A couple easy questions...

[ranchwabble]

We always bought yearlings to finish out but now we are starting to breed our own. Here are a few questions:

1. How long should I wait to breed back our heifers?
2. At what age should I band the bulls?
3. At what age can I breed a cow for the first time?

Thanks,

Bret :cowboy:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

#2 - Bulls can be cut or banded at birth. The longer after that the harder it is on the calf. Probably the majority of breeders castrate <2 mos.
You're 1 & 3 questions are a little mixed up.
COWS get bred "back" after having their calf - usually it will take 30-45 days before they have a first cycle. Many people have a "calving season" - anywhere from 45 days to 3 months? So, most cows will be about 60 days post calving when they get re-bred.
HEIFERS (a female that has not had a calf) get bred for the first time. Depends on your management system. Some producers wait til they are 2 years old to calve at 3 yrs old. But, most of the industry breeds heifers at about 15 months of age to calve at 2 years old. In order to do this successfully, they need to be grown out properly. They should be about 65% of their mature size. So, if your breed has a mature weight of 1200#, a heifer should weigh about 780# at the time of conception - and should have great nutrition provided thru calving. (great nutrition can be, & usually is, just good pasture & good hay in the winter).

 

[ranchwabble]

You're 1 & 3 questions are a little mixed up.

Well I've got one that's 12 months old and another that just had a calf (3 Year old w/ second calf). I'd like to IA them at the same time, but I don't want it to be to early for the younger one.

Thanks,

Bret

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Will you're yearling meet the criteria I mentioned?
"most of the industry breeds heifers at about 15 months of age to calve at 2 years old. In order to do this successfully, they need to be grown out properly. They should be about 65% of their mature size. So, if your breed has a mature weight of 1200#, a heifer should weigh about 780# at the time of conception - and should have great nutrition provided thru calving. (great nutrition can be, & usually is, just good pasture & good hay in the winter)."
What breed is she & how much does she weigh?
Your cow shouldn't be bred for 45-60 days.
So, if you're heifer is BIG ENOUGH and CYCLING, you should be able to breed both in about 90 days.
That would be about 8-5 - giving them a due date of around 5-15.

 

[ranchwabble]

That would be nice... Low-line Angus. The yearling is about 500 lbs. already so she is probably close at about 800 lbs.