Angus Bulls and Calving Trouble

[u4411clb]

I didnt want to take over other guys threads on here. But I was just curious about why so many get so hung up on CE and BW epd's when it comes to Angus bulls. I have either been good or lucky to bid on and purchase Angus bulls with high growth and good maternal numbers for my area and good $EN numbers but with average to below breed average CE and BW numbers and save I would guess thousands of dollars per animal. I honestly think a heifer of mine Gert x Horned Hereford should be able to have a calf unassisted from an average BW angus bull. I am curious as to when is the last time anyone on the board has had to pull a calf from a Registered Angus bull due to size of calf be it on a heifer or cow? Like I said maybe I have been lucky. We have had bad presentations with cows but never had to pull a calf from a registred Angus bull due only to size.

 

[Jake]

We pulled 8 calves out of 30ish heifers so far.
3 were big, 2 were backwards, 1 upside down, 2 malpresentations. Never pull any out of the cows.

 

[cowgirl8]

We've always had good luck since we started buying them in 2000..Its the reason we've been getting them from the same breeder.
Calving out heifers is never easy, and its going to depend on how old you breed them. If you let your heifers grow and breed at 2, they better not need a LBW angus. But a lot of people breed at 14 months...
No matter what, if you have a good number of heifers calving, you're going to have troubles with a few and getting a LBW bull helps lessen that..

 

[u4411clb]

We pulled 8 calves out of 30ish heifers so far.
3 were big, 2 were backwards, 1 upside down, 2 malpresentations. Never pull any out of the cows.

Thanks for the response you pretty much dispproved my theory then. 3 large calves where the heifers need help out of 30 is 10%. I guess I have just been lucky so far and need to rethink purchasing a lbw angus bull for my Star 5 heifers.

 

[cowgirl8]

Are these your first heifers to calve out?

 

[TexasBred]

We pulled 8 calves out of 30ish heifers so far.
3 were big, 2 were backwards, 1 upside down, 2 malpresentations. Never pull any out of the cows.

Thanks for the response you pretty much dispproved my theory then. 3 large calves where the heifers need help out of 30 is 10%. I guess I have just been lucky so far and need to rethink purchasing a lbw angus bull for my Star 5 heifers.

Don't forget the cows have a lot to do with. The very reason man get pelvic measurements and use this as another good tool to help determine which heifers to retain.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

We pulled 8 calves out of 30ish heifers so far.
3 were big, 2 were backwards, 1 upside down, 2 malpresentations. Never pull any out of the cows.

Thanks for the response you pretty much dispproved my theory then. 3 large calves where the heifers need help out of 30 is 10%. I guess I have just been lucky so far and need to rethink purchasing a lbw angus bull for my Star 5 heifers.

You should be able to calve out those type heifers with average birth weight bulls...to me it's a waste of good Brahman influence to skimp on BW..

 

[Jake]

We pulled 8 calves out of 30ish heifers so far.
3 were big, 2 were backwards, 1 upside down, 2 malpresentations. Never pull any out of the cows.

Thanks for the response you pretty much dispproved my theory then. 3 large calves where the heifers need help out of 30 is 10%. I guess I have just been lucky so far and need to rethink purchasing a lbw angus bull for my Star 5 heifers.

You should be able to calve out those type heifers with average birth weight bulls...to me it's a waste of good Brahman influence to skimp on BW..

I would agree with this. There's no reason to change if it's been working. I am sure you are calving much larger heifers than we are and the brahman influence is going to help you a lot as well.

 

[W.B.]

Remember environment has a huge impact on birth weight. The further north you go the bigger the birthweight.

 

[AllForage]

We've always had good luck since we started buying them in 2000..Its the reason we've been getting them from the same breeder.
Calving out heifers is never easy, and its going to depend on how old you breed them. If you let your heifers grow and breed at 2, they better not need a LBW angus. But a lot of people breed at 14 months...
No matter what, if you have a good number of heifers calving, you're going to have troubles with a few and getting a LBW bull helps lessen that..

Are you friggin serious???? With your dumb a$$ thread on heifers calving, you are still advising us hobby guys??? Take a break please!!

I was expecting you to tell him his luck was only because he had a small herd.

u44, watch out for those extra teats too, they are calf killers

 

[Rafter S]

Remember environment has a huge impact on birth weight. The further north you go the bigger the birthweight.

I had never heard that before. What causes it?

 

[Supa Dexta]

Animals are naturally bigger the further north you go. They need to be to survive and have the body reserves for our weather. Of course with domesticated animals you can do whatever you want with them, but you're gonna have to pamper them if they are wimps. Mine are out in a blizzard again today. And live outside in these conditions:

I have to blow snow almost daily to go feed them. They are pretty good at keeping a spot beat down in their feeding area, so they don't get buried.

 

[Isomade]

pulled 8 of 56 heifers so far this year.
pulled 3 of 40 heifers last year
and pulled 11 of 45 heifers theyear before. all were heifers, Ive never pulled one from a cow that was normal presentation to an Angus bull.

 

[Andyva]

So it has to be too big to fit through the hole to be defined as too big? Too big to get turned properly is not too big? Too big to deliver unassisted backwards is still not too big?

 

[W.B.]

Colder weather causes more blood flow to fetus thus calves are bigger. In this area you normally take ten lbs. off when you fall calve.