Choose a Bull
Choose A Bull
By Richard Duff, Ballyfin Belgian Blues
Probably the most important job a breeder has to do as part of his/her breeding programme is choosing the correct bull to use on each pedigree cow/heifer. Often times not enough thought and research is put into the job. There is a lot of information out there once you know where to access this information.
The first step in choosing a bull is to look at the pedigree cow/ heifer you wish to breed from and ask yourself the following questions.
- Does the cow meet the minimum height requirements for her age?
- How does she rate on length?
- Is she correct enough on her legs?
- Has the cow good muscle definition?
If you answer No to any of the above questions then you should consider the economic viability of breeding from this cow especially if you are considering embryo transfer.
It has been my experience that a big tall long cow with average muscle is a better breeder of bulls for use in Irish conditions than a small cow with extreme muscling. The suckler farmer is depending on us as breeders to produce a BB bull which will give him top quality weanlings for export to the high priced EU market.
Likewise the Dairy Farmer is looking for a BB bull with short gestation ; easy calving ; good colour marking for export.
How can we deliver on the above ?
This can be achieved by putting time and effort into choosing the correct sire by using all the information available on the selection of proven sires.
Check that the back pedigree of your cow/heifer for 3 generations is not related to the pedigree of the selected bull.
Check the linear scores of the sire for at least height; muscle; and legs. Personally I would always choose a bull with at least +6 rating for height. If you have a very tall cow with a linear score of 95 or better you could go less than + 6.
The linear score of the dam of the sire is also very important. In some of the BB AI sire catalogues the linear score of the dam of the sire is written under the dams’ name. Take Gitan for example he is +16 for height. His dam Oie du Vanova has the following linear score : 98.0/91. 2/87. 6/95/90/91.2 this reads from left to right (height/ muscle/meat type/legs/general aspect). However the sire of Gitan has only a score of 88/100 for height therefore the height came more from the dam side in Gitans’ pedigree thus showing the importance of the linear score of the dam of the sire.
It is of vital importance to check the Belgian Blue Genetic Evaluation catalogue which is produced by the BB herdbook in Belgium. This book is available from the BB society to all members or it can be downloaded from the Belgium herdbook at http://www.hbbbb.be
How to read the BB Genetic Evaluations
There is a lot of crucial information in this book which is essential for breeders to use before making any decision on sire selection. I realise only bulls standing in A.I. in Belgium are present in the book , however the sires of many of the bulls standing in Irish A.I. stations are also documented. In Belgium there are two visits carried out when progeny testing. The first visit is at the calf stage and the second visit is when the calves are over a year old. The following indexes are measured (the average for all indexes is 100). For some traits
- >100 is better and for others < 100 is better.
- Gestation Length ( the lower the figure the better) e.g. 93
- Birth weight ( the lower the figure the better) e.g. 91
- Conformation at birth ( the lower figure relates to less muscle at birth ) e.g. 80
The above indexes can be used to indicate if the bull is easy calving. The examples above are for the bull
Gratin this would indicate that this bull has a short gestation , low birth weight and conformation which indicates he should be easy calving.
- Conformation and weight are also measured on the second visit. This is an important measurement as it
- indicates the growth rate and quality of the bull’s progeny after a year old.
- Ability to drink ( the higher the value the better) e.g. 106
- Vitality ( the higher the value the better) e.g. 101
- Mortality ( the lower the figure the better) e.g. 87
I used Empire as the example for 4,5, and 6. As you can see this bull produces good lively calves that are easy to get going.
- Defect of the forelegs ( the lower the figure the better) e.g. 85
- Straight hocks (the lower the figure the better) e.g. 98
- Bent hocks ( the lower the figure the better) e.g. 94
The example I used for 7,8, and 9 is Rocky. On the first visit Rocky produced calves with very good legs however on the second visit the figures for Rocky dis-improved because he scored 110 for bent hocks which indicates that some of his progeny sickled later on. As you can see from this example you don’t get the full picture for legs until the second visit.Remember do not use a bull with a high figure for straight hocks to correct a cow with sickled legs. (two wrongs don’t make it right). If you aim to correct a cow with sickled legs use a bull that has a very low figure for traits 7,8, and 9 both on the first and second visit.
Finally the last three indexes are
- Protruding tongue (the lower the figure the better) e.g.85
- Deviation of the jaw (under shot) (the lower the figure the better) e.g.95
- Prognatism (over shot) (the lower the figure the better) e.g.82
The bull used for this example is Harrison. These figures indicate that Harrison produces calves that are very correct in the mouth. These figures were also measured during the second visit.
Breeders should also be aware that in future all bulls standing in A.I. in Belgium will have their DNA tested or dwarfism gene called SQT so therefore it will be easy to breed out this defect by not using bulls which are positive for the gene for pedigree breeding.
In conclusion there is a lot of information available and it will be well worth your while putting some time and effort into selecting your bulls for pedigree breeding. I hope this article will be of some use to you in your sire selection and I wish you all as breeders a profitable year of breeding ahead.
