Finding an Easy calving beef bull!

[Martyn]

Advice needed on how people choose a beef bull to use on heifers. I'm at my wit's end.

We have a limi bull that we purchased when we first started of farming on our own. We purchased him at about 14 months old and used him on heifers and cows in his younger age and now cows as he weighs over a tonne. He's a quiet gentleman and we have had over 700 calves from him. The vast majority we dont touch, providing cows are kept not to fat then he's been a huge success for us. Calves are wild and hard work to train to a teat.

We have needed a bull to cover our dairy heifers, we purchased a Hereford a few years back and although he had years of easy calving breeding the dam things seam to come out with big heads and where to big for heifers. The calves were quite doopy but have gone on well as beef animals. Unfortunately he got to four years old and twisted it's gut or something and quickly had to go up the road!

Then we purchased a Angus from a big breeder who sells lots of easy calving types to dairy farmers. Started calving this autumn and every heifer has needed assistance, they really arnt over fat, they are calving at 23/24months and only received cake upto 4months old.

Today we have ended up with two massive calves, and a trashed dairy heifer. It's heart breaking and time consuming, we dint appreciate how easy our old limi was!

Now really don't know what to do in a month's time for covering the dairy heifers. Will a bull that's thrown big calves for heifers also cause problems on the milking cows?! How do people buy easy calving bulls?

We have spent a lot of money trying to get it right, plus all the herd health checks/blood tests and feels like a total disaster.

 

[Scholsey]

Presume AI isn’t a option?

 

[Durry cows]

Presume AI isn’t a option?

Even they can be big?

 

[Scholsey]

Even they can be big?

Atleast you can spread your risk and use a few different bulls, got a polled Hereford sweeper bull in with In calf heifers, thankfully only needed him on 2-3 heifers in 18 months so probably wouldn’t bother replacing him but his calves are always big, had a dead one the other day.

 

[Woolless]

Try a Traditional/Original population Hereford bull? They are genetically quite distinct from the modern breed, think MMB AI bulls from the 70s. Nice small calves and the bulls shouldn't be dear to buy.

 

[Martyn]

Try a Traditional/Original population Hereford bull? They are genetically quite distinct from the modern breed, think MMB AI bulls from the 70s. Nice small calves and the bulls shouldn't be dear to buy.

That's what we purchased under the same impression

 

[Werzle]

Advice needed on how people choose a beef bull to use on heifers. I'm at my wit's end.

We have a limi bull that we purchased when we first started of farming on our own. We purchased him at about 14 months old and used him on heifers and cows in his younger age and now cows as he weighs over a tonne. He's a quiet gentleman and we have had over 700 calves from him. The vast majority we dont touch, providing cows are kept not to fat then he's been a huge success for us. Calves are wild and hard work to train to a teat.

We have needed a bull to cover our dairy heifers, we purchased a Hereford a few years back and although he had years of easy calving breeding the dam things seam to come out with big heads and where to big for heifers. The calves were quite doopy but have gone on well as beef animals. Unfortunately he got to four years old and twisted it's gut or something and quickly had to go up the road!

Then we purchased a Angus from a big breeder who sells lots of easy calving types to dairy farmers. Started calving this autumn and every heifer has needed assistance, they really arnt over fat, they are calving at 23/24months and only received cake upto 4months old.

Today we have ended up with two massive calves, and a trashed dairy heifer. It's heart breaking and time consuming, we dint appreciate how easy our old limi was!

Now really don't know what to do in a month's time for covering the dairy heifers. Will a bull that's thrown big calves for heifers also cause problems on the milking cows?! How do people buy easy calving bulls?View attachment 997508View attachment 997509

We have spent a lot of money trying to get it right, plus all the herd health checks/blood tests and feels like a total disaster.

Good calves for angus, look more like lims. Wouldnt it be easier to use a dairy bull. Mate calves dairy hfrs to ai easy calving angus and bb and they are like rabbits

 

[Woolless]

That's what we purchased under the same impression

Did it not work out? A proper Traditional Hereford (asterisk after name in herdbook)?

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Triple impact easy angus from cogent calved 28 heifers last year and pulled 2 and even then it was just a tug.

 

[Martyn]

Did it not work out? A proper Traditional Hereford (asterisk after name in herdbook)?

All got stuck on heads, shoulders.

 

[Martyn]

Triple impact easy angus from cogent calved 28 heifers last year and pulled 2 and even then it was just a tug.

We had a firm in to AI this year but only 3 out of 22 held, then Angus seams to have got the lot very close together. So must of been a timing issue, I just don't have the time to keep eye on heifers and cows bulling.

 

[Woolless]

All got stuck on heads, shoulders.

That surprises me. Calves by genuine Traditional Herefords are normally small and easily born. I've heard of a good few folk using them on dairy heifers. Sure he wasn't a modern type?

 

[Martyn]

That surprises me. Calves by genuine Traditional Herefords are normally small and easily born. I've heard of a good few folk using them on dairy heifers. Sure he wasn't a modern type?

Unfortunately his paperwork went with his passport, but very small and dumpy!

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

We had a firm in to AI this year but only 3 out of 22 held, then Angus seams to have got the lot very close together. So must of been a timing issue, I just don't have the time to keep eye on heifers and cows bulling.

Would fix time ai be worth considering more cost I know.

 

[Martyn]

Would fix time ai be worth considering more cost I know.

Don't think we can on organic!

 

[Woolless]

Unfortunately his paperwork went with his passport, but very small and dumpy!

Sounds like he might have been a traditional from your description but if you don't have his name then I can't say for definite.

What about a Ruby Red Devon? They would be easy enough to buy down there. We've killed some Devon X cattle originally from the SW at work recently, not overly big but I liked them.

 

[dinderleat]

Find a good breeder they should have ebv’s for calving ease, I seem to get on well with the angus we buy from the same breeder we are on our 4th bull in 15 years

 

[topground]

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[sidjon]

Try Alan Gifford at twilight Herefords at Milton Damerel, we've used his bulls since 2017, hardly have to pull anything, @Cows 'n grass uses his bulls too, we've found Angus not easy calving, near neighbours breed "easy calving Angus" to big on shoulders and gets nobody returning for a replacement bull.

 

[Homesy]

It is not just the bull it is the season and management. I've had a lot of trouble this year. Just pulled a big blue 5 minutes ago. From what the vet tells me, the size of the calf is determined in the 6th & 7th month of pregnancy. A grassy late summer like this one will cause problems for cows calving now.