Timbo
Member
- Location
- Gods County
Sorry cant agree with that.
Which beef breed bull to use going forward
- Thread starter Scholsey
- Start date
- Location
- South Molton
We swapped blues for natives 6 months ago for 2 reasons, have a contact that is willing to pay a premium for organic natives and seeing the increasing hard feed costs.
- Location
- somerset
the abattoirs like bigger carcasses to deal with, its cheaper and easier for them, small ones, cost more to process, so they pay, for what they want, and hammer anything else, because they can.
And yet the demand is there for native breeds, who don't necessarily fit the bill.
The equation, is to see whether the production costs, of contx cattle, is worth the difference, of that higher price, over native ones.
We have moved away from BB, we are only using a bull that is very definitely easy calving, when he is used up, AA or hereford, no problem with selling calves, easy calving, cows aren't pulled about. We buy in i/c cows, and we have had some very hard calving's, occasionally from some of them, usually blues.
Doesn't always follow, we had a real struggle with a hfr last aut, a massive jersey calf, can't win them all.
On the other hand, we have bought a lot of native calves this spring, and they have av £48, bulls and hfrs. Most of those calves were cheap, because they were in mkt, to young, or no time spent on them. The amount of pressure spring blocks have, at calving, hardly suppressing really.
And yet the demand is there for native breeds, who don't necessarily fit the bill.
The equation, is to see whether the production costs, of contx cattle, is worth the difference, of that higher price, over native ones.
We have moved away from BB, we are only using a bull that is very definitely easy calving, when he is used up, AA or hereford, no problem with selling calves, easy calving, cows aren't pulled about. We buy in i/c cows, and we have had some very hard calving's, occasionally from some of them, usually blues.
Doesn't always follow, we had a real struggle with a hfr last aut, a massive jersey calf, can't win them all.
On the other hand, we have bought a lot of native calves this spring, and they have av £48, bulls and hfrs. Most of those calves were cheap, because they were in mkt, to young, or no time spent on them. The amount of pressure spring blocks have, at calving, hardly suppressing really.
Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
Holsteinfriesian90
Member
- Location
- Cornwall
Lovely calf.
Holsteinfriesian90
Member
- Location
- Cornwall
Can’t see him on the website was he a test bull?
Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
Yes, be q shame if he's not available, did a good job
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
Are any block calvers here using a long gestation Lim bull from days -5 to 0 to bring a few cows from calving in week 4 back to week 1?
- Location
- somerset
hadn't really thought of that, good idea,
years ago we used a lim AI, found the cows were going overtime, and had some very big calves, and very bad calvings, vet suggested we jab them on minus 5 day, which we did, and solved it. But never been keen on limo since, and some 'wild' experiences with them, we do not use lim!
I would be worried at calf size, ours were going 10 days over, calf grows a lot in those few days. Would need to be an very easy calving bull.
years ago we used a lim AI, found the cows were going overtime, and had some very big calves, and very bad calvings, vet suggested we jab them on minus 5 day, which we did, and solved it. But never been keen on limo since, and some 'wild' experiences with them, we do not use lim!
I would be worried at calf size, ours were going 10 days over, calf grows a lot in those few days. Would need to be an very easy calving bull.
Looking at the same, or speckle Park to do the same.
HasthorpeGrange
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Considered it on some run round cows at the start of the block to sync them and serve them the week before the heifers. It would give a lot of colostrum for when heifers calve incase the heifers were short. Then worries about having fat run rounds having big fat calves and changed our minds
Still sticking with Wagyu for our Holsteins. Makes more financial sense with these AA prices.
Are you rearing them under contract?
livestock 1
Member
I heard that the Angus was the breed of profitability??
Warrendale wagyu £220 at 3 week old. Defo more than the £70 getting for aa hfrs.
Could be some merit to these stories. Will be able to say more after a few more months to properly pd the herd.
Headless chicken
Member
- Location
- West Wales
We had crap conception with it a few years back but using it on tail end cows etc. I think @Bald Rick is or was using a fair bit of Wagyu
Both pure via ET and xbred.
Much more value than other xbred beef but only because we are predominantly jersey. However, pain in butt because we are not set up for rearing beef on
jimmer
Member
- Location
- East Devon
Talk me through this
How do you choose which ones to serve to lim?
Not seen bulling pre service?
Designated beef breeders anyway?
Estrumated non bullers that calve in first week and then get sexed next year are just kicking can down the road?