It is a significant decision to choose Angus stud sires and in this article, we will go through some of the key considerations in selecting them so that genetic excellence of your cattle can be ensured.
You have to clearly define your breeding goals and objectives
Some of the factors that will come into this will be your production system, market demand and the desired traits to look for seedstock and commercial production. Maybe you are planning to produce bulls that have strong growth potential with exceptional meat quality. Or maybe there are certain traits you prioritise such as docility, fertility, adaptability to different methods of feeding. Once you have a clear idea of your breeding objectives, you can further guide your selection process for Angus sires. All breeders are looking for genetic excellence and to ensure this, you need to leverage the best industry sires.
You need to choose top performing genetics from reputed Angus studs in order to access superior breeding stock and bloodlines. Some of the desirable traits you can look for in an Angus sire are low birth weights, strong growth and superior carcass quality. You can also check whether they have a high level of adaptability to a variety of production environments. When assessing the genetic merit of stud sires, you have to consider pedigree information, estimated breeding values and genomic testing results.
Many commercial and seedstock producers look for low birth weights and strong growth
Therefore, you have to look for bulls that have a balance of calving ease and growth potential. To do this, you need to look for those with positive estimated breeding values. Also, you have to consider the 200, 400 and 600 day weight of the sires to get an idea of their growth performance from the time of their birth to when they mature. Meet quality is another critical consideration among beef producers. They are looking to meet the high demands of the consumer market. To do this, they will need to look for bulls that have favourable carcass traits. Some of these traits are yield, marbling, tenderness and intramuscular fat. If the sires have high quality progeny that meet the industry standards or exceed them consistently when it comes to consumer satisfaction ad beef grading, this can be a good metric to work with. Other desired traits you can look for are muscle score, thickness of back fat and rib eye area.
The market flexibility
Of the Angus stud sires can be increased when you choose those with a high adaptability to different feeding regimes. By choosing Angus stud sires that are adapted to grain fed and grass fed production systems, you are better able to capitalize on diverse opportunities in the market. You need to check whether the bills have proven experience in different feeding environments and also under different management practices. Some of the factors that should be considered here are feed conversion ratios, feed efficiency and residual feed intake. This will allow you to choose an Angus stud sire that can produce high quality beef under a variety of conditions.