Blog

Bull Sale Season

Supplement Sheet with Carcass Scan Data

We don’t have to choose between payweight and carcass quality, as long as we keep things balanced and track trends in our herd base.

Spreadsheet of the Ultrasound Scans for our 2021 Bull offering that includes updated EPDs for Carcass Traits.2021-Supplement-SheetDownload

Tagged | Leave a comment

Video 101

Ever wonder what it takes to create all those videos of bulls that you watch before Bull Sale Season?  It certainly looks simple enough.  Until you try to make one that doesn’t seem as though very young children were in charge . . .

Step One:  arrange for bulls to be clipped, groomed, cleaned
Step Two:  juggle the realities of weather, filming conditions, and whether or not the synchronized heifers are all calving
Step Three:  set up a pen with a pleasant backdrop (preferably not manure piles, retired machinery, or a rotten fence through which bulls will exit)
Step Four:  choose a team who enjoys the work, has a better than average patience range, and has nothing else pressing to do, as this process CANNOT be hurried
Step Five: trudge quietly behind bulls until they manage one or two walking passes the length of the filming pen (rule of thumb is acquire 3 to 5 [ ]

Leave a comment

First Bull Weight of the New Test

We run our performance test on the bulls for 4 consecutive months, weighed every 4 weeks.  This allows for a wide range of environmental conditions, sorts out anomalies, and blends in the compensatory gain of the first few weeks.  We also try to spread out the processing events since we have to run them through the chute for weight.  This time, we took an ear notch for BVD PI testing, poured for lice, and trimmed sheath hair.  The long, twisted hairs below the sheath are often dirty and matted, which can cause irritation and even exacerbate warts.  We have had much better breeding soundness evaluations since we began this maintenance step.

The group is at an average weight of 844 pounds, and has gained 4.3 pounds daily since weaning.  We really can see their rumen development during this first month.  The high fibre ration keeps the factory steaming along!

Leave a comment

Notes on Performance Data

Today a rancher called with an excellent question about how our performance numbers on the bulls relate to each other. It merits some explanation. The three measurements of performance that we include in our catalog are 205 Day Adjusted Weight, Average Daily Gain, and Weight Per Day of Age.

205 Day Adjusted Weight is calculated by American Simmental Association, based on the weaning weight we submit for each animal. They adjust to exactly 205 days, and also make an adjustment based on the age of the dam.
 Average Daily Gain (ADG) is calculated by us, based only on the performance of the bulls while on feed test. They are weighed every 4 weeks for 16 weeks.
Weight Per Day of Age (WDA) is calculated by us, based on the bulls’ weight at time of ultrasound, which is usually mid to late January. It reflects their average gain over their entire life up to [ ]

Leave a comment

Sneak Peak! New Calf Crop . . .

Open Gate has added a new sire to the genetic program:

Hook”s Trinity 9T calves, January born, on first calf heifers.

http://opengateranch.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/02-Cold-As-It-Gets.m4a

Leave a comment

Breeding Soundness Evaluation

For our purposes, we prioritize this process before the bull sale in order to identify individuals who are unsatisfactory for successfully completing a breeding season-this involves a lot more than simply determining sterility.
First, an overall physical assessment for soundness is made. Then, testicles are measured as a correlative to fertility and maturity and examined for consistency, uniformity and the presence of any abnormalities. We also really want to make sure there are two . . .
Next, the penis is examined for a normal extension, for warts (which are prone to vascular bleeding and interfere with fertility) and for the presence of a persistent frenulum or “tie” which occasionally results when the penis and prepuce did not separate completely. This presents a physical impediment to extension and must be surgically addressed. Finally, a semen sample is examined for motility (movement and activity) and morphology (form, structure and maturity). Since semen production [ ]

Leave a comment

February is Gone!

Tomorrow, the calendar will read March, which means…. Bull Sale panic/countdown is Full On!
 
Catalogs should be arriving soon . . .

Leave a comment
Ranching can’t be about what we’ve already done. It’s gotta be about what we do tomorrow.
Website Designed by EDJE  |  wp