Easy calving blue bulls

[harperfarmer]

How do people get on calving to Blues!? I know gestation lengths are shorter than lims and modern types are meant to be easier calving but how easy is easy?! I've a number of 1/2 bred lims and 3/4 lims that I'd be keen to try a blue across. Would anyone put a blue back over a lim out of a blue x dairy?! Have a number of those types now that seem to have plenty of room and tend to spit a calf out but would the double dose of blue be too much?!

 

[sticky]

Back 20yrs ago when we still had a suckler herd we had 3 big muscled blues on first cross herefords, blues and sims. Never had a ceaser but had to pull plenty of the best bull calves ( never a problem though) the overriding thing was how dopey the best were and I used to have to go into the calving pens for up to three days to show them where the tit was and they wouldn’t suck until I went in. It was all forgotten come the autumn when we sold them and had some good prices.
in the end it got to be be far to much work with everything else and we changed back to blonde bulls bulls and what a revaluation that was.

 

[Henarar]

How do people get on calving to Blues!? I know gestation lengths are shorter than lims and modern types are meant to be easier calving but how easy is easy?! I've a number of 1/2 bred lims and 3/4 lims that I'd be keen to try a blue across. Would anyone put a blue back over a lim out of a blue x dairy?! Have a number of those types now that seem to have plenty of room and tend to spit a calf out but would the double dose of blue be too much?!

Get the right bull and its not a problem (much like any breed)
We use them on crossbred heifers and pedigree heifers, not saying you will never pull one but we have found that with any breed we have tried.
We have some lim cross cows and we use blue on them.

 

[harperfarmer]

Back 20yrs ago when we still had a suckler herd we had 3 big muscled blues on first cross herefords, blues and sims. Never had a ceaser but had to pull plenty of the best bull calves ( never a problem though) the overriding thing was how dopey the best were and I used to have to go into the calving pens for up to three days to show them where the tit was and they wouldn’t suck until I went in. It was all forgotten come the autumn when we sold them and had some good prices.
in the end it got to be be far to much work with everything else and we changed back to blonde bulls bulls and what a revaluation that was.

So you'd say you would go for a blonde over the blue any day now?! We had a super blonde last year but he got taken as a reactor along with half the cows he served so we only have around 6 or 7 to calve to him. I'm keen to keep some of the blues out of the lims as replacements as despite the work, our best calves are always out of blues

 

[Henarar]

So you'd say you would go for a blonde over the blue any day now?! We had a super blonde last year but he got taken as a reactor along with half the cows he served so we only have around 6 or 7 to calve to him. I'm keen to keep some of the blues out of the lims as replacements as despite the work, our best calves are always out of blues

Despite being largely regarded as a terminal breed, blues have some excellent maternal traits

 

[Henarar]

Would anyone put a blue back over a lim out of a blue x dairy?! Have a number of those types now that seem to have plenty of room and tend to spit a calf out but would the double dose of blue be too much?

to answer this, yes if I had any I don't see why not,

 

[Werzle]

How do people get on calving to Blues!? I know gestation lengths are shorter than lims and modern types are meant to be easier calving but how easy is easy?! I've a number of 1/2 bred lims and 3/4 lims that I'd be keen to try a blue across. Would anyone put a blue back over a lim out of a blue x dairy?! Have a number of those types now that seem to have plenty of room and tend to spit a calf out but would the double dose of blue be too much?!

Thinking of going to shrewsbury?

 

[Optimus]

Didn't touch any of our cows put to the blue bull last year apart from 1.that one was a vet job no way was it coming out the preferred route.it was out of a sim x BB cow. would make the calf something like a 3/4 BB.you'll find that's where the problems start. Some will be OK others not.its a nice heifer calf tho

 

[harperfarmer]

Thinking of going to shrewsbury?

I like to buy privately where I can. I like to go and see the farm/herd/working clothes type bulls of possible

 

[Hampton]

I like to buy privately where I can. I like to go and see the farm/herd/working clothes type bulls of possible

Froggarts have got some nice bulls near Lichfield, as has Danny Wyatt

 

[sticky]

So you'd say you would go for a blonde over the blue any day now?! We had a super blonde last year but he got taken as a reactor along with half the cows he served so we only have around 6 or 7 to calve to him. I'm keen to keep some of the blues out of the lims as replacements as despite the work, our best calves are always out of blues

Don’t know is the honest answer.
l know where your coming from wanting that top draw stock but your not selling them as stores or outfits (i assume) but finishing them along with your others.
One thing to consider is, will you be able to put enough cover on these E grade cattle? because if you can’t they will have the premium right back off you.

 

[sticky]

Something to consider will be temperament, the blues will be a lot quieter and easier to handle.

 

[Whitepeak]

Thinking of going to shrewsbury?

There's a very good Blonde bull going

 

[harperfarmer]

Don’t know is the honest answer.
l know where your coming from wanting that top draw stock but your not selling them as stores or outfits (i assume) but finishing them along with your others.
One thing to consider is, will you be able to put enough cover on these E grade cattle? because if you can’t they will have the premium right back off you.

Yes youre right and that is something I've been mulling over. I would really like to move to a closed herd on the breeding side maybe criss-cross some blue/lim/sim breeding. Temperament is high on my list there's no doubt the more beef bred lims are a bit more inclined to watch you like a hawk if you go anywhere near a calf and come at you as well.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Yes youre right and that is something I've been mulling over. I would really like to move to a closed herd on the breeding side maybe criss-cross some blue/lim/sim breeding. Temperament is high on my list there's no doubt the more beef bred lims are a bit more inclined to watch you like a hawk if you go anywhere near a calf and come at you as well.

years ago, the vet said to me, that pure lims were not a problem, it was more the crosses (I think he said the more black in a lim x the more aggressive they are)

 

[Henarar]

Something to consider will be temperament, the blues will be a lot quieter and easier to handle.

yes blues involve more walking,
you have to walk round them as they don't move out the way

 

[Agrivator]

years ago, the vet said to me, that pure lims were not a problem, it was more the crosses (I think he said the more black in a lim x the more aggressive they are)

I think that's why Black Limousin bulls aren't popular, and are usually shunned at pedigree sales.
They do have a reputation of not being as easy to handle, and I don't think there has ever been an explanation of how they were invented. Does anyone know?

 

[Hampton]

There's a very good Blonde bull going

My neighbour also has a very good Lim going.
Almost bought him myself last week but wanted something smaller for heifers