Search results for query: *

+1. Well said. I am seeing the same thing. I'd rather have a cow I know something about. Retaining your best bull calf out of your best cow accelerates the herd improvement. Use him as a bull to spread good known genes around.

I don't recall ever saying I was in an all-forage program, nor pushing "grass-fed", nor definitely not telling others how to raise cattle. I do use Mineralyx. My cattle do get a 5 gallon bucket of sweet feed as a gentling treat every so often in the corral. This is mostly to keep them coming to...

I certainly don't want extend this any more. However if there is something you wish to discuss about my cattle or the way I raise them I would appreciate the feedback from a more experienced cattleman. Don't worry about hurting my feelings. Just stick to cattle and not people. I will say that...

IMHO it is very impolite to waste many folks time when they open this thread expecting to read about bulls and a new post is nothing but childish bickering. Please do your name calling by pm. Jim

I think we should leave the calves on the cows longer rather than shorter times, but depending on local conditions. I have been weaning spring calves at about 205 days but will be leaving them on longer, maybe another 30-45 days. But in Wisconsin it can be tough to keep condition on a late...

I have never heard of them before but looked at their website and seems like they have a good middle of the road approach for those using Red Angus. I like their emphasis on calving ease. If a bull's job is to sire commercial calves he has to sire calves that can be calved without an obstetrics...

emphasis mine. I think this is about the most useful quote in this thread. The answer is also somewhat breed dependent I would think, however I am still a relative beginner with experience with Herefords only although I have been selling mostly freezer beef so get to follow through dressing...

FWIW We should probably talk pounds rather than large or small as everyone has their own definitions of each. It is very clear from my own numbers that a herd of 30 1200 lb (moderate size) cows will produce more net income than a herd of 20 1800 lb (large size) cows on about the same amount of...

I heard a researcher somewhere promote the "best" time to calve is 30 days before spring greenup. Greenup in SW WI being around May 1 that would put ideal calving at April 1. I use that for a start of calving date. Using the AHA gestation chart that puts bull-in day at June 23rd. The logic is...

3-fers (bred older cow with a calf at her side) are usually the best "deals" in cattle. Bred heifers seem like they should come with a warning label. Hope things work out with the second one but would not bet on it. There's a nerve back there that gets damaged and often does not recover. Maybe...

If you choose a bull calf out of your best cow, a cow that has the traits you are looking for, sired by your best bull, a bull that has the traits you are looking for, then the bull calf IS likely to be superior to most of your herd. This retained bull calf will then have the genes you are...

If you work with Dudley to get a Hereford bull with an especially good disposition they really are not much trouble. My Huth bulls have been very mellow. Not pets but not tearing things up and they defer to me. Over wintering with a steer helps. I have been putting my lightest, usually last born...

I am not an AI user, however it seems to me that everyone I know of who uses AI also has a cleanup bull to catch the ones that don't take - or you repeat and repeat until you have a really strung out calving season. If you have a good local Hereford breeder nearby, why not do what you really...

Randi, if you use 7 bulls and replace one or two a year you might save some money by saving one or two bull calves each year out of your best cow/bull matings and using them as yearlings the next year or two on an un- or distantly related group. This saves you some money on bulls. It also...

Maybe the calf being stepped on had something to do with not being able to suck??? just a possibility. Hate to lose one after all that. good luck. Jim

If he is a really good bull, why not retain one of his sons out of your best cow and continue the line? I am doing something like that but the other way around - trying to extend the reach of a particular cow. Jim

I would think you would consider replacing a bull if you get to a situation where he would be breeding his daughters or you see cows coming up open at preg check or you acquire a better bull. In my small, acre limited operation it is breeding his daughters and pasture management that mean I need...

I think this web page is about the clearest explanation of and rationale for line breeding cattle I have come across. I am experimenting with some of the principles in my small herd as I build. http://www.witherspoonsherefords.com/WNHWEB11.HTM Hope this helps you. Jim

I've read and heard several university folks say that the "best" time to calve is 30 days ahead of the peak grass growing period in your area. In Wisconsin this would mean calving in early April about 30 days ahead of the start of peak grass in mid May. By "best" they meant lowest cost as i...