Steer Planet - Show Steers and Club Calves Forum

  The first time that you cross with a clubbie bull will be the time that you'll notice the most change! After that it seems to be more of a gradual change or a suttle change. When the cows get very, very good be careful you don't move yourself backwards.

You need to be breeding a lot more than 10 to give yourself a decent statistical chance of getting a good steer.  Your odds would be a lot better with 50.

True. Its also true that the more plain/narrow/leggy cows that you breed to clubby bulls the more dead cows/calves you will have.

for a bull suggestion, i suggest walks alone. He's made his mark in the industry powering up plain made cows with some depth of body.. However , i do suggest using him on more docile cows.

This is all so very confusing, i could swear there was just a thread about not keeping clubby heifers to make mommas with. So if you dont want to breed clubby to plain mommas and you dont want to keep clubby heifers how do you get a cow that will produce nice club calves?

Breeding clubby to plain is fine as long as you're not trying to cross extremes.  Ie don't breed bulls known for routinely throwing 130+lb calves to 1000lb plain made cows.

Those clubby cows that 'produce' nice calves aren't the same cows that 'raise' nice calves. 

Thanks for the comments.  I'm not worried about using a heifer safe bull.  Most of the cows are 5-10 years of age.  We understand the birthing issues with calving little "blocks".
I was just hoping someone had more pics of the results they got and how the breeding made you say, "wow that calf came out of that cow" kind of senerio.

I did it a couple years ago on a similar cow.  Bred her to Walks Alone and got a nice little heifer.

it sounds to me like this guy just wants some respectable calves for his kids to show. Muscle and look would be priority.  if he wants to raise FT Worth champs he is probably peeing in the wind.  if 1st scenario is correct.  pick the freak and breed on.  i would venture to guess that 80% of the clubby bulls displayed in denver every year would be more successful (read as meeting expectations) on the type of cows you describe than they will be on Really good looking cows that have some clubby blood in them already.  You really shouldn't have to worry about "too Much" when breeding the type of cows you describe.  The great thing about his situation is all clubby genetics are on the table.  the list is incredibly long when you have these options.  pick a bull that catches your eye, go out on a limb, breeding club calves is like a box of chocolates.  you never know what you're gonna get.

Chap I think you are spot on. 

I also like the embryo idea except we are probably 200+ miles from a technician or someone who can do it.  I guess we would have to explore costs.

I have a good friend who has produced my neighboring county's 4-H and FFA champs the last several years in a row.  He is the one that got me thinking.  He has had a ton of success using the bull Alias.  But his trick is to use him on his "less desirable cows".  They turn out awesome, but he said the minute he breeds him to his best cows, the calves have issues.

Thanks for all the comments everyone.