Stabiliser bull

[Mervyn]

Hi just wondering on people's opinions as stabiliser bulls have British blue x cows need to be easy calving and docile as I work away a lot and need them to be able to calve unassisted
Thanks for help

 

[topground]

I use Stabiliser by AI and they have all been small but very lively calves that are up and sucking quickly. I calve outside and rarely see a calf born. My 2014 crop of Stabiliser calves have grown well and have weighed heavier than Limi x and blue calves from the previous season at the same stage.
On the basis of my experience with Stabilisers I would recommend the breed in your circumstances.

 

[Mervyn]

Do they grow as fast and convert feed as efficiently as they claim am I right in thinking they won't have the shape of a lim x

 

[topground]

I would not expect the extremes in shape of the Limousin or blues depending on the dam but their growth has been impressive having not had any creep compared with previous years calves.
Edit I sell mine as stores at 12 months, the problem with comparisons with other years is that no sale is the same but they have done well enough to warrant using the Stabiliser again and ultimately it is Kg sold at the least possible production cost that pays the bills.

 

[Mervyn]

We usually sell ours as stores at about 12 months is there a good market for the steers as well as heifers

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Are you looking for replacements out of your blues?
I have worked stabiliser on my blue x cows for the 2nd time this year. Pleased with the first crop of calves. As topground says you won't get the show calves that you would with a lim on the blue, but growth rates are good and shape is perfectly respectable.
Think I pulled 1 calf out of 11 2 year old blue x heifers, none out of the few cows that calved to stabiliser.
I've got 2 STA x bluex heifer calves I'm going to keep but obviously too early to know what they'll be like as cows, except to say 1 person on hearing what I was doing told me they reckoned the first cross made the best cow having also switched from blue x to stabiliser. Got some pure stabiliser here as well so will be interesting to compare.

I'm not sure that the stores will sell as well as the popular breeds, unless you have a regular buyer who appreciates the breeds benefits.

 

[Mervyn]

I will defo be looking to keep the best heifers to breed from so far my only concern is selling the steers as stores everything else seems to fit the bill may have to consider fattening the steers on

 

[topground]

I will defo be looking to keep the best heifers to breed from so far my only concern is selling the steers as stores everything else seems to fit the bill may have to consider fattening the steers on

Have a look at the Stabiliser website and talk to them about the bull beef scheme they have sorted out with Morrisons. Where are you based?

 

[Mervyn]

Based in mid Wales

 

[S J H]

We usually sell ours as stores at about 12 months is there a good market for the steers as well as heifers

I'll be biased, but with your breed of cows, and selling as stores, then I'd have said to stick with a lim bull.

 

[Mervyn]

Any body moved to Stabaliser from a lim we have run lim Bulls till now do tend to have 1 mental calf a year out of 20

 

[PFH]

Friend of mine switched from Lim to Stabiliser over his Blue x cows about 8 years ago and reckons it's one of the best farming decisions he has ever made. They are close to being pure now, he loves them.

Originally he was selling steers as stores at 12 months but now leaves them as bulls and slaughters them at 12-13 months.

 

[Mervyn]

Is that in the morrisons bull beef scheme

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Any body moved to Stabaliser from a lim we have run lim Bulls till now do tend to have 1 mental calf a year out of 20

I was previously using lim. Last lim bull I used seemed to throw fairly lively calves (Though he was quiet enough himself). Previous ones not so.

 

[Tim W]

Having visited Leachman's outfit last year I was very impressed with the level of research/recording/analysis that went into all their breeding decisions ----they have the scale (8000 recorded cows?) to make it really work
Selecting for all the usual traits plus feed conversion has to produce a winner

The cattle looked the part too

 

[GTB]

I've seen a few impressive stabiliser herds. The only thing I'd say is that the male calves are best left entire and finished as bull beef. Apparently they don't make good steers for some reason.

 

[Henarar]

I've seen a few impressive stabiliser herds. The only thing I'd say is that the male calves are best left entire and finished as bull beef. Apparently they don't make good steers for some reason.

what do you think Stabiliser x would be like as a suck cow put back to a blue ?

 

[GTB]

what do you think Stabiliser x would be like as a suck cow put back to a blue ?

Would have thought they'd be very good. But everyone who has Stabilisers are very happy with breeding them pure so they must be quite good.

 

[Henarar]

Would have thought they'd be very good. But everyone who has Stabilisers are very happy with breeding them pure so they must be quite good.

I was half thinking if this sexed semen job works out I may try a couple another year

 

[GTB]

I've got a few stabiliser x heifers in the pipeline. Only about three months old but looking good.