Which would you rather have......

[Limiman12]

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.

 

[RyanChandler]

w/o question: #1

 

[rackranch]

#1 but let me ask you a question.  Do you think there is ''the right bull'' out there for every cow and it is just a matter of finding the right combination. And once you find it #1 can be achieved?

 

[RyanChandler]

#1 but let me ask you a question.  Do you think there is ''the right bull'' out there for every cow and it is just a matter of finding the right combination. And once you find it #1 can be achieved?

In comparison to your herd, or even in comparison to other individuals within your breed, there are superior bulls and then there are inferior bulls.  Superior bulls have the prepotency required for their genetics to be more prominently expressed in their offspring.  Superior bulls create  #1 cows. 

Breeding inferior bulls to a #1 cow, for example, would allow the cow's genetics to be more expressive.  I would accredit the potency of a #1 cow's genetics to her sire.

 

[Limiman12]

What makes prepotency only come from the sire?.....

My first PB cow gave me a bunch of mini me heifers and a herd bull.  The herd bull changed out herd because all of his heifers looked like his half sisters.  I would argue his pro potency came from his mama, and he was by one of the most popular limi bulls of the day, polled power,  Maybe it was a great breeding that made him and he got it from both, but even her heifers calves looked more like her then their sire.

To me superior genetics are just as likely to come from a "blue hen" as a great sire.


I was curious what people would say, a cow that always throws nice calves is very valuable, but I would think there would be people out there that want to be able to change a calf crop with a bull.....

 

[RyanChandler]

What makes prepotency only come from the sire?.....

My first PB cow gave me a bunch of mini me heifers and a herd bull.  The herd bull changed out herd because all of his heifers looked like his half sisters.  I would argue his pro potency came from his mama,

I was curious what people would say, a cow that always throws nice calves is very valuable, but I would think there would be people out there that want to be able to change a calf crop with a bull.....

It likely did come from his dam-- BUT only because his sire's genetics were inferior (relative to his dams.)  The majority of cattlemen want to use a bull who is superior to his females which will result in the sire's genetics being more prevalently expressed in the offspring.

It's no coincidence that 'your best cows' always seem to replicate themselves whereas, with some of your lesser cows, their offspring annually takes after the sire.  This is because the sire is genetically superior to the lesser cows and genetically inferior to 'your best cows.'

My boss used to always say- more times referring to people, but  (lol) , - "Poor bull can't mark his calves." 

 

[Limiman12]

I'd give about anything to have that cow back!    The sire to the herd bull she raised was Polled Power.....    One of the biggest name limi bulls at the time, come to think of it, wouldn't mind having another turn at that bull either!   

 

[RyanChandler]

I'd give about anything to have that cow back!    The sire to the herd bull she raised was Polled Power.....    One of the biggest name limi bulls at the time, come to think of it, wouldn't mind having another turn at that bull either! 

Now you're thinkin  (thumbsup)