You have a cow, good cow, clearly above average in your herd, whatever that means to you wether that be a herd that is selling five figure steers every year or one that supplies some local kids with county fair calves..... She is above average for your herd. Would you rather.....
1) stamp her calves. You know very heifer she has you will keep back as soon as she is born cause she is gonna be almost just like mama, steers out of her will be in the top end of your steers not maybe your best, but certainly good steers. Every calf she has you know is hers because she stamped them, her daughters are younger versions of her......
2) she is a good mama, but the calf is gonna be what the bull is. Her calves are not consistent year to year in type, but they are in quality. But if you breed to a maternal bull and he a bull you have a feminine bull, or vice versa when bred for power. Her calves don't look like her but they carry the traits to various degrees that the bull has.......
3) the cow that is like the lottèry....... She may HIT one year and be hands down best calf you have, one that you can market a level or two up from your normal market..... But the next to calves may be keep in the back pasture till salebarn time.....
Just got thinking about that this evening looking at our calves..... Some you see there mamas in them, some you know the sire even though it is a in between AI date or cleanup bull, and we have one out of a cow that hadn't ever had anything super but man did she hit this year.
1) stamp her calves. You know very heifer she has you will keep back as soon as she is born cause she is gonna be almost just like mama, steers out of her will be in the top end of your steers not maybe your best, but certainly good steers. Every calf she has you know is hers because she stamped them, her daughters are younger versions of her......
2) she is a good mama, but the calf is gonna be what the bull is. Her calves are not consistent year to year in type, but they are in quality. But if you breed to a maternal bull and he a bull you have a feminine bull, or vice versa when bred for power. Her calves don't look like her but they carry the traits to various degrees that the bull has.......
3) the cow that is like the lottèry....... She may HIT one year and be hands down best calf you have, one that you can market a level or two up from your normal market..... But the next to calves may be keep in the back pasture till salebarn time.....
Just got thinking about that this evening looking at our calves..... Some you see there mamas in them, some you know the sire even though it is a in between AI date or cleanup bull, and we have one out of a cow that hadn't ever had anything super but man did she hit this year.