- Location
- Scotland
That’s a good calf is there still semen available from this bull?View attachment 1078670
Bridge Elmo still doing the business
That’s a good calf is there still semen available from this bull?View attachment 1078670
Bridge Elmo still doing the business
They bought the breeders best calf and the deal wasnt done on the day of the show. Maybe they liked him better anyway. My calf won the class that day. He would not be recommended on heifers till i seen how he calved. He ended up going his own way and won the junior blonde championship at the GYS and RWAS.Better than any PR a semen company would give you.Interesting to know why a semen company bought the bull if he wasn’t the most outstanding bull available on the market to purchase?
Ok with you there.They bought the breeders best calf and the deal wasnt done on the day of the show. Maybe they liked him better anyway. My calf won the class that day. He would not be recommended on heifers till i seen how he calved. He ended up going his own way and won the junior blonde championship at the GYS and RWAS.Better than any PR a semen company would give you.
Cheers @Davy_g thats some well written good useful information there.Here is what I know:
Harpon - no idea.
Hackleton Mellors - no idea other than bred by the Browns - good cattle folk.
Hayton Ike - no idea.
Hadley Hank - never seen anything out of him that impressed me.
Ganaway Jasper, bred by Adrian McClure, Co Down - decent but inconsistent bull. Some very big calves & some very good ones.
Fronfedw Arawn - Muscly bull bought at Carlisle from Messers Davies , Wales - for a commercial breeder in NI. He was Champion back when 60 Blonde bulls were sold. Tended to breed easy fleshed stock. Generally ok to calf too but some retained females had smaller pelvis areas - a consequence of easier calving perhaps?
Whistley Dollar - The daddy of Blonde bulls in N Ireland. Straws are easily worth upwards of £100 to the right breeders. Consistent and quality animals. The odd dubious leg or foot in progeny though - no bull is perfect.
Abricot - the sire of Dollar. He was a one shot wonder. As much as dollar produced a consistent calf - Abricot didnt.
Whitefield Leader - Bred North of Aberdeenshore by the Mutch Family. Only seen a few calves so cant really comment.
Ballygowan Noble - Sired by Dollar - My father bred him and James Weightman bought him at Carlisle - I have a smaller cow incalf to him now and due in 2 weeks. He was big, powerful, balanced, correct and bread milky females. Todays fashion for a smaller cow maybe makes him less attractive?
Blackwater Jockey - Bred by Ian Calderbank. Nicely balanced bull, reputed to be easy calving and good figures.
Lythvalley Outlaw - I know nothing of him.
Ark Diego- Sired by Dollar out of a big strong cow. Only used him once - on a heifer. Tight pull but all ok. Good calf.
Budore Utah - smaller than most blonde bulls. A modern day Dollar? Compact, muscly and ok to calf to. Going to bring big cows down and give them shape.
Sorry it took so long I have not been on here in a while. Happy to give more comments but they are only my opinions - others may have had different experiences.
You have done very well - some cracking bulls in that flask.
Ok with you there.
Will you be giving him a try??
Has semen been collected from the bull you have bred?
Is that because they’re not popular or because there’s no figures and lack of data etc?Cant see me using Salah at present. I like to see what bulls breed like before i sue them. A lot of unproven bulls on AI.
No idea what the buyer will do with the bull I bred. Hopefully he proves himself then take semen if he wanted.
Im not really a fan of having my bulls on AI. Why would anyone buy a bull off me if they can just buy my breeding for a tenner?
Thanks again @Davy_g some great information in there again.You have hit the jackpot with some of these. A lot of bulls from over the years and recent as well - strong NI influence here too.
Druk Lance - Lance had figures and bred very well for the Doncombe herd. He was their main stock bull when they produced a lot of quality bulls sold at Society sales. Maybe a larger bull?
Blackwater Ainsley - Bred by Ian Calderbank and goes back to a lovely cow he brought in from France. Used successfully as stock sire at Hallfield herd. Some sons sold very well at Carlisle.
Doncombe Aga Khan - Lance son i think, bought as a yearling by the McElroy family and successfully shown on the NI show circuit for a few years. Bred some nice females. Not a lot of bulls by him ever made it.
Everest - I know nothing of him.
Seaview Barney - An Ashtonlodge Tyson son (good bull - my best cow is by him), bred by Gerard Stranney and bought by the Shanvalley herd. In my opinion he made their herd. They never won much before Barney and won a lot after using him. He was a well muscled powerful bull. He was shown but often beat by Aga Kahn due to his size. Barney was reputed to be sold for £250 a straw. And no, i never bought any.....
Mir - I know nothing of him
Stathisla Sorrell - Bred by Alison Watt, again north of Aberdeenshire. I think i seen him at the Highliand at least once. Well balanced bull.
Gazou - French bull, easily got in NI. Some shapely females out of him. Sally - the junior heifer that won Balmoral in 22 is by Gazou.
Fallou - Milky french bull.
Aneto - muscly and easy calved french bull. I have straws in the flask. Never used.
Arlequin - Seems a very old bull now. Remember little about him. Probably worth a shot on a muscly smaller cow.
Wiveton Indiana - Ai Services sold semen of him over here. Never bred much to shout about.
Genus Hero - Never seen too many i liked from him.
Lochhead Tyson - Bred by Bill Laird, Fife. Billy rated him highly. Seldom used over here. Reputed to be easy calved to.
Hallfield Fanfare - Pretty popular bull from James. Some nice females.
Sauveur - Imorted French bull by Messers Rodgers at Hillhead. A very big bull, i remember him being shown at Balmoral. He was big.
Edendale Jigsaw - Highest figured bull of the breed. Unfortunately the eating of the pudding wasnt great. I have straws and will never use.
So from your flask would use (in no order):
Dollar, Utah, Barney, Noble.
* I previously posted Noble was by Dollar. He was sired by Ballygrainey Jack - our old stock bull. He was by Dollay our of a good Ganaway cow.
Most of the rest are worth using but you need to pick the right cow - and there in lies the crux of blonde breeding - it takes a lifetime to work out whats what as i douth what you want to achieve will be what i want to achieve.
Thanks again @Davy_g some great information in there again.
Can I ask what was wrong with Jigsaw that you would never use him? Anyone who used him was generally disappointed. Figures mean nothing.
I have currently Fanfare calves born in the spring and I’m very happy with them and their group of figures are currently higher performing than any current group on the farm.
I have 26 more due in the spring to him so hope these do as well.
I suspect you will be pleased.
What would be your top 10 bulls to use and why?
Well this is easier answered by telling you what semen i have used or intend to use this year. They are used selectively crossing certain bloodlines onto others.
Baltra Iceman - use him on a cow with landais and Utah in the dam. Serious calfs produced.
Ark Maverick on heifers with no maverick blood in the heifers breeding. This is a farm jump for personal use.
Noble & Ashtonlodge Tyson on the odd select cow. These bulls are cow makers.
Allacott Herbert on second calved Maverick sired heifers. This is a cross has worked very well for me. Square plates on square plates with growth and shape.
All i want is heifer calves to have my pick of heifers to retain. Good cows bred from consistent bloodlines will have - all things being equal - good calves.
Anything not caught by Ai (I will probably only get one shot) will go to the bull at turnout.
Its because they are unproven. What will the calves be like from my cows? No idea is the answer. I can pick proven bulls from my flask - see above answer. I dont think unproven bulls should be on ai - but thats only my opinion as there isnt enough choice readily available for breeders.Is that because they’re not popular or because there’s no figures and lack of data etc?
I totally get that but would that not be good an ai company backing your breeding etc.
Did he buy him to use as a stock bull?
Cheers @Davy_g thats some well written good useful information there.
I have a smaller flask I’ve looked through as well and there’s a mixed bunch of a few of each.
Druk Lance
Blackwater Ainsley
Doncombe Aga Khan
Everest
Seaview Barney
Mir
Stathisla Sorrell
Gazou
Fallou
Aneto
Arlequin
Wiveton Indiana
Genus Hero
Lochhead Tyson
Hallfield Fanfare
Sauveur
Edendale Jigsaw
That's why I'm tending to go with the French bulls as they are well proven before they are sold.Its because they are unproven. What will the calves be like from my cows? No idea is the answer. I can pick proven bulls from my flask - see above answer. I dont think unproven bulls should be on ai - but thats only my opinion as there isnt enough choice readily available for breeders.
He’s came on a long way from the photo they have of him. He will be some boy when fully grown. Looks to have some length and looks easy calving shall we say. I’ll give him a try I think.SALAH is now available in Ultraplus sexed beef. This exciting young bull combines exceptional growth with conformation and muscle development. His... | By Cogent Signature Beef | Facebook
SALAH is now available in Ultraplus sexed beef. This exciting young bull combines exceptional growth with conformation and muscle development. His...fb.watch
Video of Salah from the Cogent Facebook page
That’s very true you don’t know how your genetics will click with a new bull until the calves hit the ground. Livestock is always a gamble.That's why I'm tending to go with the French bulls as they are well proven before they are sold.
Although to be devil's advocate, if we all only used proven bulls we'd have no new bulls to use. Also buying a new stock bull is like buying an unproven ai bull. It's always a bit of a gamble.
He’s came on a long way from the photo they have of him. He will be some boy when fully grown. Looks to have some length and looks easy calving shall we say. I’ll give him a try I think.
what’s the Ardmore Gargoyle bull like there seems a lot of back breeding in the silver wood herd go back to him. Anyone no much about him? Any pictures of him etc?
Looks a good square bull with plenty length about him can see why they used him. Would there be any semen collected from him?View attachment 1081382
Picture of Gargoyle when he won the Northern Irish herds competition back in 2017.
View attachment 1081383
Picture of our Gargoyle son, Len, who bred very well for us. Taken back in July just before we sold him. He really left his mark here, added squareness, fleshing and good temperament.
Not heard tbh.Would anyone happen to know the numbers forward for the Highland show next week? Just to see if it’s worth going as there has been a very pure turn out the last 5 years.
Thanks in advance.