A Heifer for your Critique

[randiliana]

Here is a heifer for you to critique. She is the classic Baldy. Hereford x Black Angus. I'll post her BW and WW info later. And don't worry, there is absolutely nothing you can say to hurt my feelings about her. Her calf was born Apr 15 and weighed 77 lbs. It is Angus/Simm sired.

 

[cmf1]

Randi,
I may be way off here but I don't see anything remarkable about her from the pic.
She looks to me like a very young heifer that got bred too early. The calf looks great.
If I"m right and she's just a baby herself I'd be giving her a season off to recover and raise more calves like that for a longer time. If I'm wrong and she's mature I would'nt change a thing cuz that's a fine young'n there and she's doing her job no matter what she looks like.

 

[BARNSCOOP]

One of my favorite cows looks very much like her only heavier and hasn't got as good of an udder as her. One of my favorite things about her is she gives me calves as big and nice as my reg. Angus ladies that are much larger than her. She eats much less feed and has great milk. I would love to have a pasture full of cows like her. But, my calves are all terminal so I look for something different than breeders of registered, replacement stock.

I like her. I do think she needs a few more pounds on her.

 

[bigbull338]

she is a fine looking heifer.starting her calf off right.i cant see anything wrong with her.

 

[CPL]

To me she looks pretty frail. If you said there was some dairy in there I'd have to believe you. The calf looks like its doing well though.

 

[Herefords.US]

As a commercial cow, there's nothing wrong with her that some more green grass won't fix. Her calf is sure getting all he needs!

George

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Structually I don't mind her really as a commercial cow. She just looks like she has lost some condition. But she has a great calf on her so that is irrelevant.

 

[giftedcowboy]

she looks hungry to me.....

 

[CPL]

But she has a great calf on her so that is irrelevant.

How so?

 

[JHH]

As a commercial cow, there's nothing wrong with her that some more green grass won't fix. Her calf is sure getting all he needs!

George

I have to agree. As long as she breeds back and weans a heavy calf it is irrelavent what she looks like.

I have one much like her that Doc didnt like but she breeds back every year and weans one of the heaviest if not the heaviest calves every year.

She is a MONEY MAKER as long as she breeds back. JHH

 

[randiliana]

Well, here is some more info on her.

She was born Apr 22, 2007 and weighed about Oct 1
Out of a 2 year old heifer.
Her BW was 81 lbs
Her WW was 246 lbs
Her YW would have been around 500 lbs.

No, she was not intended as a replacement heifer. As a calf she was first crippled on the front (still don't know why), then she stifled a hip. She is now sound at a walk, but you can see her limp at a trot. The hip she's lame on is the one in the photo. Due to lameness, and WW, we kept her with the intention of her gracing our table at some point. About the time I was starting to taste her, I noticed she seemed to be bagging up, we preg checked her, and of course she was in calf. The bull got her on the 3 days he was home, between pasture and his last trip to town. She calved on her own, and as you can see she has a pretty impressive udder. Looks like she is going to outdo what her mama did for her.

So, no, she isn't the best animal out there, but she has impressed me. She certainly outdoes a lot of other replacement material that I have seen. She calved by herself, has a nice udder, with milk in it, which is more than I can say for a couple of our 'real' replacements, and looks like she will raise a pretty darn good calf for us.

Proof that genetics aren't everything :banana:

And, actually, she is in pretty good condition. I'm sure she has lost some condition, but she should be one of our fattest heifers, she was on full grain up til the end of Feb, heading for our dinner table.

 

[blackcowz]

Maybe not so special, but who said a cow needs to be special? With that udder, she looks like she'll be producing for a while. Plus, if she got bred in a 3 day time-frame with as small as she was, you might have a very fertile cow on your hands. Plus, I have to agree that the calf looks great and has plenty of milk. The cow is certainly acceptable from a first calf heifer stand point, and she's doing her job well. You're right, more than can be said for some real replacements.

 

[TexasBred]

Proof that genetics aren't everything

Would her problem be genetic or environmental?? Seems like she had a tough start and lots of problems to overcome and although she probably isn't the prettiest cow in the field her calves are the ones your selling and she's making you a fine one there. ;-)

 

[FarmGirl10]

she looks hungry to me.....

Ummm, this heifer is living in Canada, coming out of a long cold winter. Of course she looks hungry.

 

[KNERSIE]

And, actually, she is in pretty good condition. I'm sure she has lost some condition, but she should be one of our fattest heifers, she was on full grain up til the end of Feb, heading for our dinner table.

She may be one of your fattest heifers, but she certainly isn't in pretty good condition. If she is indeed one of your fattest heifers I think your rebreeding rate will suffer amongst the first calvers.

 

[Avalon]

As poor as her BCS is she has done an excellent job with her calf.

 

[randiliana]

And, actually, she is in pretty good condition. I'm sure she has lost some condition, but she should be one of our fattest heifers, she was on full grain up til the end of Feb, heading for our dinner table.

She may be one of your fattest heifers, but she certainly isn't in pretty good condition. If she is indeed one of your fattest heifers I think your rebreeding rate will suffer amongst the first calvers.

I doubt that we will have troubles rebreeding our heifers, we don't normally have a high dry rate on them, and these ones are in no better, or worse condition than they usually are.

 

[randiliana]

Proof that genetics aren't everything

Would her problem be genetic or environmental?? Seems like she had a tough start and lots of problems to overcome and although she probably isn't the prettiest cow in the field her calves are the ones your selling and she's making you a fine one there. ;-)

Who knows, but tough start or not, she still should have weighed more than 250 lbs at 200 days or so. Her mama didn't abandon her after all.....