Bull throws 75% female calves
- Thread starter seedlady
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A.J.
Well-known member
I guess it depends on your end goal. If you are raising seedstock or wanting to retain some heifers, I would be happy with more heifers than bulls. If raising feeder calves I would prefer bull calves, but as long as they are good, live calves I would be happy either way. It seems like it varies from year to year sometimes. I've had more heifer calves this year. Next year might be the opposite. They usually have the opposite sex of what I'm hoping for tho. Lol
I start out strong with heifer calves, but end up generally 50/50 and have for the past 12 years - with multiple bulls.
Buck Randall
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How many calves has he sired? It's almost certain that this has nothing to do with your bull, and just the fact that random numbers sometimes turn out unexpectedly.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Happens.
Been there.
Not a problem.
Been there.
Not a problem.
Wish I could get one like that for my Brahmans.
Hoser
Well-known member
I have a Hereford bull that's thrown 60-75% heifers the last 3 years. I don't mind though because he throws great all around females. We'll see if the percentages even out some this year and next before I replace him.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
We have 6 girls and 1 boy. I blame it on those plastic water bottles.
MRRherefords
Well-known member
Our bull was 75% male his first three breeding seasons and has been 75% female his last two. It gets us a nice variety. He'll probably sire many more boys just about the time folks want replacement heifers from him.
Sounds like my home-raised Angus bull. When the bull was a yearling, I had the breeder out and made straws. He joked the semen was sexed straight out of the bull. The bull is a few years old now and still getting heifers, but there are more boys then there used to be.
BFE
Well-known member
I hope it's not a problem, I'm at 75% heifers myself, 3 girls 1 boy. Then again, many people including the wife have told me I'm just not right.
FungusProudKY31
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There is some relationship to types of fats in a ewe's diet. Omega 3 or not and high %'s. Likely in some cows.
sim.-ang.king
Well-known member
Do you call him Henry the Eighth?
Katpau
Well-known member
How many calves are you talking about? It will usually average out over time. We started calving this year with mostly bull calves. Out of the first 14 calves born, 10 were bull calves. I was pretty happy, since steers will bring more money. For the next week the calves were split pretty even between heifers and bull calves. Unfortunately out of the last 10 calves born, only one was a bull. Someone once told me that an older bull will throw more heifers, but I don't know if there is any truth to that. I dated a guy in my youth who had 10 brothers. His mom finally gave him a sister after his Dad was in his mid 40's, so maybe there is something to it. 
Dave
Well-known member
Seven of my first 10 were bulls. The last 4 were all heifers. There is a new one out there now but it hasn't even stood up yet so I am not sure what it is other than a BWF calf.
coachg
Well-known member
Like me flipping a coin , sometimes it's heads sometimes it's tails . Usually works out close to 50/50 bulls vs heifers . I have heard younger bulls will get more females cause they breed the cow earlier in their cycle . Most years it's close to 50/50
farmerjan
Well-known member
We have an easy calving bull bought in 2012. He is a very "easy on the cows" breeder and gets used on heifers. Bought another easy calving bull the next year from the same breeder but very distant relation.... one common ancestor about 5 generations back. Between these 2 bulls, which we still have and regularly use, we cover all our heifers and sometimes a smaller bought cow or something. The one has consistently thrown 70-75 % heifers every calf crop. The other is running about 60/40 heifers over the course of the years. You are talking bulls that are now 10 years + old.
Neither is rough on the females. I have a partially crippled young cow, that was bought cheap as a bred heifer because she had a limp. We keep planning on selling her, but she gets bred right back and has a calf and raises it well. So she stays at the place we breed and calve out the heifers, and gets bred by the easy calving bull; because he is so easy with breeding. We do wait until the heifers are at least 18 months normally to breed, I like them to calve at 27-30 months so they have a little more maturity. But they are not big huge heifers either when they get bred. Neither bull has put one heifer down or hurt them. I had a bull that was very rough on cows and he lasted one full year and he went. 2 cows got hurt by him and it took months for their legs to get better.
I don"t care if the first calf heifers have a heifer or a bull calf. I want that smaller calf, one they can just spit out, it gets up, momma licks it and it goes to nursing. I don't want to pull calves from first calf heifers. If the heifer is a little small, she might get bred back the second time to this bull. But once they become full fledged "cows" they go with the plus weight bulls. There is one that throws more bulls... about 60/40 most every year. The others throw a 50/50 average over a few years averages.
Pulled one out of a first calf heifer a year or so ago. 1 leg back, once I got the leg up and out it came right out but it was dead. She bred right back and has a calf on the ground now. Been probably 5-6 years before that to pull a calf... on a bought bred cow, that was huge calf... got it out and it did fine.....
We keep our bulls "forever" if they do their job and are not mean, aggressive or rough. Usually they get sold because they lose their fertility, or mostly because they just decide that they no longer want to stay in the pastures and go gallivanting.... got rid of one that I didn't trust... he would just watch you with these little snorts every so often... But the last one we used for 8 years after getting him from a friend that wanted to change bulls..... he just got to where he would get out .... and usually would lay on the shoulder of the road and watch the traffic go by.... got constant daily calls.... you'd go up there, give him a shove, he'd get up and he'd follow you back in the pasture gate. When we brought him back to the bull lot after about 2 weeks of daily out to lay along the road and watch the traffic, he would worry the fences there and wanted out. So he went.
Neither is rough on the females. I have a partially crippled young cow, that was bought cheap as a bred heifer because she had a limp. We keep planning on selling her, but she gets bred right back and has a calf and raises it well. So she stays at the place we breed and calve out the heifers, and gets bred by the easy calving bull; because he is so easy with breeding. We do wait until the heifers are at least 18 months normally to breed, I like them to calve at 27-30 months so they have a little more maturity. But they are not big huge heifers either when they get bred. Neither bull has put one heifer down or hurt them. I had a bull that was very rough on cows and he lasted one full year and he went. 2 cows got hurt by him and it took months for their legs to get better.
I don"t care if the first calf heifers have a heifer or a bull calf. I want that smaller calf, one they can just spit out, it gets up, momma licks it and it goes to nursing. I don't want to pull calves from first calf heifers. If the heifer is a little small, she might get bred back the second time to this bull. But once they become full fledged "cows" they go with the plus weight bulls. There is one that throws more bulls... about 60/40 most every year. The others throw a 50/50 average over a few years averages.
Pulled one out of a first calf heifer a year or so ago. 1 leg back, once I got the leg up and out it came right out but it was dead. She bred right back and has a calf on the ground now. Been probably 5-6 years before that to pull a calf... on a bought bred cow, that was huge calf... got it out and it did fine.....
We keep our bulls "forever" if they do their job and are not mean, aggressive or rough. Usually they get sold because they lose their fertility, or mostly because they just decide that they no longer want to stay in the pastures and go gallivanting.... got rid of one that I didn't trust... he would just watch you with these little snorts every so often... But the last one we used for 8 years after getting him from a friend that wanted to change bulls..... he just got to where he would get out .... and usually would lay on the shoulder of the road and watch the traffic go by.... got constant daily calls.... you'd go up there, give him a shove, he'd get up and he'd follow you back in the pasture gate. When we brought him back to the bull lot after about 2 weeks of daily out to lay along the road and watch the traffic, he would worry the fences there and wanted out. So he went.
Nesikep
Well-known member
I started my year off with 7 bull calves in a row... now the tide has changed, I have had 5 heifers in a row so far!
