foxbox
Member
- Location
- West Northants
We had a nightmare with AI last year and so only have 5 Stan The Man calves at foot at the moment (same problem with a Sim AI bull too and chief suspect is the drought that followed AI). I've not checked the records but I think we assisted 3 of those - all presented correctly however all had their front legs pulled back a little (toes under the chin instead of legs extended) so we just drew the legs to extension by hand and walked away. They'd have calved very easily if properly presented and I've no explanation for it, not sure it's fair to pin it on the bull and maybe just one of those things? The birth weights were very consistent around 40 - 42 kg; all were up and suckling very quickly with some great temperament heifers too. The calves were looking well last time I was against them; I've snapped my achilles tendon and barely been on the farm since the start of May so no pictures or recent sightings of them I'm afraid.
We've AI'd 30 heifers and cows this year with Black Resolution and the returns suggest very good conception rates so fingers crossed that's the case after the experience last year! I've also used 6 Sim straws (Exclusive I think) to see how they compare.
We've also dived in and bought a Stabiliser bull; I've no intention of becoming a multiplier but the only way we're going to establish if the breed can offer the best of both worlds for replacements and commercial finished stock on our system is to test it so that's what we're doing. It's likely we'll be adding a 3rd stock bull to the herd next year as numbers rise but at the moment I'm leaning towards a continental, most likely a Lim. I only buy bulls with EBV's now and the Blondes have just about given up on recording which is quite a sad situation really.