A new bull has marched to the top of the Holstein sire rankings as the number one improver of feet and legs and offers outstanding health and fertility traits into the bargain.
The Goldwyn son, Bullgneis, scores a massive +4.19 for feet and legs which is far above his nearest rival, while he is also the highest Type Merit bull (at +3.44) amongst the top 10 feet and leg improvers.
This TM score ranks Bullgneis (full name, Paleotto Goldwyn Bullgneis) in sixth position for overall type amongst all bulls (UK and international) available to dairy producers.
Those who use him will also find his daughters have low somatic cell counts (his SCC Index is -17); long lifespans (LS Index +0.3) and remarkably good fertility (Fertility Index +3.9).
"It’s no surprise that his daughters also have excellent locomotion," says Alison Lovell from Dairy Daughters, "and with good udder traits too, he is one of the best health and welfare bulls on the market.
"This is critical for the modern dairy producer who likes to see high welfare standards alongside good profitability, and it’s just as important to the milk buyers who are increasingly demanding just this type of cow."
No slouches in the parlour either, they will produce high quality milk (Predicted Transmitting Ability for fat is +0.11%) in plentiful quantity (PTA milk 192kg).
Molly Westwood from Dairy Daughters has just returned from a trip to Italy where she saw some of the earliest Bullgneis daughters in this bull’s country of origin.
She says: "I viewed five daughters by Bullgneis all of which had a great set of feet and legs and tracked incredibly well. The udders were also really good with great teat placement and strong attachments.
"Overall they were well balanced cows that were definitely holding their own in commercial dairy systems."
Bullgneis’s pedigree is yet another attraction as the bull descends from a Morty x Outside from the great Raven family whose consistency in breeding is well known.
Bred in the renowned Paleotto herd, the Italians are increasingly proving to be as stylish with their cattle as with everything else in life.
