ANGUS/SANTA Gertrudis-cross weaners are usually 40 to 60 kilograms heavier at weaning than Peter Hickey’s straight Angus calves at “Bellandre Park”, between Wellington and Molong.
“That’s the hybrid vigour advantage Santas give us,” he said. “I have no allegiance to any one breed, but if it was up to me I would be running all Santas.
“They are a more intelligent and good-natured animals when you handle them.”
Mr Hickey and wife Marilyn, are running a little more than 300 breeders on the 1240 hectare “Bellandre Park”, and nearby “Canobolas View”, a property managed by the couple for the Curry Brothers of Sydney.
The herd is now the result of a mix of breeds starting with Shorthorns Mr Hickey’s father began to breed some decades ago at Dubbo then joined to Herefords which gained hybrid vigour, but eye cancer became prevalent, Mr Hickey said.
“Then we introduced Santa Gertrudis bulls and the results have been wonderful.”
“That was when we had a property just out of Dubbo on the Golden Highway, but we moved to here in 1995, but introduced Angus as the meat industry determined.
Angus bulls had come from Noonee and Coffin Creek studs while further Angus females were purchased at an annual Mudgee breeders sales and then joined to Santa Gertrudis bulls, which also ran with the older matrons.
In recent years Mr Hickey stopped buying Santa Gertrudis bulls and instead purchased some Santa heifers from Peter Carter’s Dornwyn stud, Wellington.
For some time the crossbred steers were sent to Killara Feedlot, but for the past five to six years have gone through Dubbo saleyards.
Joining begins is early October and cows are now calving.
“We market steers at 430 to 460 kilograms depending on the season,” Mr Hickey said.
“Last year they left at about 14 months, but it’s going to take longer this year.”
Hickey’s steers Dubbo bound
A DOWNSIDE of a Santa Gertrudis/Angus crossbreeding program run by Wellington district breeders Peter and Marilyn Hickey, is that some feedlots do not take their steers.
“Those feedlots must have their reasons but feed test results from lotfeeding our steers some years ago had weights coming back at 1.9 kilogram increases a day,” Mr Hickey said.
“I know the buyers at Dubbo saleyards don’t have problems with them, so now I’m sticking to the open auction market.”
The couple run some 300 breeders on the 1240 hectare “Bellandre Park”, and nearby “Canobolas View”, a property managed by the couple for the Curry Brothers of Sydney.
In recent years Mr Hickey stopped buying Santa Gertrudis bulls and instead purchased some Santa heifers from a Wellington stud breeder which are joined to Angus bulls.
Steers are now marketed through Dubbo saleyards when they reach close to the 460kg weights.
