What to breed heifer to?

[zac_norwood]

This heifer wont be bred for a while but just planning ahead, I'm thinking Jesse James because of the calfs I have seen him have out of monopoly heifers. She is a Bojo char bull to a monopoly shorthorn cow.

 

[RankeCattleCo]

I've seen some train wrecks from Jesse James. I don't know if I'd be confident enough to use "no worries"... Definitely could consider I-80 with how thick she looks.

 

[gsmcattle]

Ali's Solution. She powerful and he'll give her calves a clean and showy look. Is she a carrier?

 

[RankeCattleCo]

She has lots of flex in her patterns too. Keep that in mind when selecting a sire.

 

[zac_norwood]

Not sure if she is a carrier, how can I find out for sure?

 

[zac_norwood]

What color calf would I get if the bull what black?

 

[RankeCattleCo]

You need to pull hair or blood samples and send it to a lab to determine TH and PHA status (both lethal diseases to calf and possibly cow when a carrier is mated to a carrier)

You won't have to worry about that with most CE bulls. Almost all are double clean.

IMO you need flex and neck extension. I-80 will make them more post like on the rear legs and will really extend the neck.. Just my thoughts.

You have a great heifer! Showing her as breeding or market?

 

[RankeCattleCo]

Most likely black, very dark smoke possible.. When we breed our pure black Milkman daughter to I-80 we got a fist sized white spot on the calve's cod. Seems as if I-80 is hetero black.

Could be black, black with chrome, dark smoke, or orange.. That Char and Shorthorn in the pedigree creates lots of variability.

 

[zac_norwood]

I'm showing her as a commercial, I think she will compete better as a commercial.

 

[RankeCattleCo]

Yes and no.. she doesn't have the extension of neck in my opinion to be a great breeding class animal.. granted, she does have son depth in the belly and rib and based on her picture (lots of pastern flex) she looks like she moves well. It's really a horse a piece eother way, market or commercial. I would show her market if I had her.

 

[zac_norwood]

In arkansas there are breeds and commercial, I assumed market was basically just commercial. Am I wrong?

 

[RyanChandler]

You're correct.

 

[RankeCattleCo]

Some shows here offer a "market heifer class" where they are shown strictly on weight (Like commercial). They are judged like a steer,their ability to flesh and how they would perform on the rail. Here your "chunkier" and more powerful/clubby/steer like heifers are shown. Your free martins will be shown here too.

Commercial are the Club Calves, not a high enough % of any breed or a PB to show with other animals of that breed. Yours is a composite breeding heifer if shown as breeding stock

Hope this answered your questions.

 

[RankeCattleCo]

You're correct.

After seeing how some exhibitors show there heifers as breeding stock I think the focus of most people's cow calf production operations need to be rethought.  99% of commercials and atleast 90% of all comp. Char and shorthorn plus I believe should also be shown market... and then you talk about Maintainers and Simm Solution.. a large portion of those should arguably be shown market also.

Oh and 100% of Chi's. Don't get me star on that BS.

 

[RyanChandler]

You're correct.

After seeing how some exhibitors show there heifers as breeding stock I think the focus of most people's cow calf production operations need to be rethought.  99% of commercials and atleast 90% of all comp. Char and shorthorn plus I believe should also be shown market... and then you talk about Maintainers and Simm Solution.. a large portion of those should arguably be shown market also.

Oh and 100% of Chi's. Don't get me star on that BS.

I agree.  Breeding classes should be reserved for purebreds.  I also think there should be a big type difference within those classes.  Breeding females should be feminine and correct, not androgynous like many, many you see are.  Market heifers should be evaluated just as you would a steer.

 

[RankeCattleCo]

You're correct.

After seeing how some exhibitors show there heifers as breeding stock I think the focus of most people's cow calf production operations need to be rethought.  99% of commercials and atleast 90% of all comp. Char and shorthorn plus I believe should also be shown market... and then you talk about Maintainers and Simm Solution.. a large portion of those should arguably be shown market also.

Oh and 100% of Chi's. Don't get me star on that BS.

I agree.  Breeding classes should be reserved for purebreds.  I also think there should be a big type difference within those classes.  Breeding females should be feminine and correct, not androgynous like many, many you see are.  Market heifers should be evaluated just as you would a steer.

Commercials shouldn't be winning shows. Period.

 

[RyanChandler]

I don't know what you mean by commercials...  There are breeding classes where maternally oriented female cattle compete and then there are market classes- where, ideally, terminally sired females compete.  Breeding females being judged based on their ability to be functional productive cows, and market females judged based on their retail product potential. 

 

[Shorthorns4us]

Zac:

This may not be a popular answer for some folks, but she is a heifer-- let's get a nice live calf.  I would go a Calving Ease black angus or calving ease red angus.  I guess this is just me-- but I don't worry about getting that barn-burner show winner calf out of a 1st calf heifer-- it will come-- she has lots of time to produce the barn-burner.  I would like a nice live calf to start to give the heifer a chance to be a mommy.  Another option is Lowline Angus-- don't discount these cattle for use on heifers and some of the calves can really turn into head-turners! 

EF

 

[RankeCattleCo]

Here in WI, commercial classes of heifers consist of a breeding animal of no specific breed or % of a breed (ie Shotthorn plus, Comp. Char, etc.). All these animals are thrown into the "commercial" class, which is shown by weight. The champion COMMERCIAL breeding heifer competes against all the other breeds for supreme champion heifer.. ie the champion Angus, Simm, Char Comp, basically any breed represented. COMMERCIAL classes are where your Monopoly, BIM, MAB, etc. calves are put into.  These are calves still judged as a breeding piece.

MARKET HEIFERS are again classed by weight. These are heifers judged just like a steer would and in no way judged as a breeding animal. They compete with the STEERS in champion drive.

COMMERCIAL- compete with all other breeds of breeding heifers in the champion drive.

MARKET HEIFERS- Compete with steers in final drive.