Number, age, and class of animals to be sold at auction*:
3 Breeding Bulls (born spring 2020)
Birthplace and approximate birth date of animals to be listed:
All born on BCB land from BCB stock from April into June (normal calving time for our herds).
Complete feed/nutritional regimen:
Redmond Salt & Chelated Mineral 365 days/year for all. Breeding Bulls were born on native range and were weaned naturally in the herd and have had nothing other than salt and mineral save for several winter months (2020-2021) of some cane hay while on range (due to drought). After being removed from the herd in late August or early October (see sheet for attached details) they entered into a short feed test where they were given free access to grass hay and a complete corn and cottonseed-based finishing ration. The bulls were removed from the feed test on 26 November and have been on grass hay since.
Vaccination history:
Annual vaccination with Vision 7 w/Spur and Clostridial A. We will perform additional testing and/or vaccination at buyers expense and risk.
Deworming history:
Annual deworming with Safeguard drench.
Culling & Retention protocol for the breeding herd that the animals came from:
We only supplement our breeding herds with salt and mineral. Nutritional supplements, such as hay, are only used in the rare instance that the naturally grown feed sources on the ranch have been decimated by drought, hail, fire, or other major event that prevent the land from naturally producing nutrition in sufficient quantity to sustain the animals. We feel this is the most important first step, since added nutrition can and will cover up many genetic short-comings and then allow these to be passed on for generations. We have held to this program for 22 years now.
Specifics:
All of our calves are left on the herd until long yearlings (unless human-weaned in preparation for sale), which provides an effective real-world range test. A female that is retained for breeding stock MUST:
- Test negative for cattle MtDNA using Texas A&M’s best test. (This will ensure, over time, that the entire herd will be free from cattle introgression.)
- Be bred as a two-year-old.
Thereafter, females are only allowed two strikes before they are culled.
A strike is defined as:
- Not pregnant at our fall/winter working.
- Did not raise a calf due to her actions.
- Did not properly wean the prior year’s calf and allowed both her new calf and the old calf to suck.
- Is overly aggressive in such a way that it places her and/or her calf at a disadvantage.
Males retained for breeding purposes meet the following criteria:
- Top 5-10% of “weaning weight” (weight at first fall/winter working)
- Top 5-10% weight of long yearling weight
- Top 5-10% weight of a ~60-day feed test
- Top 5-10% of the gain from “weaning” to long yearling
- Top 5-10% of the gain on feed
The bulls that meet ALL these criteria are then sorted off and visually inspected for any structural or other visual imperfections. Those left are then manually palpitated in the squeeze chute to make sure their male anatomy is fully developed and free from defects. All the remaining bulls must then test
negative for cattle MtDNA using Texas A&M’s best test, unless they originated from our DNA tested Primo Herd.
The remaining bulls are then judged against all the existing breeding bulls and only those that are judged to have performed better on the above stated protocol than the bull he would replace will be admitted into the herd. Any bull that does not hold his weight thereafter or actively participate in breeding
season is culled.
Finally, we monitor the most important natural selection clues, specifically, breeding rate, weaning rate, weight gain/loss to be certain that our management choices are in-fact directing the genetic trajectory towards animals that are better adapted to the natural world.
We understand that the natural environment produces a set range of available nutrition and this nutritional limitation will create a ceiling of size and performance. For instance, cows that get too big in body frame will begin to miss calving years and will be culled out of the system relatively soon. Or bulls
that exceed the frame and mass size that the natural environment can support will not be able to maintain their condition and/or will not have the needed energy to be actively engaged during breeding season. Bulls such as these, should they even be chosen after our rigorous selection process, are culled
soon after.
Conversely, we’ve discovered that bison of small frame and stature are not thrifty. Such bison, when placed in competition with bison that are right-sized for the environment, consistently underperform, as evidenced by a poor conversion of grass to the number and size of calves.
Size of breeding herd:
~220 breeding females
Size of land base:
~4000 acres
How long have you been raising bison? How long at this location?:
We started raising bison in 1987 and have been at this location since 1999.
Average cow weight:
~1100 lbs.
Average (or usual range) of pregnancy (and/or weaning rate):
Pregnancy 90-93%. Weaning rate is typically ~3% less.
What types of pasture fences are the animals trained to?:
Barbed wire, 4 and 2 strand electric fence.
What land management style is followed? (Rotational grazing, season long-grazing, etc.):
All our bison are moved with a timed-grazing system and are moved 60-80 times per year.
What method are the animals moved? (call, drive, both, horseback, pickups, 4 whlrs, etc):
Our herds are broke to come to call (w/o treats), and broke to drive by motorcycle and 4 wheeler.
Do you have any information about the genetic lineage of your herd to share?:
See following document on our DNA results.
Is your breeding herd composed of plains, woods, or a mix of both?
Pure Plains Bison.
Do you have any DNA test results to share?:
See above pie chart. Also, due to the timing of the sale in relation to our herd working schedule and the Texas A&M holiday break, we were not able to complete the DNA analysis for the animals listed in this sale. DNA samples of each have been harvested and will be submitted to Texas A&M after their holiday break. Results will be shared with the purchasers once received from Texas A&M. We sell these animals with a full guarantee that they are free from cattle MtDNA as determined using Texas A&M MtDNA science. In the unlikely event that an animal happens to carry cattle MtDNA we will gladly allow you to return the animal (in good condition) and we will replace with an equivalent or we will refund your money. Bulls offered for sale from our Primo Herd do not need DNA tested as this entire herd has been tested and are free from cattle MtDNA. All breeding bulls are guaranteed to perform and pass a semen test after 1 June 2022.
Please provide weight data that shows how the animals offered for sale compare to their age/sex classmates:
All the herds yearling bulls averaged 701 lbs. off grass on 30 August 2021. The data on the attached sheet shows the top bulls we’re offering in relation to each other.
Please provide any additional information that you feel would be helpful:
See chart below for DNA report and specific gain data for these bulls.
