Diamond H Ranch Braunvieh Bulls for Sale

“INVEST IN YOUR PROGRAM BY INVESTING IN OURS”

If you are interested in learning a bit more about Braunvieh and some of my opinion of and experience working with the breed…. read on.  If you want to see the bulls we have for sale and don’t want to read all this stuff, scroll down this page and you’ll find the bulls we have for sale.

If you are unfamiliar with Braunvieh Bulls there are a few things you should know about them.  They can breed at an early age, do not think a yearling won’t breed 20 or more cows (we use long yearlings all the time) and typically last several years longer than the the popular black breed (it is common to see a 10 year old Braunvieh bull in the pasture working).  That fact alone saves you money!  They are very docile and their  strong libido makes them naturally hard workers.  They will add bone, muscle, and MILK.   They also defy the antagonism between maternal and growth.  That is good news to producers.  With Braunvieh you get the growth you are looking for, and are able to produce fertile, productive females!  Thats not true with most all breeds.

Please click this link to read a great Braunvieh story from Troy Dean at the Whittaker Ranch in Decatur, Texas.  It pretty much sums up why a commercial producer should use Braunvieh Bulls.  Everyone (I asked the same question) wonders “If these cattle are so good, why have I never heard of them?”  Well, I once had a breeder tell me “if  you ever see 3 Braunvieh Breeders agree on anything, you better write it down, because it won’t happen again!”  I’m afraid that may be more fact than fiction.  People, more than the cattle, have prevented this breed from moving forward.

The Braunvieh Association of America (BAA) is working at exposing beef producers to the benefits of adding Braunvieh to their herd.  You may have discovered there is a shortage of Braunvieh (especially good ones) on the market.    The BAA has produced a series of programs that have aired on “The American Rancher”.  One of my favorites, “The Braunvieh Bull…He always works” aired  February 2016 on the RFD channel.  It is informative and you can hear from people that have made the decision to work with Braunvieh.  Of special interest, is JHL cattle company.  He has as much data as most anyone on the planet, and therefore,  I believe his opinion, as a result of collecting this extensive data, carries weight!

“The Braunvieh Bull….He always works!”

                               If you are a video watcher, click on the link to see a video about Diamond H bull philosophy

I don’t think a lot of people put enough weight on their bull buying decision.  Without a doubt, your bull is the single greatest influence on your herd, and therefore your profitability.  AND, if you use a bull, he has bred 3 years before you know if his genetics are working or not!  You better be right! And his impact on weaning weights and fertility will directly effect YOUR BOTTOM LINE!  So, if you don’t think you can’t afford that expensive, high performing bull….. I suggest you sell two cows, and buy one really good bull.  He will pay for himself in a hurry!  Saving $1000 or $2000 on a bull today will cost you $1000’s in the next short period of time.  Think about it, if a bull that costs you $5500 adds only 25 pounds wean weight(and that number is more likely 50#), that is $60 plus, per head.  Times 30 cows is $1800 additional profit the first year.  If that bargain bull you bought at the sale or out of your neighbors culls, lowers weaning weights 25 pounds, you lose $1800 per year, in weight alone….forget fertility, carcass traits, etc.  YOU MIGHT GET LUCKY WITH THAT BARGAIN BULL, BUT IN THIS BUSINESS, THAT IS A RISK, I PERSONALLY AM UNWILLING TO TAKE!  WE DO NOT SKIMP ON OUR BULLS….THAT IS EVIDENCED BY OUR PURCHASING XEROX X002.  YOU SHOULD NOT EITHER.

We have a wide range of genetics ranging from half blood Braunvieh (crossed to Angus and Gelbvieh genetics), to Full Blood Braunvieh. Our genetic mission is to produce bulls which will put money making performance into your seed stock and commercial herd.  We focus on “the big three“;   birth weights,  weaning weights,  and yearling weights.  While maintaining a fullblood presence in our herd, we are striving to accomplish our performance goals  in a purebred, black and polled package. See Herd Sire page for pictures of the bulls that provide the foundation for our Seed Stock Braunvieh Genetics.  Let me say here that there may be the commercial cattleman saying “that stuff is not important to me, I’m just a commercial breeder“.  I respond by saying, if you want to make money at the sale barn, THIS STUFF IS IMPORTANT TO YOU!  I would love to go over how it impacts you and the profitability of your program.

The typical Options to buy a Braunvieh bull from Diamond H Braunvieh

            All bulls that we sell are guaranteed to be breeders.  All will have Vet certified BSE tests within the last 6 months.

•  Bulls on the ranch, Not performance tested.  Once in a while we sell untested bulls.  I personally believe testing is money WELL SPENT.  That said,  occasionally for one reason or another, we will have a bull that reaches breeding age that was not put through the testing process. These bulls are typically sold as non-registered, but carry the same fertility and soundness guarantees as any other bull sold on the Diamond H.  They are less money than their tested contemporaries.

• Bulls that have completed performance testing at a third party testing facility which includes RFI efficiency testing and ultrasounding for carcass results.    It is well documented that Gain, RFI and carcass traits have a high level of inheritability…That means, simply, the bull passes those traits on to his offspring.  RFI testing, a measurement of feed efficiency , I believe, will be one of the most sought after characteristics of a bull in the future (from my viewpoint, it already is one).  If you are unfamiliar with RFI, Click here, and you can get a simple explanation of what it is and how it is measured by the Growsafe system.  Remember, efficiency is a very inheritable trait, and it is ONE WHICH WILL MAKE YOU MONEY!!   These bulls are priced largely based on performance relative to their contemporaries.  All bulls start at a base price.  If they perform above the group in any category, they demand a premium.  If they perform below, we apply a discount.  Also, different bulls are able to help you reach different goals.  If you sell at the local auction, you don’t necessarily need a bull with great carcass, but rather growth is your focus.  If you own calves to the rail, you need a bull that does it all.  Testing gives you options.   YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, AND HAVE A GOOD IDEA WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT !  

• Mature Bulls.  We sometimes have bulls that we have used/tested as herd sires.  Sometimes they did not do what we expected, sometimes we have enough of their genetic influence in our herd.    These  mature Purebred and Fullbloods represent the top tier of our genetics.  These are bulls that topped their contemporaries in testing and were kept to improve the level of genetics in our seedstock herd.  Let me make something clear.  WE DO NOT SELL OUR PROBLEMS ON THE DIAMOND H.  WE KILL THEM.  IF THE BULL HAD A PROBLEM, HE BECAME HAMBURGER, NOT SOMEONE ELSE’S PROBLEM!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      I think that deserves further comment.  Selling problem cattle should be, at minimum, (and often is)  done at the local sale barn.   One should not expect a seedstock producer to sell problem cattle off the ranch.  I am alarmed that it happens more often that you would expect.  It won’t happen on this ranch.  If the animal has a problem, we usually kill it, I don’t even want that type of animal going through the sale barn with my brand on it!!   If it is a cow that we are selling  went open then was later was bred, we make that CLEAR at the  time of the sale.  We believe you get what you pay for at the Diamond H….and quality is not cheap!

Braunvieh Bulls standing on the Ranch for sale

(and ready to go to work!)

Spring Born 2021 Bulls

Ok, I dropped these pictures in to illustrate a point….I often hear, “can you run out and take a picture so I can see the bull?”.  Well, this is how young bulls like to have their picture taken. First day, I spent 2 hours and got 4 pictures that I could use.  Second day, the second picture (yes they went to same place) I managed 3 or 4 more.   Believe me, If you get in a hurry, a BAD picture will kill a bull quicker than bloat!  I’m just saying, this is a LOT harder than it seems.  If you wonder why most people don’t show pictures of what is for sale?  Answer, it is a major piece of work!  ANYWAY…..as you can see, these bulls have not been very cooperative.  I can tell ya, this is a SOLID bunch of bulls, and while I have pictures of all of them, I am not satisfied with some of them.

I have the test results from the RFI part of the test which is 55 days of the 105 total, and don’t have the carcass data as of yet.  The ADG may change a bit, and I will post the carcass when I have them.  There were only 16 bulls tested from a total of three programs, I had 8 of them.  We had the 1 and 2 bull of ADG …. 7 of top ten…. and second and third RFI.  An interesting note…..the number 3 and 4 bulls were both sired by a bull that is bred Ranger11r on both the top and bottom of his pedigree.

J03    DHR Challenger    PB101325     AGM 88.9%     DOB 1/29/21     DOB 84      Adj WW 633    Adj YW 1034

ADG   4.6     RFI  -3.2

This fella is the first calf for a Ranger11r daughter out of our U10 donor…strong genetics on the cow side, and out of our now deceased Xerox bull.  Xerox has made his mark on the breed by producing calves like this one.  Great balance, front to back, and all the “stuff” ya look for in a bull, deep flank, lots of top and guts with a big rear quarter.  Xerox makes em nice and the cow side of this bull is at the top of the heap on our ranch.  And if you are looking to add some feed efficiency to your herd, he is your man.  The number 2 RFI with an ADG that was 3/4# higher than the number one RFI bull.  He is homozygous polled and has one black gene and carries 5 of 8 of the Quantam markers.

J04    DHR Nova   BC 101326   AGM 83.6%   DOB 2/8/21 BW 86  Adj WW 660  Adj YW 1132

ADG   6.15     RFI  2.82

This bull calved during the “Articgeddon” storm in February 21.  His dam, a 3/4 blood out of our 3W Lonestar Vernon bull calved this, her first calf, in VERY difficult circumstances.  She then weaned this 660# calf, and bred back AI.  I think this is relevant, because this bulls dam was a very fertile cow.  We ended up selling her to a friend of the program in Alabama, but her fertility lives on in this bull calf. And after the cow weaned 63% of her body weight, look what the bull did on his own with a 1132 yearling weight.   This bull was one of only two on test that gained over 6# a day.  So if you are looking for a maternal bull that will also put pounds on the ground this is your bull!  A LONG…very nicely balanced Xerox son with one polled and one black gene and 5 of 8 Quantam markers.

J07    DHR Gran Torino   BC 101348   AGM 83.4%   DOB 3/8/21 BW 91  Adj WW 726  Adj YW 1137

ADG   4.72     RFI  .46

The first Homozygous black bull in this group, this bull calf is out of a cow that comes from one of our most prolific cow family.  Her grand dam is the dam of the sire of this bull…she had 3 herd sires for the ranch, and her dam has had 2 herd sires for the ranch.  She weaned him as her first calf at a WHOOOING 68% of her body weight!  I predict he is gonna sire some good females He is built right, maybe a bit smoother than some in this group while still exhibiting huge guts, and butt!  His ADG was not what I expected honestly, not sure why he did not do better.  But he is gonna throw BLACK calves….. and good ‘uns!  He is scarred/polled and has 4 of 8 Quantam markers.

J08    DHR Ontario   OB101355    AGM 100%   DOB 3/5/21 BW 84  Adj WW 734  Adj YW 1092

ADG   5.07     RFI  1.12     IMF  3.74     Ribeye  12.4     BF .22

SOLD into Coastal Plains of Texas

This is the only Fullblood Braunvieh in the group.  He is sired by our Vernon son, 3W, now deceased…this was his last natural covered bull.  His dam is one of the 3 full bloods we have left that we imported from Canada.  She is daughter of the Wonder Bar bull a Swissway Marshall son.  LOTS of great Canadian Fullblood genetics on both sides of this pedigree, in a low birthweight package.  He has a very powerful rear end and broad top.  He will bring quality Fullblood Braunvieh genetics to your herd.  He carries 3 of 8 of the Quantam markers.

J13   DHR El Camino  BC101330  AGM 85.2%  DOB 2/22/21  BW 86  Adj WW 676  Adj YW 1173

ADG  5.07   RFI 2.31

They just keep coming in this group.  This Angus black bull, Is out of a Xerox daughter that was out of a cow we had intended to flush that got hit by lightning (that’s 6 for us now).  She is one of two daughters out of that cow I have.  I really expected great things from her, but until the 31W sired bull, calf it just hadn’t happened.  This represents Ranger on both sides of the pedigree.  The result is huge top, thick front to back and a butt…well see for yourself.  Another calf that weaned 60% of his dams weight and then really took off!  Gained in top 50% of test, is tested homozygous polled and heterozygous black.  Has 6 of 8 Quantam markers….a very good calf to be sure.

Breeders note:  though he is classified a BC under the old rules, he is a PB under the new and will be only .8% short under the higher standard in 2026.  He is a good bull for a black purebred program!

J23   DHR Hummer  BC101338  AGM 78.7%  DOB 2/27/21  BW 95  Adj WW 719  Adj YW 1232

ADG  6.66   RFI -2.89

SOLD

Another Angus black meat wagon and for those out there that are interested in such things, this bull tested both Homozygous black and Homozygous polled.  His dam is a very moderately sized cow.  She is an ET Ranger11r daughter out of a Matador cow we flushed years ago.  She weaned 61% of her body weight on this guy.  This bull caught my eye the day he was born.  As  you can see….huge rear quarter, lots of guts, all the stuff a good bull ought to have.  When you see him in first person,  you will see he is much longer than this picture portrays. Sired by the 31W bull, this is another Ranger11r line breed.  If  you want the best of our herds genetics, this is it.  He killed the test, with the highest ADG and the third best RFI!  When he is fully grown, he is gonna be a TANK!  There was not a test ratio calculated, but his was off the charts.  Far and away the best bull in the test.  His BW was high, but I am confident he will work well on mature cows.  I don’t think our friends in the north should import this up there.

J25   DHR Challenger  BC101341  AGM 82.2%  DOB 3/1/21  BW 80 Adj WW 601  Adj YW 1001

ADG  4.72   RFI -.35

Yet another exceptional calf out of our U10 donor cow, sired by the outlier bull, 22E.  This is a VERY moderate sized bull that is built like a lightweight body builder!  He is magnificent to look at….I often say, U10 makes em like bowling balls…smaller frame, huge rear quarter and top. And look at those, well  you know….he is a fertile youngster!  Remember, he’s only 15 months old in this picture.   He is homozygous black and homozygous black with 6 of 8 Quantam markers.  An efficient gainer, and he will give your calves bone and muscle, and moderate the frame to make efficient females.  IF there is a heifer bull in this group, this is it!

SOLD into East Texas

J30      DHR Firebird     PB101345     AGM  85.5          DOB   3/5/21      BW 91        ADJ WW  691  Adj YW 1082

ADG  5.14   RFI .29

Not such a great picture of one of the two 22E sons in the group.  His dam is 476B, a cow I bought as a calf on her dams side….I bought the pair for the calf, and she has not disappointed.  Now 9 years old, he has never put a calf in our meat program, and has provided several daughters that have stayed in our program.  22E is the bull we found when he was the top performer in a test of 320 bulls….he was an outlier in every category!  So this bull, though no heifer bull, is a definite choice to move any program forward.  Consistently thick front to back, very deep flank and stout.    Heterozygous Polled and Black with 4 of 8 Quantam markers.