Breeding suggestion

[SSIMMENTALS]

I guess I'm going to join the never ending list of people asking for breeding advice. I guess I'm just curious as to what everyone else would do.

I have a PB simmy heifer out of Momentum and an Encore x Antoinette's Joy cow. She is about what you'd expect from the pedigree. She's a 5.5 frame, 1400 lb, deep bellied, sound, functional type female. She's good shouldered, but she has a little throat; she's a little more compact than I'd prefer. More of a roll her sleeves up and get the job done cow than a show heifer. She  just turned two, recently had her first calf...a nice little bull :-\  I'd really like to breed her to a simmy bull who will stretch her out, clean her up, and not make her any smaller; basically make the calf a better simmy show heifer than she was. Love to use sexed semen, but that's not a requirement. I'd breed her to Lazy H Pathfinder if I could find heifer semen on him. I've seen some long, refined looking girls out of him. However, she goes back to DO and if I breed her to a DO son and get a bull I'm in hot water. Do you have any suggestions? I've liked some of the Rendition calves, but I can't quite figure him out. Don't know if he's throwing them long and extended like some of the better ones I've seen or more moderate and boxy like a few others I've come across.Any of you guys around when MT was younger and more heavilly used? He interests me,not just for her but in general, but I don't have nearly the info to jump in on him.   Not the best pic, back in October, been in the pasture for 60 days slimming up for the baby. Thanks in advance!

 

[leanbeef]

Well, I'm surprised there's not a line of folks anxious to tell you what to breed your heifer to! People seem eager to help with stuff like that on this site. I was just gonna say I like the heifer in the photo...a lot actually. I guess I'm one of those guys who really appreciates the "roll-her-sleeves-up-and-get-the-job-done" types... I'm not a fan of real extreme show cattle. I've never minded a little front end, and our practical experience is that cattle with a little front tend to perform better in our environment. And they eventually grow into that front and make a pretty cow.

I do remember the MT bull, and I used him a little bit back then. I liked that they were smaller framed with some shape to their rib and some depth...fairly thick made and square. Some of em tended to be a tad shorter bodied and shorter necked, but they were clean and sound and pretty functional. I'm not sure what his numbers look like now...that'd be easy to find out though. I don't think he will add any frame or extend a front end though.

Our best fall babies are out of Added Value and Blazin' Hot. The Added Values we've had are plenty stylish...I do know that bull's growth numbers fell off with the new calculation. We probably won't use him anymore until we see what his numbers do, but the few calves we've had look like they'll work. He looks to be a calving ease bull, and I suspect some of em may not be very stout in terms of muscle and bone based on his new growth numbers. I'm really pleased with my Blazin' Hots...they've come easy, seem to grow well and have plenty of style for me, but I don't know that he would clean up a front end if you're wanting a "show front".  I like the Shear Pleasure calves we have on the ground, too.

Another bull I keep looking at and thinking about is TNT Ever Ready. His numbers aren't quite as stout as what we've been trying to use, and he just barely hasn't made our list the last couple of breeeding seasons, but I've heard those cattle are really pretty with plenty of muscle and look and that he works best on cows with plenty of rib.

We're looking at a couple of Upgrade sons this spring, but haven't settled on what we're doing just yet. I like the Olie bred cattle, and I'm thinking an Upgrade son might work better for us than Upgrade himself because of that strong minus milk EPD. Good luck finding something you like. I think you have something pretty neat in that female...I'd try to make another one just like her!

 

[vcsf]

It seems to me that the big knock against MT was his maternal calving ease and that it was not just from the number point of view but that some people were having quite a bit of trouble calving the daughters.

For your heifer have you considered Trademark?  The numbers might not line up the best but just wonder if it might not click for looks.  I don't think lining up the Ebony Antoinette cow in a pedigree would be a bad thing either.JMO

 

[SSIMMENTALS]

Thank you both for your input. Leanbeef, you brought up a few I hadn't considered, but will definately look into. VCSF, funny, I have considered Trademark. He kind of led me into Rendition (baldy son.) We must think somewhat alike. 90% of my simmys go back to Ebony Antoinette, and I wouldn't mind if 100% of them did. lol  Didn't know about the MT dtrs calving issues. Just always pondered over him b/c of  Glamour.

 

[WKYIronMike]

My MT daughter has done great, no calving problems and all the matings have been purebred simmental. She has a nice frame nothing small about it. Other than that she fits the description already posted of MT calves perfect. I would also consider Blazin Hot, he should stretch her calves out some. Also I think Shock And Awe would work well. I agree Lazy H Pathfinder would be a good one if not for her and his Dream On pedigree. 

 

[leanbeef]

Thank you both for your input. Leanbeef, you brought up a few I hadn't considered, but will definately look into. VCSF, funny, I have considered Trademark. He kind of led me into Rendition (baldy son.) We must think somewhat alike. 90% of my simmys go back to Ebony Antoinette, and I wouldn't mind if 100% of them did. lol  Didn't know about the MT dtrs calving issues. Just always pondered over him b/c of  Glamour.

I remember (now that it was mentioned) Mr MT getting pretty negative on MCE... His numbers still aren't great: https://herdbook.simmental.org/simmapp/action/animalSearch.AnimalSearchAction?eventSubmit_displayAnimal=T&animalNumber=1955750

I think I started looking at him when I saw Glamour as a yearling at our state junior show...he's not something I'd look at now, though. Not a bad base if you have it somewhere to build on, but I think there are better bulls available. That's my take on him in 2012...