Breeding Female

Option 2 : Buy a fully registered pedigree heifer on farm from a pedigree breeder.

This is a safe option because all the paperwork is completed. You can view the heifer herself and you see what you are buying. You should make sure that the heifer or cow meets certain criteria., namely

• She has good legs and feet.
• She meets the minimum height requirement for her age as a category 1 BB.
• She has good length.
• She has good muscle definition.
• The heifer should be cycling regularly .

In my experience I would be willing to sacrifice some muscle in order to gain more height and length. It is easier to put muscle on the offspring of tall cows than it is to put height into the offspring of small extreme muscle cows.

It may be safer to purchase a heifer around 18 months because then you can be sure that she was never tampered with. In my experience I would not recommend that a BB heifer should be flushed under 2 years old. You should ask the breeder if he/she has ever flushed that animal before. Most breeders are honest and will give you the full story.

Option 3: Buy an In-calf Recipient carrying a pedigree heifer calf.

This is a very popular option mainly because it is a cheaper option .It may also be the only way you can get a heifer from a particular cow. If you are considering this option then you should consider the following:

1. Only buy from a registered breeder otherwise your calf will not be registered .
2. Make sure the donor cow is registered for flushing. It is a rule in the society that every donor cow is registered for flushing. This costs 125 euro per donor and is only payable once in the lifetime of the donor. Every donor cow must be registered for flushing so she can be checked out to make sure she is DNA tested a s all E.T. calves must undergo a DNA parentage analysis. Have a good look at the donor cow and make sure she meets the criteria discussed in the above options.
3. The breeder must fill out an embryo amendment form. This form transfers the ownership of the embryo to the purchaser. It would be in the purchaser’s interest to have this form filled out on the day of purchase so as to avoid delays in getting the calf registered later on.

Option 4: Buy a BB embryo.

This option is also very popular and would be regarded as the cheapest option. However it has risks attached. If you are considering this option then you should consider the following:

1. The first gamble is there is only a 50% chance of getting a heifer.
2. You should buy at least 2 embryos at a time so as to avoid disappointment. In my experience if you purchase 4 or more embryos at a time most breeders would guarantee you 50% conception up to 3 months in calf.
3. There is always a risk of an abortion later on and there is usually no come back. Therefore it would be in your own interest to have the heifers tested for diseases like BVDand lepto and vaccinate your heifers for BVD and Leptospirosis  at least 6 weeks before implanting.
4. Consider fresh versus frozen embryos .The fresh embryo will have at least a 15 % higher conception rate than the frozen embryo. If you are considering fresh embryos then forward planning is essential.
5. As for option 3 the breeder must fill out an embryo amendment form. This form transfers the ownership of the embryo to the purchaser. It would be in the purchaser’s interest to have this form filled out on the day of purchase so as to avoid delays in getting the calf registered later on.

Option 5: Importing BB embryo’s from abroad.

This option is used mainly by the established breeder to import new genetics. If using this option you should consider the following:

1. Imported embryos are generally more expensive. Just because embryos are imported from abroad does not guarantee that they are any better than the home bred embryos. In fact in a lot of cases the opposite is the case.
2. Make sure you have all the proper health certificates. Embryos without the proper health certs will not be registered.
3. Make sure you have the DNA certs for the sire and dam of the embryos. All embryo calves must have DNA checked for parentage analysis.
4. Usually there is no guarantee with imported embryos. So if you get less than 50% conception there is no come back.
5. If you choose option 3,4 or 5 then you the purchaser are responsible for getting the calf registered. In order to achieve this hassle free you should
6. Become a member of the society before the calves are born so that you have your herd prefix and all the information you need before you fill out the animal events book.
7. When the calf is born fill out the BB society registration postcard and send this card along with the registration fee to the society within 7 days.
8. Fill out the animal events book to register your calf on the CMMS. You will need the tag number of both the recipient dam and the donor cow as well as the code of the sire in order to fill out this book. This info can be got from your embryo amendment form.
9. You will have to name the calf starting its name with the year letter. This will be provided by the society when you become a member.
10. When the calf is 6 months old it will have to be inspected by an official inspector from ICBF and checked for defects and linear scored.
11. After passing inspection a DNA kit will be issued by the BB society and you will have to have the parentage of the calf verified .

In conclusion there are lots of ways to purchase a belgian blue. Which option you choose will depend on what you can afford to spend and how long you are willing to wait for a return on your investment. It may seem complicated with a lot of paper work to get your calf registered. However if you carry out each step at the start as shown above there will be no hassle .

Finally I wish you all the best of luck in purchasing a belgian blue no matter which option you choose.