tbh I don't tend to bother AI-ing cows as I like to get them outside as soon as possible after calving.
Yeah keep selling odd ones. We've sold one bull into a pedigree herd, he went up to Lancashire. I keep in touch with them and they are really pleased with him.
No, we've nothing for Carlisle. We wouldn't get a very good trade up there as we are TB1, and the buyers only seem to want TB4 (despite us never having had TB in over 40yrs!). We take to either the society sale at Worcester, or local markets. I've just entered one in Leek for in a fortnights time.
Have you got many Blondes? Or is this your first year of trying them?
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
We had a batch of about a dozen heifers I ai'd, mainly by him plus a few by an Allacott bull. I will AI his 2020 born heifers next year as well, plus a couple by a Blackwater bull. I did stick a straw in our old show cow this year, but I was struggling to spot her bulling and I think she repeated. Tbh I don't tend to bother AI-ing cows as I like to get them outside as soon as possible after calving.
Yeah keep selling odd ones. We've sold one bull into a pedigree herd, he went up to Lancashire. I keep in touch with them and they are really pleased with him.
No, we've nothing for Carlisle. We wouldn't get a very good trade up there as we are TB1, and the buyers only seem to want TB4 (despite us never having had TB in over 40yrs!). We take to either the society sale at Worcester, or local markets. I've just entered one in Leek for in a fortnights time.
Have you got many Blondes? Or is this your first year of trying them?
You must run a good amount of pedigree cows then do you? Fingers crossed they have all held for you then. Did you A.I them to the french bulls?
Is your old show cow a breeder?
Do you have a high culling policy with your bulls then if you only sell a the odd one?
Thats a shame would that be why Carlisle doesn’t get many entry’s then and not well supported for the breed? I’m thinking of heading down maybe pick up a few heifers and a bull if there enough entry’s?
I tried a friends bull a few years back kept 12 heifers back and they have bred well so thought I’d ditch the wild lims and go for blondes!
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
We've got about 35 pedigree cows atm, and a dozen heifers due next spring.
Ai'd them to either Hashtag or Eddie, plus a couple to Joystick, then swept up with our new stock bull.
Yeah she's breeding well for us. We've some great females out of her, my senior heifer that I've shown this year is out of her. She's only bred 2 bulls, both of which we sold for breeding. We did use one son last year and he's left us with some nice calves.
Definitely, we're really picky with bulls anything that we wouldn't use ourselves we fatten. I'm very particular about feet and temperament, we culled a great looking bull a few weeks ago as he was developing a growth between his toes on one foot.
Possibly, a few have tried taking up there in the past but haven't sold as well due to being TB1 so they started going to Worcester instead. Although the Northern Irish boys usually due very well there.
Very good, we started with a lot of Blonde cross cows that all did well for us.
 

davieogrutha

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Orkney
He sounds like a dream stock bull I bet he won’t be easy to replace, is he a bull or cow producer? I guess that’s a good point.
I do like the look of Joystick so you’ll have to let me know how you get on with him and fingers crossed there polled for you!
I really like the look of Glacon and Hashtag. Don’t suppose you have any pictures of his progeny from any breeder that’s used them have you?
i do agree with you there they didn’t catch my eye either.
A heifer and a bull calf from Hashtag. Both from heifers. A bit of assistance was needed.
IMG_20210905_174520.jpg
 

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FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
We've got about 35 pedigree cows atm, and a dozen heifers due next spring.
Ai'd them to either Hashtag or Eddie, plus a couple to Joystick, then swept up with our new stock bull.
Yeah she's breeding well for us. We've some great females out of her, my senior heifer that I've shown this year is out of her. She's only bred 2 bulls, both of which we sold for breeding. We did use one son last year and he's left us with some nice calves.
Definitely, we're really picky with bulls anything that we wouldn't use ourselves we fatten. I'm very particular about feet and temperament, we culled a great looking bull a few weeks ago as he was developing a growth between his toes on one foot.
Possibly, a few have tried taking up there in the past but haven't sold as well due to being TB1 so they started going to Worcester instead. Although the Northern Irish boys usually due very well there.
Very good, we started with a lot of Blonde cross cows that all did well for us.
That’s a good number. Have you many commercials or just pedigrees now?
well good luck with them hope they throw you a few good bulls! How’s the new stock bull?
I guess you have to be don’t want a bad name for yourself.
Do you know if there are much entry’s for Carlisle in October?
 

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