aj
Well-known member
After studying the deal and observing the business the last 5 years I have come up with a template to success. If I am wrong some tell me. To compete in crossbred,shorthorn, or maine anjou steer deals your calf has to be a th carrier. I have never heard it admitted, but has a calf ever won a show in these divisions that weren't a th carrier? I think it is similar in the heifer divisions except maybe in the Shorthorns where they usually use larger cattle(seems like to me that th carriers are usually smaller framed.) Has a major steer won a deal that wasn't th? Are there th carriers out there are big framed? Wasn't even the old Improver bull pretty moderate framed? Secondly if you are going to do the showring deal and especially the show steer deal you have to use big bwt bulls. Seems like someone said heatseeker had a 140 # or something(maybe it was heatwave). Any way you have to use him to compete and it is a bigger bwt line. I would say in the commercial world 5 % of baby calves are pulled where as in the club steer deal at least 30% of calves are pulled(cows). Am I wrong on that figure. I think the square over the hip phenotype can create calving difficulties shape wise also.I think this is where the nutritional aspect of bwts comes in cause club calf people are puching the envelope on bwt's anyway. I very seldom hear of a good commercial herd having calving problems because of over nutrition in their cowherd. Are there bull that don't fit this blueprint to use for club calves? I have heard like the maine witchdoctor maybe doesn't fit it. To me jakes proud jazz is a miracle cause he isn't big bwt, is th and pha free, and sires some stlye and is a little square over hip. It just seems like if they are not th they just don't have the look. I know I have had kids have first pick of my heifer calves before and 100% of the time they picked the th carriers. Now I am down to about a 5 % th carrier rate in my calves and they just don't have the fancy look. Just thought I'd throw it out there. I am sure that non-carriers are needed sustain the carrier herds but am I wrong in this generalization?