Maine bull that adds bone and muscle and is heifer safe!

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ChristaCheatham

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Doing some research on some bulls and was liking Montego Bay, but I don't see his calves having much bone or muscle? Any thoughts on a maine bull that will add bone muscle with being TH and PHA free AND not a clubby bull that everyone uses. I want one that will ad quality but is heifer safe!
 

kfacres

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There is about 3.

If you search
Top Sires'
Cattle Visions
SEK Genetic Horizons
Cattle.com
Bovine Elite
Select Sires
ABS
and yes, even though I hate to say it...  Lautner.

and whatever else semen selling outfit is out there...  You'll find out who they (the right bull for you) are.
 

ZNT

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ShowSteerGirl101 said:
Doing some research on some bulls and was liking Montego Bay, but I don't see his calves having much bone or muscle? Any thoughts on a maine bull that will add bone muscle with being TH and PHA free AND not a clubby bull that everyone uses. I want one that will ad quality but is heifer safe!

Thank you for considering Montego Bay.  His calves so far have good muscle, and good bone, great front ends, and most important, light birth weights.  The problem with selecting for lots of muscle and bone is that those are antagonistic traits to easy calving.  If there were easy calving sires that could throw the bone and muscle comparative to Heatwave and Monopoly, then no one would ever bother breeding these hard calving sires.  People don't jack calves out for the fun of it, they do it because they think the returns are worth the work and risk. 

That being said, I believe Montego Bay has the right combination of muscle, bone, style, and calving ease to confidently use on moderate to large frame heifers.  And the fact that he is TH and PHA free gives him a wider range of heifers that he can be used on.  For extra growth for small frame heifers, our Triple X bull is a perfect fit.  He is the full brother to Montego Bay's Dam.
 

DL

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ShowSteerGirl101 said:
Doing some research on some bulls and was liking Montego Bay, but I don't see his calves having much bone or muscle? Any thoughts on a maine bull that will add bone muscle with being TH and PHA free AND not a clubby bull that everyone uses. I want one that will ad quality but is heifer safe!


IMHO your goal with a heifer is to have a live calf and a live heifer - for "heifer safe" sires you want a calf that is slim headed, slim shouldered and slim hipped to slide right out - there are many Red Angus bulls with high accuracy for calving ease that will give you a live calf. After years of dealing with Maine bulls on heifers, I now breed all my Maine heifers to Red Angus bulls - I haven't pulled a calf since I started using Red Angus bulls. Others will recommend calving ease Angus or Simmies - most of the Maine bulls  do not have the accuracy or the numbers to be reliably used on heifers - esp show heifers -Witch Doctor, Money Man and maybe Montego Bay might be exceptions

Just had an Ole Oscar 67 pound heifer calf up bounding and eating - heifer had her unassisted and is being a good mother - can't beat that
 

OH Breeder

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I would say muscle and bone and heifer safe is an oxymoron. YOu can' t necessarily have both. As others have already stated to prepare a heifer for an uneventful delivery can pick sires that exhibit style but you won't always get bone and muscle in calving ease package becaue those two things don't go together. Square peg round hole. DL has plenty of experience with Maines and has some great looking calves. As she said, live and safe because you are setting the female up for her productive history.
 

ChristaCheatham

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Thanks ZNT! I'm really considering on using Montego Bay for our heifer.  She will be a year old in April.  By the way, do you know any websites that have some Montego Bay calves?? I have already seen the ones on your webiste.
 

ZNT

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ShowSteerGirl101 said:
Thanks ZNT! I'm really considering on using Montego Bay for our heifer.  She will be a year old in April.  By the way, do you know any websites that have some Montego Bay calves?? I have already seen the ones on your webiste.

I don't think there are any MB calves on other websites yet.  I will be working on getting some of the first MB calves weaned and clipped up after we get done with the Ft Worth Stock Show.  They will be posted to our website as soon as I get them.
 

Shebet21

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ZNT hits it right on about Montego Bay and his calves. We've had great luck with Montego Bay on 1st and 2nd calf heifers. They're born easy, vigorous and have plenty of style. My first ones were born this fall, we'll continue to use him. I posted pics of some on here last fall when they were born. 
 

ChristaCheatham

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Thanks! I will definitely be waiting for them! I posted pics of the cow and heifer I'm going to AI on my how to AI thread.  Which one do you think Montego Bay will work best on? I'm not for sure how much the heifer will grow so we might have to wait to see.
 

Freerider

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Special Delivery and Boomer will give you calving easy with a cool look.

Gigolo Joe is proven calving easy with a high milk epd. The Joe calves i've seen are real nice as calves, then kinda of lose the show look as yearlings, but turn into nice cows.

 

ChristaCheatham

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Ya I've done some research on Mercedes Benz and he seems a little too clubby for me.  I'm not completely sold that he's a heifer safe bull either. But I will keep my eyes open.
 
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