Bull's Eye Consulting

Bull's Eye Consulting Agent and project leader for BenguFarm management software.

Professional livestock and game breeding consultation services, focused on animal recording, production recording, performance & genetic evaluation, selection, breeding and management. Professional breeding consultation services, focused on animal recording, management software, production recording, performance evaluation, selection, genetic evaluation (breeding values), breeding and management.

Mr Leslie Bergh is the project manager and an agent for BenguFarm farm management software for beef cattle, sheep & goats, game and pigs. Bull's Eye Consulting also runs a data recording bureau service for farmers on the BenguFarm software.

Birth weight (2): Genetic factors affecting birth weightAlthough factors affecting birth weight can be grouped, for conv...
22/08/2026

Birth weight (2): Genetic factors affecting birth weight
Although factors affecting birth weight can be grouped, for convenience, into genetic and environmental causes, this is obviously an artificial division that might be misleading. The observed differences are often the result of an interaction between the environment and the genotype.
GENETIC EFFECTS
Sire and dam:
Heritability estimates for birth weight (direct) range from 0.1 to 0.45. The effect of sire on birth weight is therefore profound and includes genetic differences between sires within a breed and even between breeds.
Breed:
Birth weight differences among purebred cattle breeds reflect the combined genetic effects of sire and dam and are relatively dramatic, generally being greater than differences observed within breeds.
Heterosis:
Heterosis can profoundly influence birth weight in cattle depending upon the breed or breed type utilised. Whereas the effects between standard British or European beef breeds can range between 0 and 5%, these effects can be as high as 20% when Bos ta**us breeds are crossed with Bos indicus.
Inbreeding:
Inbreeding usually results in lower birth weights. Greater weight depressions are observed in calves that are in**ed, compared to calves from dams that are in**ed.
S*x of calf:
Male calves are approximately 5% to 8% heavier than female calves. Male calves are also associated with longer gestation lengths.
Genetic anomaly and malformation:
Birth weight might be affected by numerous genetic malformations. These conditions are usually the result of congenital defects in cattle.

Birth weight (1): The importance of birth weightBirth weight of calves is of critical importance for efficient beef prod...
13/08/2026

Birth weight (1): The importance of birth weight
Birth weight of calves is of critical importance for efficient beef production.
Calves that are too small may lack vigour, tolerance to cold stress, resistance to pathogens, and the ability to overcome parturition-related stresses.
Calves that are too large may cause varying degrees of dystocia, leading to increased calving problems, metabolic and respiratory acidosis, depressed immunoglobulin absorption, and increased susceptibility to disease. Calves that are too large also cause dams to take longer to conceive, leading to longer calving intervals and ultimately lower reproduction rates.

Are you looking for an all-in-one on-farm professional livestock and game management system? BenguFarm could be your ans...
05/08/2026

Are you looking for an all-in-one on-farm professional livestock and game management system? BenguFarm could be your answer. The BenguFarm PC-software and Mobile app are developed for easy and efficient record-keeping, processing and reporting of an inventory, reproduction, production, movements, feeding and health of animals for use in selection, breeding, day-to-day management, stock registers, finances and marketing. BenguFarm is ideally suited to provide solutions for all facets of precision farming.
Visit bengufarm.co.za for more info.

Inbreeding (4) - Conclusion Inbreeding should only be considered by breeders who have a clear understanding of its pur...
25/07/2026

Inbreeding (4) - Conclusion
Inbreeding should only be considered by breeders who have a clear understanding of its purpose and risks. Unless approached very carefully, the dangers of inbreeding far outweigh the advantages. If an animal carries undesirable recessive genes, these genes would be expected to be brought to light by inbreeding.
Perhaps the most important aspect to remember about inbreeding is that practicing a high level of inbreeding will most probably result in a decline in average performance for various traits, especially traits related to reproduction and calf survival – the most important traits in beef production. This will inevitably lead to fewer progeny available for selling, calves with poorer performance and animals that are less attractive to most customers.

Inteling (5) - LyntelingLynteling is bloot 'n vorm van inteling waar die doel is om' n hoë verwantskap met 'n sekere uit...
18/07/2026

Inteling (5) - Lynteling
Lynteling is bloot 'n vorm van inteling waar die doel is om' n hoë verwantskap met 'n sekere uitstaande voorouer te handhaaf, terwyl inteling so laag as moontlik gehou word. Dit het die voordeel dat gene van uitstaande diere, wat nie meer beskikbaar is vir teeldoeleindes nie, behou word in die populasie. Die gevare van lynteling is eerstens die onvermydelike opbou van inteling en tweedens die moontlikheid van lynteling met 'n minderwaardige seun van 'n uitstaande bul.

Inbreeding (4) - PrepotencyInbreeding promotes an increase in prepotency, which is the ability of a sire or dam to consi...
11/07/2026

Inbreeding (4) - Prepotency
Inbreeding promotes an increase in prepotency, which is the ability of a sire or dam to consistently pass on its characteristics. Prepotency results from an increase in homozygosity. Since an in**ed animal will have more homozygous gene pairs than a non-in**ed animal, there are fewer possible gene combinations for the s***m or egg cells. As a result, the offspring should be more similar to each other. However, the advantage of prepotency is more than counteracted by the decline in selection intensity and the loss of genetic variation due to inbreeding.

Inteling (3) - InteelkoëffisiëntInteling word gemeet deur middel van die inteelkoëffisiënt. Die inteelkoëffisiënt meet d...
04/07/2026

Inteling (3) - Inteelkoëffisiënt
Inteling word gemeet deur middel van die inteelkoëffisiënt. Die inteelkoëffisiënt meet die persentasie toename in die homosigotiese gene pare in 'n individu relatief tot die gemiddelde van die populasie waaruit die individu kom. Indien 'n dier 'n inteelkoëffisiënt van 0.25 het, word dit verwag dat daardie dier 25% meer homosigotiese genepare sal hê as 'n nie-ingeteelde dier van dieselfde populasie. Die inteelkoëffisiënt kan enige waarde hê tussen 0 (0% ingeteel) en 1 (100% ingeteel). 'n Volbroer-suster paring sal lei tot 'n inteelkoëffisiënt van 25% in die nageslag; 'n vader-dogter paring ook 25%; 'n halfbroer-suster paring 12.5%; ’n ouma-kleinseun paring ook 12.5% en ’n neef-niggie (gemeenskaplike grootouers) paring 6.25% (in alle gevalle met die aanname dat die ouers nie self ingeteel is nie).

Inbreeding (2) - Inbreeding depression Inbreeding does not create undesirable recessive genes, but it does bring these...
27/06/2026

Inbreeding (2) - Inbreeding depression
Inbreeding does not create undesirable recessive genes, but it does bring these unfavorable genes to light. This leads to inbreeding depression, which is a decline in average performance. Inbreeding depression has the greatest effect on traits associated with fitness and having low heritabilities, such as reproduction and calf survival. Other traits negatively affected are mothering ability, growth rate and cow productivity. Inbreeding thus has serious negative effects on overall animal performance and hence, profitability. Inbreeding depression is essentially the opposite of heterosis (hybrid vigor), which is the advantage gained from crossing lines or breeds.
The rate of inbreeding is more important than the absolute value of inbreeding. Where the rate of inbreeding increases slowly, strict selection and culling can largely eliminate undesirable types and poor producers. Care should therefore be taken to keep inbreeding at a fairly low level by avoiding matings of closely related animals, for example, brothers with sisters or parents with their offspring.

Inteling (1) - Wat is inteling? Inteling is die paring van diere wat nader verwant is as die gemiddelde verwantskap v...
20/06/2026

Inteling (1) - Wat is inteling?
Inteling is die paring van diere wat nader verwant is as die gemiddelde verwantskap van die diere in 'n ras. Inteling verhoog die verhouding van homosigotiese (identiese) gene pare en verlaag die verhouding van heterosigotiese gene pare.
Die homosigoties gene pare sou wenslik wees indien die gene wat die dier ontvang van elke ouer lei tot beter prestasie en hoër wins. Die meeste diere dra egter ongewenste gene wat gewoonlik verborge bly, tensy die dier homosigoties is vir die betrokke geen. Aangesien 'n ingeteelde dier meer waarskynlik homosigoties is vir enige bepaalde geen, sal die dier meer waarskynlik uitdrukking gee aan ongewenste gene en dus ook ongewenste eienskappe.

Breeding seasons [10] - Breeding heifers If heifers become too heavy and/or too fat to be mated at 24 months of age, m...
13/06/2026

Breeding seasons [10] - Breeding heifers
If heifers become too heavy and/or too fat to be mated at 24 months of age, mating them at about 18 months of age during a second (winter) breeding season should be considered. This option will put even more stress on these young heifers and should only be considered if sufficient good-quality pastures and/or crop residues, hay or silage are available for the heifers during the winter following calving. Insufficient nutrients during this period will certainly result in a low re-conception rate.
It is always a question what to do with the first parity cows that calve during winter at 2½ years of age. There are basically two options, namely:
• Transfer them to the main breeding season by waiting an extra six months before they are mated again. This gives them additional time to recover before the next breeding season, resulting in a higher re-conception rate; OR
• Mate them immediately to calve again during the winter at an age of 3½ years. This practice will eventually lead to two full breeding seasons.
Another management practice to consider is starting the breeding season for heifers 4-6 weeks before the cows’ breeding season. This gives them a longer time to recover before the next breeding season, resulting in a higher re-conception rate.
It is also advisable to use a higher percentage of bulls when breeding heifers, especially during the first 21 days of the breeding season.
Also consider putting a teaser bull with the heifers nine days before the intact bull is introduced. The teaser bull will stimulate the heifers to ovulate.
The breeding season for heifers should ideally be 45 - 65 days to put higher pressure on selection for fertility.
Higher selection pressure can also be applied by the practice of over-mating. This practice implies that up to 50% more heifers than needed for replacement are mated, making it possible to retain only the pregnant ones in the breeding herd.

Address

2 Kopieva Close, Hartland Lifestyle Estate
Pretoria
6520

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 17:00
Saturday 08:00 - 14:00

Telephone

+27 82 801 2026

Website

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