I know that most people say heifers can be bread at 15 months, but I'm sure weights could vary at that age? Is there a minimum weight a heifer should be regardless of age before breeding? My heifers will be at 15 months soon, but they vary some in size. Will most heifers, under normal conditions, be at a suitable weight by 15 months even though weights may vary?
Age vs weight for breeding heifers
- Thread starter herofan
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Aren't heifers supposed to be at 75% (or more) of their adult weight before they are bred?
A
Anonymous
60% of expected adult size at breeding
BC
Well-known member
I was taught that they needed to be 65% of their mature weight at first breeding. Here are a few mature weights and how big they should be at breeding:
1000 lbs needs to weigh 650 lbs at breeding
1100 lbs needs to weigh 715 lbs at breeding
1150 lbs needs to weigh 750 lbs at breeding
1200 lbs needs to weigh 780 lbs at breeding
1250 lbs needs to weigh 815 lbs at breeding
1300 lbs needs to weigh 845 lbs at breeding
1000 lbs needs to weigh 650 lbs at breeding
1100 lbs needs to weigh 715 lbs at breeding
1150 lbs needs to weigh 750 lbs at breeding
1200 lbs needs to weigh 780 lbs at breeding
1250 lbs needs to weigh 815 lbs at breeding
1300 lbs needs to weigh 845 lbs at breeding
jerry27150
Well-known member
if mine don't make 650 by that age on grass & hay they are sold for feeders. if they have been on grain they should make a lot more weight easily by that age
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
My neighbor had a bull that could have broken out of San Quentin. He got to my heifers and I had one calve at 17 months. She's been in the herd for several years now and calves on 11 month intervals with no problems. She was stunted I am sure but turned out to be a money maker. She survived the drought cullings. I'll keep her.
highgrit
Well-known member
I like them stunted cows Boggie, they eat less and still wean a nice calf. And thru their life you will get 1-2 extra calves.
TexasBred
Well-known member
Use to breed heifers based on height....when they reached 49 inches at the hip we would breed regardless of weight...but weight was never a problem.
pdfangus
Well-known member
my rule of thumb was 70% of mature size.
I also wanted them to be pushing 900 lbs as our cows had some size to em....
I also wanted them to be pushing 900 lbs as our cows had some size to em....
to us.. its not just age, or weight, but their pelvic size. But typically we dont turn them out with the bull until they are 16-17 months of age, regardless of weight.
Here is an article just about on the same topic. http://www.oklahomafarmreport.com/wire/ ... 154438.php
Here is an article just about on the same topic. http://www.oklahomafarmreport.com/wire/ ... 154438.php
pdfangus
Well-known member
We didn't do pelvic measurements becasue our vet thought we would be wasting our time....He had been in and out of our cows and heifers and said that what we were doing was working....
said he would be happy to do it and gave us a cost estimate in case we needed to spend some money.
we generally only touched mal presentations.
said he would be happy to do it and gave us a cost estimate in case we needed to spend some money.
we generally only touched mal presentations.
That will work 99.9% of the time but the one stray gene that slips in and screws it up can be a disaster. A couple of years ago we had a huge heifer out of a big easy calving cow that when we did the plevic on her was in the 130 range. Based on statistics of pelvic size at her age and weight she would have had a hard time birthing anything igger then a beagle puppy.pdfangus":1uvvbyp8 said:
highgrit
Well-known member
Haven't pulled a calf in 15 years, but haven't had any Char. bulls since then either. I you have the time to watch your cows calve you will have problems with them. I feel most of the time WE cause the problem.
SSGenetics
Well-known member
I try to get them in production as soon as possible. Spring born heifers get bred with spring calvers the following year which would be 14-16 months. Same with fall calves.
Herofan, turn the bull in the weekend after Thanksgiving and pull him 45-60 days later for September calves.... :2cents:
Herofan, turn the bull in the weekend after Thanksgiving and pull him 45-60 days later for September calves.... :2cents:
cow pollinater
Well-known member
I breed whatever is left in my heifer pasture in November regardless of size or age. And I'm NEVER with them when they calve. I've been doing that for about eight years and it's pretty rare to have a problem that they don't work out on their own.
SRBeef
Well-known member
My system is based on heifers calving on their 2nd birthday. To do that they need to be bred at 15 months. I want my whole herd to calve in one cycle (approx. 23 days) or as close to that as possible.
If you vary breeding date by heifer weight you will have calving spread out over a long period of time.
It can be near impossible to pull them forward significantly once they get off to a later calving start.
If they aren't capable of being bred at 15 months they need to go to the sale barn. Anything open at fall preg check gets sold but also do any bred heifers or cows that calve more then 45 days (two cycles) after the first calf is born. This also weeds out the cow families that are not ready to breed at 15 months and after a few years there should be no issue being bred at 15 mo.
Another factor is making sure you have a bull suitable for breeding a wide range of heifers and cows. I have a good bull that has bred them from about 750 lb to 1650 lb this summer.
So I would answer your question by saying breed by age only.
Jim
If you vary breeding date by heifer weight you will have calving spread out over a long period of time.
It can be near impossible to pull them forward significantly once they get off to a later calving start.
If they aren't capable of being bred at 15 months they need to go to the sale barn. Anything open at fall preg check gets sold but also do any bred heifers or cows that calve more then 45 days (two cycles) after the first calf is born. This also weeds out the cow families that are not ready to breed at 15 months and after a few years there should be no issue being bred at 15 mo.
Another factor is making sure you have a bull suitable for breeding a wide range of heifers and cows. I have a good bull that has bred them from about 750 lb to 1650 lb this summer.
So I would answer your question by saying breed by age only.
Jim
pdfangus
Well-known member
I was raised and trined under the manage them to death live with em 24 hours a day paradigm of the universities....
over the years I have figured out that the cows are supposed to work for me and not vice versa.....
over the last thirty years of having my own cows and working a regular job, and culling problem cows....
I have built a herd that was pretty much problem free and adapted to our environment....
my new neighbor has red angus and he still ultra manages and he has spent more in veterinary interventions in the last two years than I have spent in the last twenty....
he gets afraid of cows having calving problems and has the vet induce them which pretty much guarantees calving problems....
just a few weeks ago had a day old calf that he thought was just a little off and had some loose manure on its tail....tried to catch it until he was worn out and then came to me for help....I said that if he couldn' catch a day old calf there was a chance that it was not sick....and if you have been chasing it for a half hour it certainly will have an elevated temp.....sometimes we create our own problems...
over the years I have figured out that the cows are supposed to work for me and not vice versa.....
over the last thirty years of having my own cows and working a regular job, and culling problem cows....
I have built a herd that was pretty much problem free and adapted to our environment....
my new neighbor has red angus and he still ultra manages and he has spent more in veterinary interventions in the last two years than I have spent in the last twenty....
he gets afraid of cows having calving problems and has the vet induce them which pretty much guarantees calving problems....
just a few weeks ago had a day old calf that he thought was just a little off and had some loose manure on its tail....tried to catch it until he was worn out and then came to me for help....I said that if he couldn' catch a day old calf there was a chance that it was not sick....and if you have been chasing it for a half hour it certainly will have an elevated temp.....sometimes we create our own problems...
snake67
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herofan":1v32c35a said:
If our cows do not have a calf by 24 months we toss them
We breed on weight
We sell anything that is not in that 800 pound area by the time they are ready to breed
It has worked for us for many years and we have not changed the system
It is all done on pasture
You want a herd that becomes push button - trouble free - you do something similar
Cows live on hay in the winter - sleep on snow in the bush - drop their calves in Feb or Mar - a bit cold but no flies.
We kick our cows out on pasture in the spring and they do it all for us - I just cruise the herd once every two or three days unless calving - then we check them in the morning and at night - touch wood we have not had an issue in years now.
Best to you
Bez
