How do we score?
Overall score The overall score is simply a subjective number that we’ve assigned to the animal taking all its ratings as well as its conformation into account. A 10 doesn’t necessarily mean perfect but signifies an animal that excels in all the traits for which we are aiming. A 10 is “perfectly” suited to improve most operations. Almost all the animals we offer for sale are 8s, 9s, and 10s. Disposition Each animal is scored by how well it handles pressure in a situation where it is in a narrow lane blocked by a person each way. If it is easily agitated, its score goes down. If it stands calmly, it gets a perfect 10. Fleshing Ability Fleshing Ability is an animal’s ability to put on and maintain flesh in a low input environment in which only grazing forage sources are consumed. Our cattle do not receive tubs or other protein supplements, alfalfa, soybean pellets, or other expensive feedstuffs. An animal in better body condition score at the time of evaluation will receive a higher fleshing ability number. The body condition score on sale day will probably be lower than it was on evaluation day because these animals have had the most challenging grazing forage, corn stalks, for the last four months. Our cattle are always being tested. Those that fail don’t make the sale. Calving Ease Calving Ease score is a subjective number we assign based upon birth weight and calving ease direct EPDs as well as our experience with the size of the calves the sire bulls have thrown in the past. It is our prediction of the calving ease you will experience if using these genetics. If you have dystocia problems, you should select a bull with a score of 10 for calving ease; however, all our sires are better than breed average for calving ease in every breed. We don’t use non-calving ease sires in any of our AI or natural service bulls. Butt & Gut Butt & Gut is a subjective score based on what we see as depth and “sogginess” of the hind quarter as well as volume and hard girth of the mid-section. Bulls with Butt & Gut have the capacity to consume large volumes of forage and convert it into meat efficiently. Frame Score (and Dam Frame Score) We have measured the hip height of every bull and heifer and of most of their dams. We used a frame score chart which factors in age to determine the frame score of each sale animal and most of the momma cows to within ½ of a score. Udder Score We use a 10 star system to rate dam udders on the day they calve. A 10 star udder is well balanced, medium sized, has small teats, is level, and “looks” good. Any combination of those things not being in order results in a lower score. We want the calf to be able to easily nurse without assistance.
[Dam Age: The age of the dam listed is the age the cow was on that animal’s birth date, and every dam has had a calf every single year before that.]
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