Breeding Season!

 Well, it's official the last 23 cows of our 234 AI (artificial insemination) cows went out to the bull yesterday! After we AI our cows we wait three weeks before sending them out to the bull so that way when they calf next year we know if the calf is sired by the AI bull or the natural bull! Now the 2011 breeding season is in full swing with 409 purebred cows with 11 Hereford bulls. Along with about 165 heifers with 4 bulls.

A cow cannot just go with any bull so it is a process to decide who goes with who. So, my dad will sit down and look at the cows mother and father to make sure she doesn't go with a bull that is related to her, we will also look at the calves the cow has had in the past, usually not putting her with the bull that produced the poorest calf, but if she had one exceptionally good calf then she will go to the same bull.The bulls are now out with anywhere from 25 females to 50 females.

LBH 157K RIBSTONE 40W

This is 40W a two year old bull who is the future and that may very well be the best bull that has ever walked our soil. We have used him very heavy, last year as a yearling we AI'd a bunch to him and put him with about 40 cows, this year we AI'd 60 to him and right now he has 50 females. His first calf crop is looking absolutely amazing and I look forward to his future calf crops along with what his sons and daughters will do for us in the near future.



LBH 73L STANDARD 268P



One other bull that also has 50 cows this year is 268P. He is seven years old and has produced countless sons and daughters. Every year he seems to be the bull that leaves the fewest open, he does the job and very well!







CC 77J STERLING 39T



One of our Heifer Bulls. The bulls that we put on heifers are ones that have light birth weights, for calving ease. Heifers are smaller than a full grown cow and they can have difficulties calving out a heavy calf so light birth weight bulls are used to keep the birth weight down, and this bull 39T keeps the birth weights extremely light, some of them are almost to light. But we rarely help one calf because of size. 

The other 12 of our prestigious sires:

MVF 237K STD BRIT LAD 75S

LBH 157K RIBSTONE 66T

SGC 129P SUPER LAD 102T

LBH 268P STANDARD 106T

LBH 268P STANDARD 168T

LBH 157K RIBSTONE 198T

LBH 157K RIBSTONE 236U

BP 144P STANDARD LAD 147W

LBH 39T STERLING 162W

LBH 102T SUPER RIB 47X

MCCOY 58G JACKPOT ET 105X

LBH 236U RIBSTONE 217X

These bulls will be out with the cows until the beginning of July, throughout the summer they will keep us busy by having to regularly move them to a new pasture as needed when they run out of grass, along with being constantly checked, to make sure nothing is wrong with any of the cattle.

If you have any questions on our breeding program or these sires please feel free to ask. If you want more information on the selective breeding of these bulls you can check out my sisters blog post on selective breeding http://justatypicalfarmgirl.blogspot.com/2011/05/selective-breeding.html.