Making Bull Selection Decisions for Heifer Matings

There are numerous factors which need to be considered when selecting a bull to mate over heifers. In many cases, the primary aim of the beef producer is to produce a live calf which is born unassisted, with other economic traits (e.g. growth) of secondary importance. Traditionally this has been done by selecting a ‘heifer bull’ to mate over the heifers; that is, a bull with a low birth weight EBV which will produce small calves which are easily calved down by the heifer. However, as birth weight is highly correlated with the other growth traits (e.g. 200, 400 and 600 Day Weight), this has traditionally been done at the expense of later growth. For those that are breeding replacement females, this has longer term implications for the genetic progress of the herd as a whole.