Bull Live Birth Weight

[Barry Farms]

How many of these AI bulls (club calf or PB) have true birthweights put down? It seems when comparing posted BW of these bulls (expecting calves to come out this way) to what I end up with in calves I come out a little high, also we don't have large cows or a continental base, current cow herd is mostly 1200-1350# and >50% Angus except for a few PB Charolais from a few years ago (grow like crazy) and a few PB Angus I just bought. Is it commonplace for these numbers to be tweaked? I don't know everything about this side of the business except that these numbers are an honor system.

What spurred this question: Have never raised a bull myself but would like to leave some really good AI calves intact this year or future. I think our management practices and genetics have improved enough to do so.

Jackson Barry

 

[mbigelow]

There are many things to consider for this.  First half of the genetic input comes from the COW and the other half from the bull.  The other thing that is often overlooked is that the genetic component only makes up half of the equation. The other half comes from the environment and how the cows are managed. 
I happen to believe that most people are honest and the birth weight documentation is correct.  For those that don't record honest weights it sorta itself out real quick. 

 

[Steve123]

Interesting study on the Genetic and non-Genetic influences on birth weight.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8980/2b9ca254cbe1ab42660e0d9c4b2aa2295cff.pdf

 

[ROMAX]

All Club Calf BW are guesses! Never seen anyone with crossbred cattle weigh calves.

 

[aj]

As long as there is one big birth weigh bull in the pedigree of cattle, even if it's a couple of generations back, their will be club calves born as cow killers or c-section material. All clubby bulls have at least one big bw floating around in its pedigree.