Calving ease Red Angus

[JCC]

I am looking at some RA bulls and don't know much about the pedigrees or breeding. Can you help identify some calving ease bulls that are also very maternal and easy keeping? I am thinking of using them on some shorty cows to make them easier keeping, lower birth with better udders. Thanks for any help,
Travis

 

[RAShower]

JCC - I would look at Huckleberry, Master Plan and Direct Design. JMHO

 

[kfacres]

To your original question--  A good friend of mine has been using Above and Beyond on his shorthorn heifers with much success...  One of those daughters is also pictured on here in a different post asking about comments on what to breed her too!  I think that bull works...  I think Mullberry is a carrier of something, not up on my RA stuff though...  IDN, but IMO this RA Thing is about to GET HOT!!

sorry buddy, but I'm going to highjack your thread, a little bit...  

I've got some of the same questions, and could use some answers too!  

We bought a bull to do exactly as you are describing...  For use on heifers (shorthorn and cross)- looking to add milk, udders, longevity, etc...  Only this bulls main intentions are for use on dairy heifers to keep back heifers to milk...  I bought him for grandpa (his dairy), and I thought he was built good enough, (since I picked him out) to use on my Shorthorn heifers...  

Anyways, feel free to comment on him as well...  and whether you think he'd work or not...--- based on pedigree.

Our bull has bred about 80 heifers this year, and should start calving any day now (Feb). So we'll get plenty of data.  I also have plans to collect him for future (personal) use.  I'm not saying he's a great one.. but would like some comments on him...  I know he's too frail, shallow, and small headed-- but then again, that's why we have him.. calving ease with some balance and eye appeal...  

pedigree
sire: Basin Trend Setter 45S5
dam: 3SCC Kiki S320
mat. sire: Glacier Hi Country 926
reg #: 1271433

he was pretty young, and green in this picture and has really bodied down as he matured...  ( I really need to get a better, more recent picture of him to use) This one SUCKS!!  He looks real well right now, for being used constantly hard, and not getting much, if any grain.

 

[Show Heifer]

Squall, from Canada. Used him with great success.
Make Mimi or his son, Makin Hay: Very Well known for easy keeping and maternal traits.
Ole's Oscar has gained popularity in US, already very popular in Canada

Those are off the top of my head. Let me ponder a bit more and see what I can come up... there is a bull owned by a family in the south that is absolutely pneunominal, just can't put my brain on his name...

Remember, the red angus has MB, so beware of carriers...

 

[cowman 52]

We used several red bulls,  above and beyond was the more practical one if you just want a live calf .  calves are ok just not the type to have enough performance for my likes.  Used the bull viceroy,  in genex catalogue,  nothing but heifers so far but these cattle have a look to make cows,  we used him on good cows, sorry cows and all in between and not a bad calf in the group--[15]  the bull that really kicks some power in is the game plan bull of Piepers nad Von Forrells,  have 2 heifers that will be on the reallly good side-- wished I had used him more but will probably flush to him in spring.c  the reason for viceroy is a TOTAL outcross-- a double bred 036 black pedigree-  know 036's mother and that is the reason for using.

 

[roycattle]

I would use above and beyond for red angus calving ease.  We raise shorthorns and breed all our heifers to him.  Have bred him to 18 heifers over 3 years and have never assited one, all were under 70 lbs.  They came out and jumped right up.  this is a no brainer!!!

 

[Showmom]

I think Mullberry is a carrier of something, not up on my RA stuff though...  IDN, but IMO this RA Thing is about to GET HOT!!



Mulberry is not a carrier and has been tested.  I think if you look through some older threads you will find this information.

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

Mulberry is not a carrier, sires depth of body and mass with a ton of rib, but not really a whole sale calving ease bull either.Above and beyond will get you a live calf on the ground but as a general whole lack bone and natural muscle shape. Make Mimi can also get a little frail for me in their bone structure. Squall is a good bull, should be decent for calving ease. Master Plan is a true female sire that is not bad for calving ease. The jury is still out for me on Huckleberries calving ease, I do like this bull alot. The old Rambler 1000 bull is a good choice for heifers. I guess it depends on your definition of calving ease. I know some that consider anything under 85 pounds to be a heifer bull and others that won't breed a heifer to anything over 70 pounds. I have two "calving ease" bulls that I use on heifers, one is a Basin Sensation grandson and the other is my old negotiator bull that is a maternal brother to the Hamely bull. Both calve easy and produce excellent daughters. Kf - I'll do some research and get back to you on him. RW

 

[squirt71]

We used Ole's Oscar this year, the calves should be hitting the ground in a week, so I'll know how they come out soon.

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

Kf - Your bull should be pretty easy calving and leave you with some nice females. At a quick glance he traces back to 22D, Design and Chateau 744 all good female producing bulls. The only thing in the pedigree that bothers me is the Future Direction, he is AMC and NHC. RW

 

[aj]

We bought a Lancer442 son from a guy in Colorado. He is the best calving ease deal we've used in 30 years. We have half blood son that is proven ease from this deal. In my opinion if you wan't to use a calving ease bull he may not have super phenotype calves. But if you can just get those poor first calf heifers by that first calf. How many heifers have been destroyed cause the owner didn't want to wait a precious year on a throw away calf. jmo.

 

[DL]

I am looking at some RA bulls and don't know much about the pedigrees or breeding. Can you help identify some calving ease bulls that are also very maternal and easy keeping? I am thinking of using them on some shorty cows to make them easier keeping, lower birth with better udders. Thanks for any help,
Travis

BC Hobo 1961
Leachman Above and Beyond
Leachman Heavenly 8141 (if you can find it)

These bulls worked great on my Maine and Shorthorn cows - I was not impressed with the Master Plan calves although they seem to improve over time (a long time, like a year) - they are middle of the road.

Mulberry is not an OS carrier but he is also not a calving ease bull. Get an ABS catalog - you can at least make some comparisons (they have the chart with all EPDs) -

You can check the defect status on the RA web site - most AI carriers have been pulled

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

DL - I will agree with you that the Master Plans are not really that impressive, especialy as calves. When they really come into their own is as females in the herd. Just a heads up RW

 

[TPX]

I would use Sakic, we have a few sakic calves from last year and am very impressed.  All the calves were born under 85 pounds and unassisted (like every red angus we ever had except one that was backwards). 

 

[Show Heifer]

Just a heads up... last year Sakic got very diffucult to find. Not sure on this year, but if you want it, I would order early..

 

[DL]

DL - I will agree with you that the Master Plans are not really that impressive, especialy as calves. When they really come into their own is as females in the herd. Just a heads up RW

So next year we will know 

 

[kfacres]

RW... thanks for the input...  I know he's not a great bull by any means- phenotypically.. but it never hurts to know what he's got in him...  Yes, I did notice that Future Direction was AMC NHC- especially being a 1680 son, but the daughter, BASIN ROSE 710P is listed as AMF NHF- so I'd think we'd be alright... 

This is our first time trying something like this on the dairy heifers...  I really have thought it too work, and now your few comments help reinforce that...  I think at one point, they were talking about possibly doing the dairy buyout- and keeping these heifers to build a beef herd around...  I've even toyed with the idea of taking some of those RA daughters, out of daughters of the old Milking Shorthorn bull- and turning them into Durham Red Recips at my place...  Color wise, they'd fit right in with my shorthorns...  (clapping)  would be interesting, and def thoughts to ponder over...  I know one thing, those calves from the RA bull will be most def easy to pick out, until dehorning time anyways...  they'll be the only polled ones!!

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

Kf - I don't know if you do much ET work or not but the daughters from that cross might just make some pretty good recip cows. There was a small dairy just north of me that used R A bulls on their Holstien heifers. They sold the F1 daughters to another bigger dairy to use as recips and had a pretty good locker beef deal going for the F1 steers. Just a thought. RW

 

[kfacres]

that was my thinking the whole way through...  at grandpa's we don't do any ET work with the dairy side of things.. heck, we barely even AI anymore...  Just seems not to have time between chores and farming, etc... 

But I would like to do some ET work at my house on the shorthorns in the not so far future...  If I would get the pasture space, I wouldn't mind taking those heifer calves and turning them into recips... I'd almost have an unlimited supply of them- if we keep this up...  We usually breed around 80 heifers a year.. so consider 40 potential recips available every year!  That's quite a bit of ET work in my book!!  And I bet they milk much much more, and raise a calf just as well if not better, than your average ole black cow does... 

I know that we have boughten very, very few outside cows over the years... and I'd say the actual number of females that have been produced by those females is very limited in number...  So, for the most part, I'd say 80-90% of our 100+ milking cows are still the original, homegrown genetics from when my grandpa started so many years ago, and probably his father before him...  Our farm just turned 100 a few years ago, and dairy has been since day 1...  We cull hard too, have to. 

Now my only problem is getting those RA sired heifer calves from grandpa...  We have never sold a female private auction, always just cull old cows to sale barn...  he is stubborn too!!!

How many people would be interested in buying some RA x Dairy F1 heifers for recips do you think???  I'd have an unlimited supply almost, and it'd be way more than I could ever handle!  If it works out..

 

[kfacres]

update to RW...  calved the first of our bull's calves this week...  1 bull and 2 heifers, all unassisted out of 1st calf heifers-- weighing 62, 65, 68...  very vigorous and lively... 

I will be keeping these heifer calves to grow out and sell as recips/ use for myself.. but with breeding 80 heifers a year to this bull, and having 40 of these recip cows- I just can't handle, nor have use for that many pottentially...