Whitebred Shorthorn

[Devil's advocate]

Read some where that now extremely rare.

Do they have any other uses other than siring blue greys? Would have thought in their pure form would be a decent suckler cow to put to a continetal bull?

 

[JP1]

They are. @choochter - opinion and experience I am sure will be forthcoming.

WBS bulls were often known as "the great improver"

 

[M-J-G]

I can't see them doing much that a Beef SH couldn't. BSH would be easier to source, with a wider gene pool.

 

[llamedos]

Couple of herds locally, pure breds and both breed blue greys, Morrisons have a herd at Dumfries House too. My shearer has a herd their land is all moorland no inbye fields, they never see a shed and don't melt out in winter, even after the last couple of bad ones. He bought a bull hotbank jaunty iirc reserve champion at last yrs sale.

 

[JP1]

I can't see them doing much that a Beef SH couldn't. BSH would be easier to source, with a wider gene pool.

Milkiness for a start

 

[Devil's advocate]

Milkiness for a start

Ah JP just the Man.

So if white bred shorthorn is crossed with belted or riggit galloways or any other colour for that matter. Do you get a blue grey type animal, but different colour?

 

[Devil's advocate]

Milkiness for a start

I suppose if the Whitebreds become very inbred, it would be better to introduce a white beef shorthorn cross white dairy shorthorn to introduce new genetics than let the breed die out?

 

[JP1]

I believe you get a roan mix but also mismarks are possible due to the belt or Riggit

I've sent this thread to a friend who had WBS and Riggit / other Galloways for comment

@choochter has some cracking Bazadais x WBS crosses on her website

 

[M-J-G]

Milkiness for a start

We have BSH X cows and they have all had plenty of milk, even though we calve in winter and expect them to milk for months on silage alone. A system in which cows do need milking ability. They have floods of milk in comparison to AAx that we've had in the past.

 

[choochter]

Folk’ll say, “They’re rare for a reason…” In some ways that’s true.
In the past they have been inextricably linked with the Galloway and hence the blue grey cattle, and with the south west of Scotland and the north west of England.

The main role for the Whitebred Shorthorn female seemed to be to produce the WS bull to put on the Galloway cow to produce the blue-grey. That was fine when the blue-grey suckler cow was well sought after and across a wider area than it is now. But since the continental breeds became popular (for good reasons) the WS and the blue-grey have suffered.

The situation for the blue-grey has not been helped by it not being allowed as a native breed in one of your English farming schemes (sorry, don’t know the details) whereas breeds like the Luing are eligible. This gives farmers no incentive to keep blue greys when they could keep other native breeds instead & still qualify for the scheme.

I’m a bit of a jonny-come-lately to the breed and I only have 3 WS females & a bull –there are others who know a whole lot more than me about the WS, the Galloway connection and the Blue-Greys. WS bulls are also successfully used on the Highland.

I got some WS females because I thought they would cross well with the Bazadaise, would milk well and raise a good calf, would be easy to keep, easy calving and quiet to handle. And they are. They are a good shape apart from the backend which needs to be better. They have a wide beam for calving, smallish calves, have good feet and are good doers all year round

Almost every suckler herd could support the breed by keeping a few WS females and there’s plenty choice of AI bulls. Don’t just go by what’s sold at Carlisle at the bi-annual sales – many more are sold privately. http://www.whitebredshorthorn.com/
I’ll have WS sired calves off of Baz and Lim/BazX cows coming over the next few weeks so will post some pics then.

 

[llamedos]

Just asked today and am reliably told now less than 250 breeding WS females left.

 

[choochter]

Pedigree Whitebred Shorthorn cow (one of the 250), 5 and a half year old third calver, with her 3 day old Bazadaise sired calf.
Noticed a couple of wee toes peeking out about 5pm, 6 pm 2 feet and a wee nose, born 6.10pm.
On feet at 6.20, suckling at 6.40. Please excuse the rushes and the buttercups, they'll be dealt with in due course (lol)

And the daisies.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Lovely pic choochter, but can I ask why, if there's only 250, you don't breed a nice cow like that pure?

 

[choochter]

Lovely pic choochter, but can I ask why, if there's only 250, you don't breed a nice cow like that pure?

She was AI'd but didn't hold.
So I got a WS bull who has bulled my other WS cow, but a 10mth old Baz bull bulled this one before the WS bull arrived!
The WS bull will bull them both this year. And this wee one later on.

 

[NZDan]

Pedigree Whitebred Shorthorn cow (one of the 250), 5 and a half year old third calver, with her 3 day old Bazadaise sired calf.
Noticed a couple of wee toes peeking out about 5pm, 6 pm 2 feet and a wee nose, born 6.10pm.
On feet at 6.20, suckling at 6.40. Please excuse the rushes and the buttercups, they'll be dealt with in due course (lol)
View attachment 7209
And the daisies.

Goes to show how dark a roan calf can actually be!!!!!!

 

[choochter]

Here are some photos of my Whitebred Shorthorn sired calves taken today.
Pics 1 and 2 - Out of Lim/BazX, LimX and WS cows, calves aged 3wks to just about 2 months.
Pic 3 - Second from the right is a WS/BazX heifer, bulled yesterday.
Pic 4 - Sire of these calves
Pic 5 - pure Whitebred Shorthorn cows, both 3rd calvers
Pic 6 - Lim/BazX heifer with WS sired calf, 14mth Bazadaise bull

All these calves were born the correct size for easy calving, on time (283-285 days) and at no inconvenience to myself at all.
I'll reserve judgement on the calves till I see how they grow but so far I'm quite pleased.
(As an aside, all of the Lim/LimX in these photos are granddaughters of Broadmeadows Cannon.)

 

[Great In Grass]

All these calves were born the correct size for easy calving, on time (283-285 days) and at no inconvenience to myself at all.
I'll reserve judgement on the calves till I see how they grow but so far I'm quite pleased.
(As an aside, all of the Lim/LimX in these photos are granddaughters of Broadmeadows Cannon.)

Lovely looking cattle a credit to you.

 

[Great In Grass]

Oops, wrong smiley, quickly edited.

 

[chipsngravy]

Very nice cattle choochter.

Who is the young Baz bull sire ?

 

[choochter]

He was sired by Macford Calum (a Valtra son) out of Edmarc Beech (a Reverend daughter).
He's for sale - he's related to most of my younger females & I have another French sired younger bull not related to much else.

PS That's him & his Ma in my avatar, just realised! She's one of my favourites, comes up to you for a scratch.