%protein and fat versus kg fat and protein

[boumaticboy]

trying to pick bulls for starting to AI with. usually use a stock bull so im a bit lost. would like to improve components. do i look for a high kg of combined fat and protein or high % ? am currently a simple 8500l 4.12 f and 3.23 p. 2 ton in and out of parlour feeding blocks silage EOD. am supplying Dale farm NI so am paid more for litres at the min but think that will be changing in the next few years and want to be ready.

 

[Rossymons]

I usually go on %s myself as thats how i'm paid - a certain amount for every 1% of butterfat and a different amount for 1% protein.

 

[dairyrow]

With yields like that I'd go for kg. Easy to get high % on lower yields. Had this discussion last year

 

[Princess Pooper]

We are similar yield, we are paid on % bf and protein, we always breed for % on the basis it's easier to tweak feed if you want to push the litres up but there are limits to how you can feed for % if the genetics aren't there.

 

[Crusty]

We use bulls over 500kgs of milk with 50kgs of combined fat and protein and positive fat and protein %. Never taken to much notice of % as long as it's positive as we're paid on kgs solids but learnt the other week % have very high heritability so will be aiming to use as high % as possible in the future

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Over 350 kgs of milk and as high a positive %age I can get is where I start looking.

From there I narrow it down via management traits and then conformation. (I'm somewhat typey in my likes).

Huk do a good bull selector, may be worth having a play with.

http://ukcows.com/bullselector/

 

[EX95]

%

 

[AndooMooMoo]

We're a similar yield and performance, supplying Dale Farm too. We pretty much ignore milk and just select on components, health traits and the type of linear we like. For example, this years milking heifers are mostly by Omen and Irresistable who are low milk and high compenents. There's plenty enough milk in them to make 9000 litre plus cows. What's the breeding of the stock Bulls you've been using?

 

[More to life]

Make life simple set a buget and buy the highest pli bulls available it's a good index for solids production

 

[dairyrow]

Are these cows going to last on an autumn grass based system walking grazing tracks all summer?

 

[Princess Pooper]

Are these cows going to last on an autumn grass based system walking grazing tracks all summer?

why shouldn't they as long as tracks are up to standard? Cows that give more than 7000kg can still walk!

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Everyone has such different views on what's Bulls to use. Every farm is different. Imo the pli index favours narrow Bulls which we here don't like but I know other farmers don't mind them. Pick what suit your farm and system.

 

[boumaticboy]

We're a similar yield and performance, supplying Dale Farm too. We pretty much ignore milk and just select on components, health traits and the type of linear we like. For example, this years milking heifers are mostly by Omen and Irresistable who are low milk and high compenents. There's plenty enough milk in them to make 9000 litre plus cows. What's the breeding of the stock Bulls you've been using?

have used blended bulls with some friesian breeding in them from inch herd. have used some pure friesian which has helped to bring size down. am looking for a smaller tight cow which is easy kept. more recently bulls like kodak out of a roumerecow.emerald out of oman cow-he grew too tall for my liking, have an nice patrol bull to put to heifers this year.

 

[Clay52]

I’ve always looked at both. I want high % but won’t select massively low milk bulls to get it.

I’ve always selected on many other traits as well as production. Health traits have been my main focus.

 

[AndooMooMoo]

have used blended bulls with some friesian breeding in them from inch herd. have used some pure friesian which has helped to bring size down. am looking for a smaller tight cow which is easy kept. more recently bulls like kodak out of a roumerecow.emerald out of oman cow-he grew too tall for my liking, have an nice patrol bull to put to heifers this year.

We have a similar philosophy, half of our young stock are sired by Hilton and about 2/3 of the semen in the flask is Chad. We'll then serve these back to Holstein again with the overall aim of producing a slightly shorter, wider, more robust animal which can still milk well. That's the theory anyway!

 

[The Agrarian]

Also DF producer. Currently in the tank with components in mind are two fleckvieh bulls, one montbeliarde, one brown Swiss and one Danish red. I don't mind a bit of size as long as they can handle themselves well in cubicles, which these breeds are generally fine for. It only seems to cause some Holsteins a problem.

 

[AndooMooMoo]

Also DF producer. Currently in the tank with components in mind are two fleckvieh bulls, one montbeliarde, one brown Swiss and one Danish red. I don't mind a bit of size as long as they can handle themselves well in cubicles, which these breeds are generally fine for. It only seems to cause some Holsteins a problem.

Are you milking any Fleckvieh, and if so, how do you find them? They intrigue me, but I hear as many bad things about them as I do good things.

 

[Clay52]

Are you milking any Fleckvieh, and if so, how do you find them? They intrigue me, but I hear as many bad things about them as I do good things.

Not fleck but I’m milking Monty’s. Nothing too much to report about them. Fertility a little better than Holstein’s, production lower. Overall not really a gain or a loss. Not using any more because I have excess animals to sell and no one wants to milk white headed dairy cows.

 

[Headless chicken]

Are you milking any Fleckvieh, and if so, how do you find them? They intrigue me, but I hear as many bad things about them as I do good things.

I milk flecks and am serving everything to fleckvieh again this year with the exception of 20 straws of monty. There is big variation in the breed but I find them a really brilliant animal

 

[AndooMooMoo]

I milk flecks and am serving everything to fleckvieh again this year with the exception of 20 straws of monty. There is big variation in the breed but I find them a really brilliant animal

What makes them so brilliant? I'm Holstein, but have used a fair bit of Freisan semen in the last few years. I'm happy with our production and fertility but I'm looking to make our cows more robust, with better feet and improve component %. I think I'll struggle making big improvements with robustness and feet if sticking to pure Holstein breeding.