Welcome to Aldinga Droughmasters & PIGGOTT BULL SALE

How We Work

Our aim is to produce quiet, structurally correct, moderate framed, easy doing, hardy bulls that breed on and are fit and ready to work in herds across the country.

We have our own single vendor sale so offer a uniform line of bulls presented in good condition without too much fat. Overfeeding bulls affects fertility, soundness and longevity. Our young bulls must have the ability to adapt to new and sometimes harsh conditions and be fit and able to go out and work.

Our sale bulls are run in the paddock with self-feeders and never locked up in feedlot conditions so they know how to walk and forage. Exercise, from walking about, helps to build up muscle, not fat, and keeps their joints and feet in good order.

Aldinga Droughtmasters is owned and run by Terry and Catherine Piggott (Aldinga Pastoral Company). Aldinga is approximately 48,000 hectares (120,000 acres) of light speargrass forest country in the Carnarvon Ranges near Rolleston, Queensland. We are primarily commercial cattlemen, breeding and fattening bullocks for the Jap Ox and domestic markets as well as producing trade and stud heifers, so we can see for ourselves how well our bulls perform.

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Temperament is Trumps

If he’s not QUIET, he’s not in the sale. Quiet cattle are bred not made. Every bull must pass the one on one pressure test in our small pound before making it to the sale team – if he so much as flicks an eye, he’s gone. Our bulls receive no special handling and come into close contact only about three weeks before the sale. Nobody can afford the risk of cattle with poor temperament . Quiet cattle do better, are safer and are a pleasure to handle.

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Fertility

The Aldinga herd is highly fertile because our cows have been pregnancy tested since 1965 and empty cows have always been culled. We control mate so that there is a short calving period which enables us to run a strict pregnancy testing program, where all empty and unproductive females are culled regardless of circumstances. This has ensured today’s herd has very high fertility and mothering ability. All breeders are run on forest country with minimal supplementation during dry periods.

Mustering and Survival

Our stud cattle are run like commercial cattle. No ifs or buts, if they don’t perform they are gone. Winters are cold with heavy frosts, so our cattle have to deal with a protein drought every winter. All calves are weaned down to four and a half months of age. Any cattle showing signs of poor resistance to infestations of buffalo fly and or ticks are culled.

Our cattle must be quiet and easy to handle in the bush. In our rough, mountainous, forest country we cannot afford or tolerate any cattle that play up. We always block up cattle in the bush and as a result can muster our commercial breeders in 80 000 acres of unfenced open range on horseback with little difficulty. We have no feral cattle or micky bulls. Our joined heifers are bushed in a 8,000 acre paddock and not seen for 12 months but are easily mustered and walked home. We tail out all weaners and handle our cattle quietly. All bulls presented for sale have been mustered with horses, dogs, and motorbikes.

Conformation & Soundness

Bull Heads (98% poll/scrurr, 50% PP). Straight, wide Backs. Tidy Sheaths and good scrotal sizes. Sound legs and feet. Must walk well. Weaner bull calves are born on forest country, grown on scrub country then fed a bull ration in preparation for the sale.

Testing

We DNA test all sires and stud calves to verify parentage. All sale bulls are Horn/Poll tested. All bulls are vet checked, scanned, scrotal measured, soundness evaluated and semen tested for motility and morphology. Pompes and Pesti Virus negative. Spot Check 50, JBAS 7, Western Australia Eligible.