Afrikaner Breeding
Our aim is to achieve the best and purest bloodline through a vigorous selection program coupled with the use of technology and the best genetics.
This way we can deliver a product to the market of the highest quality, we can be proud of and our customer can buy with confidence.
We do not make use of artificial insemination. A bull can roam free with specific and hand-picked cows for a period of three months at different intervals during the year; the cows will this way be inseminated through a natural process. Each cow is individually viewed together with any progeny still in the herd.
If a cow is not inseminated, she will be re-mated to the same bull; alternatively, the cow will be placed with another bull for a period or culled.
Every cow’s progeny and ancestors’ performance are taken into consideration. The first thing to be examined in any breeding programme is the purity of the bloodlines involved.
We believe the cow’s genetic contribution is indeed more than 50%, as male progeny is sold while the female progeny is retained to have a great influence on the average percentage.
The cow and bull each carry 50% of the genetics, but the cow is worth at least 80% because she must be able to carry the calf inside the womb and to feed it outside the womb. If she does not have the mothering ability and functional efficiency to care for her calf the success rate will be low.
A young bull with potential is used in the herd three to four years and then sold. If a bull does not breed a better son than himself within the first 20 calves, he will not be used any further.
So why is so much emphasis is placed on bulls? The reason is that the bull impacts on 20 – 40 cows while the cow has a far smaller genetic impact. A bull that does not have good genetic material from its mother, grandmother and great grandmother will ever be a successful stud bull.
Bulls are sold at 30 months; thus, herd sires need to be singled out at 2 years. A combination of visual judging and breeding values are used.
Selection is based upon the performance of the bull itself, its sire, and its dam as well as grand-dam.
Focus On Quality Genetics
The breeding herd is split, with 50% of breeding females inseminated. The two breeding seasons stretch from the January to the end of March, and from the beginning of June to the end of August.
The females are placed in a single sire herd at a rate of one bull to 25 – 35 females. The herd has a replacement rate of about 50 animals a year and a calving percentage of between 75% and 80%.
A large breeding herd is vital to a broad genetic base from which to select and improve cattle. Specific dam lines play a central role. The genetic lines in cows are crucial in stud breeding.
We believe exceptional animals are not defined by extremes, but by consistency and a balance of traits reflecting the breed’s average estimated breeding values (EBVs).
Selecting animals for temperament has had a distinct effect on our herd. If an animal is a bit nervous at weaning it must go, no matter how good the breeding. One animal that is even slightly wild has the potential to influence the entire herd. Although fertility is functionally influenced by good nutrition and management, highly fertile cows tend to have fertile offspring.
Our dynamic herd sires are chosen for their superior genetic qualities that advance our herd. We consider our sires to have some of the best Afrikaner genetics in the country. We take genetic testing to extremely high standards for our customers’ confidence in the animals being purchased. Each registered bull and female have genetic testing to prove parentage and prove a genetic free animal.
Production And Health
Calves are weaned between 6 months and 7 months at an average weight of 200kg. Besides a phosphate lick in summer and a protein lick in winter, breeding females get a production supplement after calving. Good nutrition gives a good calving percentage; we do not want our cows to lose condition after calving.
Veld management plays an important role in ensuring that the cows (with an average weight of 520kg) stay in peak condition during production; they need to go to the bull in good condition.
Cattle are injected with a parasiticide before winter for general endo- and ecto-parasite control, and again early spring. We allow the animals to carry a few ticks so that their natural immunity to tick-borne diseases is not compromised. If ticks become a problem the animals are treated.
Contact Us
C. +27 66 212 5080
T. +27 12 660 2144
E. info@boshoffgroup.co.za
1022 Saxby Avenue, Eldoraigne
Centurion, Gauteng
South Africa