A Cow's 1st calf.

[Anonymous]

when a heifer/cow has her first calf, is it important to pull the calf from her as early as 45 days? if so, do you keep the calf till maturity or sale the calf?

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[Anonymous]

The only reason to wean a beef calf that early is because of lack of feed. The cow while nursing will require a substantially higher amount and quality of feed. You and mitigate it to a certain degree by creep feeding the calf but that gets expensive also. Normally, beef calves are weaned around 6 or 7 months, some are retained, some sold. Depends on the breeding, performance gender of the calf, and also what you are trying to accomplish. If you have a heifer calf that is very good and are trying to expand, and her breeding is such that she will make a good productive cow, you would keep her, otherwise she would be shipped. If it's a bull (it should be cut) and unless you need freezer beef when he is old enough, you should ship him also.

dun

> when a heifer/cow has her first
> calf, is it important to pull the
> calf from her as early as 45 days?
> if so, do you keep the calf till
> maturity or sale the calf?

 

[Anonymous]

> The only reason to wean a beef
> calf that early is because of lack
> of feed. The cow while nursing
> will require a substantially
> higher amount and quality of feed.
> You and mitigate it to a certain
> degree by creep feeding the calf
> but that gets expensive also.
> Normally, beef calves are weaned
> around 6 or 7 months, some are
> retained, some sold. Depends on
> the breeding, performance gender
> of the calf, and also what you are
> trying to accomplish. If you have
> a heifer calf that is very good
> and are trying to expand, and her
> breeding is such that she will
> make a good productive cow, you
> would keep her, otherwise she
> would be shipped. If it's a bull
> (it should be cut) and unless you
> need freezer beef when he is old
> enough, you should ship him also.

> dun

Reference your stating the young bull should be cut - my question is this: If you are going to sell the youngsters at seven or eight months old, does it make much difference if you castorate them? In other words, how much does it effect their growth during these first seven or eight months?

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[Anonymous]

You will get a dozen different opinions from a dozen different people. But generally, if the are cut young the difference in growth is more then made up for by the dock you woould take if you sold him intact. Not having him dehorned will cost you half as much as not having him cut. Those two process' are worth serious money when you get around to sellilng.

dun

> Reference your stating the young
> bull should be cut - my question
> is this: If you are going to sell
> the youngsters at seven or eight
> months old, does it make much
> difference if you castorate them?
> In other words, how much does it
> effect their growth during these
> first seven or eight months?

 

[Anonymous]

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