Most of the bulls offered on our Shorthorn Semen Page have been tested and are negative for TH (tibial hemimelia), PHA (pulmonary hypoplasia with anasarca), DS (digital subluxation), and the six variants of the myostatin gene that produce the crippling Double Muscling Syndrome seen in many breeds of cattle such as Belgian Blues. The Double Muscling issue especially in Modern Shorthorns has become more of a concern recently because of its “unexplained” appearance in some Shorthorn offspring.
All Whisper bulls offered were raised in a totally grass fed environment with no hormones or supplements of any type except minerals. Conservative estimates would suggest that creep fed calves have 100-150# higher weaning weights than grass fed calves while yearling weight comparisons could result in 150#-250# higher weights for the bulls on a “corn diet”. Our objective has always been to raise and produce Shorthorns that are both easy keeping and efficient, not Shorthorns with “artificially” obtained weaning and yearling weight numbers that “fall to pieces” when they actually have to eat blades of grass.
Currently all Heritage/Native Shorthorn bulls are Dual Registered in the Heritage Shorthorn Society and the American Shorthorn Association. The majority of the individual bulls listed on the Shorthorn Select Semen website will be a nearly complete outcross for most Shorthorn breeders with resulting hybrid vigor. Not all bulls fit all programs but the increasing diversity of available bulls on our site will allow semen buyers to pick and choose for their specific breeding program.