@sherrirae13: We want to see these traits in a breeding bull-calf, not show bull, not for steering for beef. There is a difference to us. It’s not a complete list. We never stop learning either! Gentic gentleness, not just gentle by daily interaction with his cattleman. Disposition is everything. Goodlooking bull - look out & enjoy what you see on a daily basis. Scrotal size (circumference) The larger the scrotum, specifically at 1 year of age, the more fertile he is plus his daughters will have an earlier estrus. * We have to keep our bull with cows year round, so we prefer a later estrus for breeding older heifers - 2 1/2 years but this only personal preference. Libido - a calf that definitely wants to be a bull & takes his job seriously. Butts with a pelvic tilt - we LOVE a nice round, muscular butt but with a slight downward angle hooks to pins - this widens the pelvis & great for calving ease on his daughters * This is contrary to what “I” see for show cattle. Structurally sound feet, legs, & the section between the dewclaw & the foot (about 45 degree angle) for long term joint health. Buying from a breeder with the upmost integrity. Looking at the parents. Watching & observing them especially if commercial calves. Genetics are strong for your future crop. Knowing the bull calf’s birth weight. Are records kept, photos of development? You too will be producing bull calves to sell as breeding stock, beef, or steers. If you sell for breeder bulls, it will determine the high cost and suffering of dystocia in heifers for your own buyers. ** EPDs related to WEANING weight: ( how I understood it best) EPDs are expressed in pounds of a calf. Example, if bull A has a weaning weight EPD of +45 and bull B has a weaning weight EPD of +35, the calves produced by bull A are expected to weigh, on average, 10 pounds more at weaning than those of bull B. * We search for bull calves with low birth weight & high weaning weights. We breed our new bull calf when mature to mature cows to start. We watch the size of the calves at birth. This is a great indicator of judgement whether our non-registered bull is appropriate for heifers. Dystocia is miserable! If you want statistical scores, buy registered. There is no question of what to expect with them for breeding. We’ve bred with borrows bulls, commercial bulls & now we use registered bulls (we love numbers). Otherwise, be armed with information on how you choose a commercial breeder bull calf. Lots of us went into the cattle business buying what we could afford and learning our way into the industry. We are examples of money loss, cattle loss, & uneducated decisions. We can offer advice from our mistakes. At the same time, know you do not have to understand every aspect to be able to select a good commercial bull. Nothing is more beautiful than to see that first calf on the ground! #bull #calf #Brahman #crossbreed #cattle

Sherri Rae

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Region: US

Saturday 23 May 2026 17:04:35 GMT