Are the Judges Ready?

Hello I am Eddie Wilson from Texas. This is my 2nd year showing Brahman cattle.

Several people ask me what the most difficult thing is about showing brahman heifers and Jump to the
conclusion of

“Aren’t they mean?”

I am here to tell you No, that is not the most difficult thing about showing and raising Brahman heifers.

Every other breed competitively shown by breeders and youth have a much earlier age of puberty than
brahman cattle. While our Brahman girls may live longer and produce more natural calves in their
lifetimes than say an Angus or Hereford, getting a bred cow or a cow/calf pair into the ring by 30 months
is quite difficult.

Last year, when I began showing, I heard several stories about heifers not settling after repeated AI
attempts. Since then I have observed 3 common mistakes, I think fellow youth and adult showmen and
breeders are making.

1. Not breeding Naturally

2. Not allowing rest and continuing to show

And…
3. Attempting to breed over condition, show ready cattle

These 3 reasons led me to decide to breed my 1st show heifer to a low birth weight bull in the
pasture.

THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY!

Wen we returned from All- American 2019, Ginny-my 1st show heifer was 15 months old and
showing signs of estrous to include attempting o mount other heifers, decreased eating, a
swelling vulva and a milky white discharge from the vulva. My family was starting to pull pasture
bulls the week after the 4th of July. My Mom and I placed Ginny & Kedakanami -A Wagyu Bull in
a grassy pasture and let them get to know each other
Really get to know each other

Wagyu are known to be a low birth weight and a high weaning weight small to moderately
framed breed with high marbling rates. Marbling is the production of taste fat which makes the
meat more tender, juicy and flavorful

Brahman have been known and marketed as a leaner beef, so this calf could be an amazing
combination and this breeding could be an above PRIME solution.
Most cattle producers know that a heifer’s 1st calf is definitely not her best, but that calving is
the calving that trains her and that lactation is what helps her body prepare for future lactations
and feed her future calves even better than the 1st. Allowing the 1st calf to be an F-! low birth
weight calf, benefits the heifer and the producer by not losing a cow while calving, and profit
from the sale of a steer or a great F-1 heifer for future use.

The 2nd thing I did was gradually lower Ginny’s intake of high fat and high protein feeds. While
she did lose some conditioning, she did increase her fertility. All beef cattle are judged on a
body conditioning score based from the numbers 1-being the most skinny and weak to a 9-
being the most obese
The target score for fertility in beef cattle is a 5- to a 7 from a moderate amount of weight to
fleshy. You can not see their spines and can only see 1 or 2 rib outlines with only slight udder
and tail head fat.

Ginny tested positive by blood test for pregnancy in September and we gave her time off from
the road and travel to allow the growing embryo and fetus to settle.

A follow up exam by a veterinarian in October through manual palpation and sonogram told us
to expect a May baby

On May 24th, Ginny delivered a bull calf at 25 months of age.

SMILE

WE call him Gyu Nikyu.

He may not be what most people expect to see in the ring next to a Brahman Junior Show cow,
but he only weighed 51 lbs at birth which is much less than a full bred Brahman calf which can
weigh from 62 lbs up to and even over 100lbs for a first calf.

Can you even imagine how hard it would be for an overweight show heifer to calve a 100lb calf?
Think of that as a 20lb newborn child.
Ginny will be ready to breed to a registered Brahman bull via AI or Artificial Insemination after
her last show, which is the 2020 All American.

By The Way

Gyu Nikyu translated from Japanese means COW Meat or

BEEF.
So next year when we sit down to eat that tender, over moderately marbled, medium rare
sirloin steak.

We can say

Gyu Nikyu……It’s what’s for Dinner