Winter Hearty Beef Cows

but with AI being more prevalent in the cattle world all you need is a homemade squeeze chute or headlock to get your breeding done.

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Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.

for that matter, if you only have a few head, you can just load them up in a trailer, haul them to the vet and let HIM AI.
Though, as mentioned, there are other avenues than just AI.

Our oldest heifer ran with the neighbor's last summer to catch the bull...

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Providing our own grass and hay is my number one priority! I could have bought hay for many years with what I put into haying equipment...

My feelings on the bull question run along those lines as well.

As far as I am concerned no bull=no calves. Bad bull=burger.

What does one do to prevent the bull from mating with his own offspring?

Is it just a 2 year temporary position?

Use your bull, then use your bull again on his own daughters, then put bull in freezer. Then buy new bull and do the same thing. That is done by many smaller breeders.

Carol K

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Midhill Dexters
http://www.midhilldexters.com/

I agree with carol. breeding back to good daughters actually improves the quality of the bloodline. then you know what to expect. outcrossing every time is like a roll of the dice. line breeding = consistency.

what we do is buy in a bull and keep him for 2-3 breeding cycles, then butcher him for ourselves. we love bull meat.

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www.infowars.com
www.angorafiber.com
Licensed ARBA Registrar

Line breeding can also accentuate undesirable traits.....

well of course, but you have to learn as you go, or have a mentor, but if you can't understand basic trait inheritance, maybe you have no business raising animals.

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www.infowars.com
www.angorafiber.com
Licensed ARBA Registrar

If the bull has no outward signs of a genetic anomaly, understanding basic trait inheritance does you squat. And I am not sure if that was an insult about "you have no business raising animals" but you contradicted yourself when you said "learn as you go" and then "but if you can't understand basic trait inheritance, maybe you have no business raising animals".

Give all the info the first time and maybe save someone a big pain in the backside later. It's a sound policy when giving advice. At least from where I'm standing.

Line breeding can be consistent if you have a comprehensive pedigree on your dame and sire, otherwise it is also like rolling dice.

If you're going to use a bull on his own daughters, he'd better be a GOOD bull, not a crappy one that should've been steered right after birth. And in most cases, (no offense intended to most of you here), those newbies that are starting in the cattle business have no idea what a really good bull should look like. And most really good bulls don't come cheap either.

I'm with LL, linebreeding or inbreeding should not be used at all in any cowherd unless you are specifically breeding for a certain, pure bloodline. You shouldn't be using this kind of breeding practice if you have no idea what kind of genetic disorders (lethal or otherwise) to expect. All cows AND bulls should be TOP-QUALITY animals before you even consider using linebreeding. If you have average or good or even poor quality animals that were someone else's culls or that you bought from the salebarn, don't even think about doing any linebreeding.

Use AI if you can't lease a bull or rent one from someone.

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Whoa, guys. Around here, the ranchers swap bulls with the guy down the road. Bulls aren't used on their daughters.

Actually, most of the bulls go to slaughter when they get full grown because they are too heavy to use on first calf heifers. They'd be bologna before their daughters are old enough to be bred. Only the fancy, purebred, top quality bulls are kept around longer than that.

Same here OW. I only opened my mouth to point out what I thought to be obvious...

Well you asked for opinions and you certainly got some, hopefully that will give you a start. Do some reading on linebreeding and or hybrid vigor, and that will get you started.
Good luck and let us know how it goes,

Carol K

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Midhill Dexters
http://www.midhilldexters.com/

I've been raising Beltie-Hereford crossbreds for a little over ten years and they have done very well living outside and against the elements. I use a Belted Galloway bull and they tend to throw small calves so calving season tends to go pretty smoothly. There not the biggest animals but they do well on grass and are hearty.

you mis understood what I said. it was not meant to be an insult. The op is asking about breeding back to daughters, and people are responding from both sides of the fence, hence mentor. He gives or does not give it a try, and decides whether or not he likes the results, hence learn by doing. If after that, said person still doesn't grasp the concept of basic inherited traits, then that person has no business breeding animals. that is what I meant.

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www.infowars.com
www.angorafiber.com
Licensed ARBA Registrar

Well, I for one certainly appreciate all of the input.

As with most discussions there are a wide range of opinions and each has it's own merit.