Where are the real Aberdeen Angus?

n1st · 08-11-2023 12:47pm #1

I've been looking out for Aberdeen Angus weanling bullocks. Very few to see in the west and the ones I see are crossed with dairy types.

Not pure bred registered but plain pure AAs.

Albert Johnson · 08-11-2023 1:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058321687/where-are-the-real-aberdeen-angus

There not about in any great numbers around here anyway (Sligo Leitrim). A good sized rigid would carry all the proper AA weanlings I see in the marts locally from one end of the year to the other. There's very few lad's running AA cows and putting them to an AA bull apart from the pedigree job that I can think of. If they are doing it then there more likely to be keeping the resulting progeny through to slaughter or in organics ect. You'll see an odd few sold that didn't make the cut for a breeding bull or an old time farmer that stuck with them down the years but not in any vast numbers.

There was a father and son operation that used to show a handful of those sort of tradional AA weanlings 2 or 3 times a year in a local mart. I seen them recently and they'd black calves but not like what they used to have. Sure enough I looked at the board when they were selling and they were down as LMx. For years there was no heed on a proper black or bluegrey weanling so they fell out of favour and lad's moved away from black cow's as they bred a Mousey coloured calf off a CH bull. Funny enough now a good AA weanling will make as much as an equivalent CH atleast around here but there not to be got.

orchard farm · 08-11-2023 2:15pm

Try the organic marts .one monthly in Drumshambo has a good amount of aa

Silverdream · 09-11-2023 8:20pm

Next to zero about. The ones you find are those crossbred dairy shite thats no better than a goat. The breed suffered here and in the UK due to they being bred mainly as easy calf bulls. Its a pity as the Angus stock in the USA is far superior now, some smashing bulls over there but idk can they be got here through AI

n1st · 09-11-2023 8:56pm

This is worse than I thought. Such a shame. Apparently a great animal to finish on grass alone.

Beyond that I believe that we do not have much pride in great breeds here. Example it's almost impossible to see and animal in a mart that's not X cross bred.

The French etc spent centuries creating breeds such as Charolais and Limousin and in a few short years we dismantled it.

Hard Knocks · 09-11-2023 9:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121348179#Comment_121348179

Any scheme that disallows a pedigree bull but allows a cross bred bull is flawed

Who2 · 09-11-2023 10:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121348179#Comment_121348179

The simplist way to reply to this:

Pure scutter

older by the day · 09-11-2023 10:16pm

I was buying a bull one time and the seller showed me a blocky short small bull. That's a real Angus, that were bred for the Highlands of Scotland.

Nothing wrong with most Angus off of Holstein Friesian cows. The pure bred true Angus would be killing out very light.

Water John · 09-11-2023 10:21pm

The AA pedigree stock have changed quite a bit. Much bigger now, some would say too big.

Birdnuts · 09-11-2023 11:08pm

Theres a crowd just outside Thurles Tipp specializing in this kind of stock, both Red and Black. Called Cabragh Angus Herd if i recall correctly.

K.G. · 10-11-2023 10:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121348179#Comment_121348179

I suppose the question to ask is if they are so great why do so few people use them.aa and Hereford are dairy farmers bulls but almost no suckler farmers use them.

Glaceon · 10-11-2023 10:23am

Not the west I know, but there's a farm in Louth that claims to have pedigree Angus, a google for Priestown Angus should bring them up.

White Clover · 10-11-2023 10:50am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121349865#Comment_121349865

They use them alright but won't be selling them as weanlings. They'll carry them to finish and rightly so.

What the OP remembers from times passed is Angus out of Dairy cows which was a smashing animal years ago. Alas, the quality of the dairy cow has taken a major dive and Angus breeders have had to breed a small tight bull to go on these cows to have any hope of getting a calf out of them.

Wildsurfer · 10-11-2023 11:24am

You might see a few more nice AA off dairy in the next few years as Dairy AI usage decreases and we start putting more beef AI straws into cows. I got a batch of AA calves from gene Ireland straws I used and they were super calves, chalk and cheese to what my stock AA bulls produced.

charolais0153 · 10-11-2023 11:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121348272#Comment_121348272

Sure half the purebred bulls in the country are screws but just cos they have a cert. They should be put over cows .

Sheep breeder · 10-11-2023 6:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121349970#Comment_121349970

KYA is example of the black dirt Angus, bred for easy calving and producing rats of calves.

n1st · 10-11-2023 9:06pm

I heard that the beauty of AAs was they can finish on grass, are dosile and easy calvers.

I presume the downside is that they done get heavy and may not be U grade or something.

I wonder as feed prices increase and organic increases will the grass fed finisher come back

Water John · 10-11-2023 10:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121352691#Comment_121352691

Yes, can be finished on grass. Not sure about the docile? Listening to Dan Kittredge at the BioFarm Conference. He believes that finishing from grass will become more important esp in terms of Omega 3. That market advantage is lost in the meat if they are finished on a meal diet.

Donald Trump · 10-11-2023 11:01pm

There is no point the powers that be pushing for a grass finished animal, while at the same time calling for animals to be finished earlier

Homer jay · 11-11-2023 12:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121350112#Comment_121350112

Hk windsurfer, What black bulls did you use ?

blue5000 · 12-11-2023 1:41pm

I think it’s a case of catch 22. Dairy farmers want a small easy calving bull and suckler farmers have basically stopped using Angus bulls. So there’s no market for bigger Angus bulls now pedigree breeders have just stopped producing larger bulls.

I bought a red Angus bull this year, I am a suckler farmer. I got him from a pedigree breeder who was finished with him he had daughters of the bull and that was his reason for selling him. But I saw the daughters and they were head and shoulders above their comrades. That I hope was the real reason he sold him. I won’t really know until this time next year.