Beef AI/Bulls MEGATHREAD

Hard Knocks

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Nothing wrong with a limo/ch cow, heifer comes orange, use limo bull, heifer comes limo colour, use ch bull. That's the way I'm working atm. Though used a good bit of ch on the weaker pb limos this year, especially those with weaker stars as the bulls won't be as in demand.

I'd chance most but simmentals, just can't warm to them, maybe cause they're never liked in the ring around here at all.

A Simmental or shorthorn heifer would fetch London, a bull no matter how good will be hard sold

squinn2912

I agree can't top the char. Sim I would try to sell as close to finished as possible but I think it's worth a few every year to get heifers

Lady Haywire

Hard Knocks wrote: »

A Simmental or shorthorn heifer would fetch London, a bull no matter how good will be hard sold

See that's why I don't want a 50/50 chance each calving from a good cow!

bogman_bass

I don't get that. Sim animals averaging €200 more in the factory compared with CH this year for me.

squinn2912

That's the thing a good one is a good one. Don't get why the boys in mart don't like them I think you're bang on finishing them

charolais0153

bogman_bass wrote: »

I don't get that. Sim animals averaging €200 more in the factory compared with CH this year for me.

Many of them?

bogman_bass

charolais0153 wrote: »

bogman_bass wrote: »

I don't get that. Sim animals averaging €200 more in the factory compared with CH this year for me.

Many of them?

5 of each

charolais0153

bogman_bass wrote: »

5 of each

You probably put the simmental on the better cows for maternal traits in the heifers so they were out of your best cows. A big advantage....

patsy_mccabe

I found when I used simmental AI bulls on my all red limousin cows, the calves nearly always came mostly red with only some white. The white was always on the forehead and often the under belly and udder. They didnt exactly sell well as heifers in the mart either. I reckon it was because they looked like they were herdfords.

To get a top price for simm heifers, they need to have colouring like the one below;

White Clover

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I found when I used simmental AI bulls on my all red limousin cows, the calves nearly always came mostly red with only some white. The white was always on the forehead and often the under belly and udder. They didnt exactly sell well as heifers in the mart either. I reckon it was because they looked like they were herdfords.

To get a top price for simm heifers, they need to have colouring like the one below;

I think you'd have got on better selling them type of heifers at home Patsy.

croot

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I found when I used simmental AI bulls on my all red limousin cows, the calves nearly always came mostly red with only some white. The white was always on the forehead and often the under belly and udder. They didnt exactly sell well as heifers in the mart either. I reckon it was because they looked like they were herdfords.

To get a top price for simm heifers, they need to have colouring like the one below;

Is there a sim breeding heifer sale in any of the marts near you?

I know the special sales around here are very good for the seller. Some crazy prices are got.

I had two great AHC calves this spring with lovely coloring........ but both are bulls.

patsy_mccabe

Simmentals not that popular around Clare for some reason. Hugly popular around Sligo/Roscommon judging by Donedeal and special simmental sales held there.

croot

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Simmentals not that popular around Clare for some reason. Hugly popular around Sligo/Roscommon judging by Donedeal and special simmental sales held there.

Ya they are in demand round here alright. The Ballymote sale get lots of east coast and northern buyers as well.

Never wrestle with pigs

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

To get a top price for simm heifers, they need to have colouring like the one below;

Colour definitely sells, but a good lim/sim should do good too. I have a few here and they are cracking cows for putting a bit of style into a simx.

The dark red of the sim usually comes trough but bulls like fifty cent can bring markings and fawn bulls like the picture are fairly good at bringing colour into calves from first and second generation from fr cows. The white belles should always come trough from a sim like the white main (if that's what you call it) from a he.

I'd say white clover is right in saying you'd do better at home with them. I love buying replacement heifers at home as I can see the dams and stock bulls. Nothing like a chat with a lad that loves what he's doing and has a genuine interest in his breeding etc.

Pidae.m

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Simmentals not that popular around Clare for some reason. Hugly popular around Sligo/Roscommon judging by Donedeal and special simmental sales held there.

.

They get too big. you’d keep 3 handy lms for two si.

Apparently there was a good trade in Gort si sale the other night. Weanling heifers were about €900ish

squinn2912

Think that's the best way to buy them only it's difficult to judge weight and doesn't seem to be many men like that selling them on farm round me. I'm always suspicious of anyone selling a heifer at 400kgs that keeps cows and calves. No man sells the best ones. Are you better breeding your own replacements?

Never wrestle with pigs

If you can breed you're own that's grand, if you need to buy a few you need to buy. It's expensive to breed your own if breeding terminal wenlings is your thing.

TBH I'm never selling heifers as Weanlings anymore as you don't get paid for them. They grow well over winter if looked after. Some lads I bought off keep all the heifers and sell in spring reddy for the bull. If you get the right lad that's at it for years he hardly has a bad one.

squinn2912

Of course. After a number of years then it freshens up the herd to add some outsiders! We would buy an odd Lim/AA drop calf off a dairy neighbour if a good cow lost her calf and that calf usually ends up being kept. At the moment we have 13 heifers from 370-440 kgs and we need about 5 for autumn replacements. There are 17 weanling heifers and we might need 10 for spring replacements. I went into the mart today for a look at potential replacements and there was one suitable one. Granted that it was a horrible day and after weanling sales it was a small sale today but I was a bit bemused. 
Agree 100% with you on heifer weanlings. They don't pay for the cow. Over the winter those girls will be threatening 500 kgs for April marts and (I'm in North) are worth 1000-1100 so I think that covers them. 
We have terminal lim bulls but they are producing good replacements (one over 10 years). If we went Charolais we;'d be buying in many more replacements

Never wrestle with pigs

When do gene ireland sell off their Bulls? Any one buy one of them before?

Twototango

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

When do gene ireland sell off their Bulls? Any one buy one of them before?

I haven’t seen any advertisements in a while. They used to advertise on Agriland. I know someone who purchased Dermotstown Gigantosauraus SI2362. Calves are impressive.

squinn2912

Got the AI man coming to serve a heifer this morning. She's a black lim 430 kgs. Any last minute calls for what bull to use? Not going to go Lim

tanko

RIO if he has it or Highfield Odran.

patsy_mccabe

tanko wrote: »

RIO if he has it or Highfield Odran.

Do you have Highfield Odran calves? He's scoring very high for docility.

tanko

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Do you have Highfield Odran calves? He's scoring very high for docility.

Have three of them here off FZF heifers, two of them are grand but one is wild, then again her morher is a bit flighty.
Had 5 RIO calves last year and 4 of them were quiet and one wild one, again its morher wasnt very well behaved.
A lot depends on the docility of the mothers.
Will have 5 more Odran calves in the spring hopefully, easy calving saler bulls are a great job for stress free calving on heifers.

High bike

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Do you have Highfield Odran calves? He's scoring very high for docility.

tanko wrote: »

Have three of them here off FZF heifers, two of them are grand but one is wild, then again her morher is a bit flighty.
Had 5 RIO calves last year and 4 of them were quiet and one wild one, again its morher wasnt very well behaved.
A lot depends on the docility of the mothers.
Will have 5 more Odran calves in the spring hopefully, easy calving saler bulls are a great job for stress free calving on heifers.

have a few limo 1st calvers in calf to him this year’ used Rio on first calvers last year and never had to put a hand on em calving

squinn2912

Wound up going for parthanese and Bolide so we'll see how he goes. I'd be hoping for a heifer. She is a good square heifer herself and milky background. There's another black Lim coming up but I think we'll try something else in her

adne

tanko wrote: »

Have three of them here off FZF heifers, two of them are grand but one is wild, then again her morher is a bit flighty.
Had 5 RIO calves last year and 4 of them were quiet and one wild one, again its morher wasnt very well behaved.
A lot depends on the docility of the mothers.
Will have 5 more Odran calves in the spring hopefully, easy calving saler bulls are a great job for stress free calving on heifers.

How's your fzf heifers for milk

tanko

adne wrote: »

How's your fzf heifers for milk

Very poor for milk this year and it shows in their calves, they're in calf to XCD so hopefully they'll be better next year.
Have you got some of them?

adne

tanko wrote: »

Very poor for milk this year and it shows in their calves, they're in calf to XCD so hopefully they'll be better next year.
Have you got some of them?

Have some weanling heifers from him.. considering keeping for cows

charolais0153

Had 2 cows bulled the same day. one to crossmolina jupiter and the other to kjb.
Two weeks between them to calve. Kjb calves love to stay inside anyways