I put together several groups of replacement heifers last year with the goal of selling them as bred heifers. I made sure to buy reputable heifers as I didn’t want to deal with all the issues of sale barn cattle. I put together over 400 heifers and planned to expose them to PCC 5-star calving ease bulls. I thought this would be a straightforward project where I could take advantage of the rising market.
The first thing I noticed was that these heifers were nuts! Even with reputable cattle, their dispositions were horrible! They tore up our portable corrals and would not settle down. It was like watching ping-pong balls hitting one side, and then the other. I guess I’ve gotten so used to PCC genetics that I forgot what mainstream cattle were like!
Off and on all summer, we had problems with these heifers tearing down fences and just being miserable to work with. When I contracted them to sell, however, the representative complimented me on how good their dispositions were. I couldn’t believe it; he thought these heifers were great! This must be what it’s like to run mainstream cattle.
Just for comparison, let me explain how our cattle behave. We can walk, ride or drive through them and get close enough to read ear tag numbers without them running off. When it comes time to work them, they walk into our working corrals and up the chute. We rarely need a hot-shot or sorting stick. During calving season, our heifers and cows always stay by their calf. They will not run off with or without their calf.
It’s hard for me to understand how anyone could enjoy being in the cattle business with mainstream genetics. It was absolute misery! And that was just disposition. Add in all the other traits that PCC cattle excel at like calving ease, fleshing ability, fertility, low maintenance, etc., etc. and it’s a no-brainer! For those who don’t know any better, let me tell you, there is a much better way!