Chilliwack, British Columbia | Have a mostly purebred holstein herd. Have used some BS in the past as a cross, and really liked them. Dad bred them back Ho (i was in college) and those hfrs were alright. Bred them back Jersey, got all bulls. Have some more younguns now, just started milking. Some of our best 2yr olds, confirmation (classifier was here this last week) and milk wise. They had Jersey bull calves. Someone convinced me to use Swedish red, have some in the tank, but not bred any yet. He had some that he really liked, they milked aaverage (for him was still really good, one of the highest milk herds in the area). Really good F&L, and no health problems to speak of. He even had some that were back at Ho, and really liked them still. Had planned on the 3x cross still, but quit milking last year.
The biggest issue, is you have to pick the right bulls for your cross, and start with the right cows in the first place.
I am going to continue with it, and see if my cross bred herd eventually takes over the farm!
Glenn |
Crossbred Dairy Cows
