Broker Docility

[firesweepranch]

Just fact finding here. What is the experience of others out there with HOC Broker calves? We have had two on the ground, flush mates. One was the sweetest bull calf (born last spring and sold as a 7 month old), would walk up to you in the pasture and was easy to wean and halter break. The other, a December, is a entirely different story. He is making us work for our right to get near him! We have had a halter on him several times, and he seems to have a switch that clicks where he is acceptable to your presence, and then has times where he will fight to death to get away. These two bull calves were flush mates... so I am surprised at the difference in attitude. Both recips are easy going cows, so it is not coming from the recip side.
I was looking at some other Broker embryos for sale tonight, and looked up the EPD's of the resulting calf and noticed the low DOC epd. I traced it back to Broker and he is the lowest one can get on docility on his EPD.
Have others noticed a problem with Broker calves? I have one due in the fall this year, and a few more in my tank (I think 3) so I was just wondering if I should expect a fight from now on or not.

 

[SIMMY BREEDER]

My experience has been absolutely hit or miss on the dispositions, like your experience no rhyme or reason when their good there good, but when their not look out. By the way his momma H25 was no angel from what I have heard.

 

[SimFarmer]

I have had 4 out of the same flush so far. Our recips are by no means wild but they are just from a commercial herd so they aren't as friendly. The oldest heifer is really sweet and after being tied up once she is ready to start leading, 2 were shy and still a little jumpy on the third time we tied them but not hard to catch. However, the 4th and youngest one is crazy, I'm in the process of trying to get her used to people being around so she doesn't try and kill herself and find a donkey because I don't want to have to fight her. But she was out of the recip that is the wildest so we blamed it on that. Could be some genetics and maybe how much it's been around people but there is always a lot of variance in flushmates, i.e. we have 4 broker heifer that are all different body types and color patterns.

 

[Biomurph]

We have had 4 broker calves.  Before I say much, understand that we have a small simmental herd and all of our cows are halter broke and handled often.  Some of the cows are more ornery than others but all can be haltered and led comfortably.  Of the 4 calves, 3 were heifers that we attempted to break.  The first two are halter broke and now calm (they have been to multiple shows...no problems) but it took a while and some hard work.  The third one is not halter broke but she can be tied.  I worry that if I tied her and walked away, she might hurt herself.  At this point, we might cull her because I don't trust her, especially if we calve her out. 

Let me summarize with this, I love the phenotype of Broker calves but I have two big issues with them.  One is that his calves' birth weights are above average in our herd, although no assistance has been needed to get the calves out, and two, they are on the far end of the disposition spectrum.  From my experience, be ready to spend more time with them than with others in order to calm them down.  Just my two cents.