Balancer calves weaning weight

[cfpinz]

I was reading on another thread that feeders don't like GV because they are sick all of the time. I just can't see that, my cows are never sick and neither are my calves. It is an oddity here that I ever have to treat a beefer.

I've never noticed that tendency in gv's, I'm plum tickled with mine. I can remember when I was a kid it seemed like we always had trouble with the herf calves being more prone to sickness, but now if I had to pick one breed that I've worked with in recent years that was the most prone to sickness (specifically respriratory diseases) it would be the simmentals.

[Stocker Steve]

I have a put together cow herd so I see a lot of variation. The best looking cows are simi cross, but they and their calves seem to have a few more problems. The most trouble free are the BA x red wf cows. The best looking calves I have come from balancer x shorthorn cows. I have not weighted these thick butted calves yet.

I looked for a GV bull this spring but the ones I saw had pretty high birth weights. Lots of them in the 85 to 105# range. I didn't want to try that on my pet wf heifers...

What typical mature size (pounds more than their English mother) to you see with GV cross replacements?

[tncattle467]

Looks like you did good. I guess you can never go wrong with a balancer or gelbvieh bull on cows.

[HOSS]

We took our steers off momma yesterday. We had them weighed and the average weight was 650 lbs . The heaviest was 685 and the lightest (and youngest) weighed 588. Most weighed around 650 or so. These were all steers with no heifers included which helped the average I guess. The oldest steer was born March 13th and youngest was born in early May. Last year my average was 597 using a straight angus bull. This crop, under the same conditions....just grass and milk.....was a 53 pound gain per head. The decision to go to a Balancer bull really paid off. I am really impressed with the Balancers.

. I think have done a pretty good job in selecting mommas. All of our cows were raised from young heifers. I have never bought a "cow". Just heifers. Smartest thing I could have done.

Hoss
Glad you did well. Just a few questions
1 what ages are the cows these calves are from? They range from first calf heifers to 6 years old

2 how was your grass this yr compared to last yr if the same as with us we had a much better growing season, ( cooler weatherr and lots more rainfall)? While we did have a wetter / cooler summer but this year the cows were on worse pasture this summer than before....more weeds less fescue etc.. My pastures were due for a total rework which I have done this fall. I would say it was a wash.

3 Could not a straight bred bull with better genetics than your other bull possibly done the same ?

Of course this is possible but I have mostly straight angus cows so I believe I benefited from the hybrid vigor as well as the growth characteristics of the Gelbvieh influence.

[dun]

Of course this is possible but I have mostly straight angus cows so I believe I benefited from the hybrid vigor as well as the growth characteristics of the Gelbvieh influence.

You may have been affected by breed regression in the balancer because of the inclusion of the angus on angus cows.

[tncattle467]

Of course this is possible but I have mostly straight angus cows so I believe I benefited from the hybrid vigor as well as the growth characteristics of the Gelbvieh influence.

You may have been affected by breed regression in the balancer because of the inclusion of the angus on angus cows.

Perhaps this is true. That is where the gelbvieh bull comes in. More hybrid vigor because less Angus. Where as with balancer you still got angus on both sides there instead of just one.

[cfpinz]

What typical mature size (pounds more than their English mother) to you see with GV cross replacements?

We've got about a dozen gv sired heifers to calve next month, haven't weighed them but there's very little difference between them and their english contemporaries. Their sire is a 6.0 frame so I'm hoping there's negligibile frame creep, but wider chicks wouldn't hurt my feelings.

I've got some purchased balancer females, and they fit right in with the rest of the crowd. There's extremes and moderation in every breed, just make them work for you.

[AngusLimoX]

What typical mature size (pounds more than their English mother) to you see with GV cross replacements?

We've got about a dozen gv sired heifers to calve next month, haven't weighed them but there's very little difference between them and their english contemporaries. Their sire is a 6.0 frame so I'm hoping there's negligibile frame creep, but wider chicks wouldn't hurt my feelings.

I've got some purchased balancer females, and they fit right in with the rest of the crowd. There's extremes and moderation in every breed, just make them work for you.

Remember those steak pics I posted for ya cfpinz? I kept one heifer off that rented GV bull. Would agree with everything you said above.
Have had 2 seasons of a homegrown BA bull and now have the son of that original GV back in with the ladies.

[cfpinz]

Remember those steak pics I posted for ya cfpinz? I kept one heifer off that rented GV bull. Would agree with everything you said above.
Have had 2 seasons of a homegrown BA bull and now have the son of that original GV back in with the ladies.

I do remember the pic. We butchered a steer this year that was extremely high % gv and while his fat cover was about the same, his im fat was less and if one were really picky they would say he is a bit tougher than usual. He's not bad by any means, but I think I'll stick to 50% or less gv in my kill steers from here out.

[AngusLimoX]

We butchered a steer this year that was extremely high % gv and while his fat cover was about the same, his im fat was less and if one were really picky they would say he is a bit tougher than usual. He's not bad by any means, but I think I'll stick to 50% or less gv in my kill steers from here out.

Hard to say talking a steer here and a steer there, plus I pounded the feed to that puppy!

Real impressed with the heifer I kept though, may try her calf as a freezer steer this season. He's gonna get the corn too at todays prices.

[novaman]

What typical mature size (pounds more than their English mother) to you see with GV cross replacements?

We've got about a dozen gv sired heifers to calve next month, haven't weighed them but there's very little difference between them and their english contemporaries. Their sire is a 6.0 frame so I'm hoping there's negligibile frame creep, but wider chicks wouldn't hurt my feelings.

I've got some purchased balancer females, and they fit right in with the rest of the crowd. There's extremes and moderation in every breed, just make them work for you.

I've heard that Gelbs are the only breed to actually have a decrease in mature weight on cows. With that said, our Gelb influenced heifers seem to grow like weeds early on but they don't get to be a huge animal as one would imagine. They grow fast early on, mature quickly, and then slow down in growth later to settle in with the others as far as weights.

[Stocker Steve]

I've heard that Gelbs are the only breed to actually have a decrease in mature weight on cows. With that said, our Gelb influenced heifers seem to grow like weeds early on but they don't get to be a huge animal as one would imagine. They grow fast early on, mature quickly, and then slow down in growth later to settle in with the others as far as weights.

The balancers I have are growthy and thick calves like you said. The straight bred BA look bigger from a distand but part of it is their legs seem to keep growing...

[Stocker Steve]

I think have done a pretty good job in selecting mommas. All of our cows were raised from young heifers. I have never bought a "cow". Just heifers. My bull was specifically selected to compliment my cows. I wanted a low BW bull because I grow with heifers.

Why do you only buy heifers, and never cows?

[HOSS]

I think have done a pretty good job in selecting mommas. All of our cows were raised from young heifers. I have never bought a "cow". Just heifers. My bull was specifically selected to compliment my cows. I wanted a low BW bull because I grow with heifers.

Why do you only buy heifers, and never cows?

Usually if someone is selling a cow she didn't perform up to their expectations or there was some other issue.....not always but probably most likely. It is not worth taking a chance. I buy heifers from cattleman who have a good rep for replacement heifers. I have never had to pull a calf from a heifer. These heifers usually turn out to be great cows. I have had to cull a couple in recent years after their first or second calf for either a foot issue or trouble maintaining condition (second calvers) but have had really good luck. In my mind that is due to carefull selection of the heifers that I have bought and by close scrutiny of their mothers when possible.