Angus Calf ?

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critterair2

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Kinda interesting, I have three reg. angus calves. Sire is Conn. Danny BW's were 70-80lbs All three are apx. 210 days old. Body structure, muscle, etc... is fantastic. Only complaint is they are still rather short. Weight is apx 425lbs, which means they are gaining apx. 1.7lbs/day. They are getting apx 8lbs of feed per day each, which was started about 30 days ago. Still nursing. Dams milk production is good. Think I should be concerned, or just give them time? Dams BCS is good so i'm planning on leaving them on for another 30-40 days. Then raise feed up to 10lbs/day each. Should I have started creep feeding earlier? Planning on breeding at 2 to calve at 3. Will try to get some pics next week. Again body structure is great, just kinda short. Wish I could give a exact number for height. I'm 5 10 and they, all three, are about 4 inches taller than waist high. Maybe this is too much of an open question
 
critterair2":k37yjh2l said:
Kinda interesting, I have three reg. angus calves. Sire is Conn. Danny BW's were 70-80lbs All three are apx. 210 days old. Body structure, muscle, etc... is fantastic. Only complaint is they are still rather short. Weight is apx 425lbs, which means they are gaining apx. 1.7lbs/day. They are getting apx 8lbs of feed per day each, which was started about 30 days ago. Still nursing. Dams milk production is good. Think I should be concerned, or just give them time? Dams BCS is good so i'm planning on leaving them on for another 30-40 days. Then raise feed up to 10lbs/day each. Should I have started creep feeding earlier? Planning on breeding at 2 to calve at 3. Will try to get some pics next week. Again body structure is great, just kinda short. Wish I could give a exact number for height. I'm 5 10 and they, all three, are about 4 inches taller than waist high. Maybe this is too much of an open question
be interesting too see what they,, and their momas could do naturally
 
alacattleman":302kryts said:
critterair2":302kryts said:
Kinda interesting, I have three reg. angus calves. Sire is Conn. Danny BW's were 70-80lbs All three are apx. 210 days old. Body structure, muscle, etc... is fantastic. Only complaint is they are still rather short. Weight is apx 425lbs, which means they are gaining apx. 1.7lbs/day. They are getting apx 8lbs of feed per day each, which was started about 30 days ago. Still nursing. Dams milk production is good. Think I should be concerned, or just give them time? Dams BCS is good so i'm planning on leaving them on for another 30-40 days. Then raise feed up to 10lbs/day each. Should I have started creep feeding earlier? Planning on breeding at 2 to calve at 3. Will try to get some pics next week. Again body structure is great, just kinda short. Wish I could give a exact number for height. I'm 5 10 and they, all three, are about 4 inches taller than waist high. Maybe this is too much of an open question
be interesting too see what they,, and their momas could do naturally

If they really weigh 425 lbs at 210 days it would appear not so well........
 
critterair2":22o3v8ea said:
BW's were 70-80lbs All three are apx. 210 days old. Body structure, muscle, etc... is fantastic. Only complaint is they are still rather short. Weight is apx 425lbs, which means they are gaining apx. 1.7lbs/day. They are getting apx 8lbs of feed per day each, which was started about 30 days ago. Still nursing. Dams milk production is good.

There seems to be some contradictory evidence. 7 months old and 425lbs? Personally I'd consider them dinks, however you mention they are about 4 inches higher than your waist (You said you're 5'10" so thats similar to me which makes them around 45" at the hips)
Thats not particularly short for age so what is their (the calves) BCS? Either they are thin, which means the cows are not milking much or they might be wormy and not converting their feed efficiently. 1.7lbs/day for a calf is pretty low. Especially given that Connealy cattle tend towards the growth side of things. Got any photo's of them you can post?
 
BCS for the calves is 6-7. I am very pleased with how they look, just seems as though they should be taller. Maybe I'm wrong. The 425lbs guess is just a guess. They will be headed to the scale when i wean them. We don't have one, but our local market is going to let me run them through theirs. Maybe i'm just being a worried first reg. daddy. Dams were bred at one to calve at two, so maybe thats hurting them also? Wormed in Aug. Nice shiny coat. I'll see if the wife can take some pics and email them to me tomorrow. I'm out of town.
 
I am thinking your guess ain't worth a whoot!! Might weigh a hundred pounds more than you think. The air under there belly don't weigh a thing.
 
Sounds like you're underestimating them to me. If they're in good condition, worry about something else. :p
 
I guess your right, they are healthy and the thing that does comfort me is that all three are identical.
 
Red Bull Breeder":31vksm5u said:
I am thinking your guess ain't worth a whoot!! Might weigh a hundred pounds more than you think. The air under there belly don't weigh a thing.

Dittos
 
"Guessing" is for losing Poker Players! If you are going to be a 'serious' cattle producer, you need more sophisticated equipment than the graciousness of the local market scales. Knowledge is money, and you should have more than you have now to keep the worrys to a minimum. Know, EXACTLY, what your program is producing and how to modify it if it is not working properly. If, in fact, these calves are not better than what you are reporting, then you need to take stock of what your genetics are, and perhaps start over. Don't throw good money and time after bad mistakes. It takes too long and costs too much to drag yourself out of the ""mistake ditch"! Chutes with scales are necessary tools for a successful business.

You are also losing money if you have your cows calve at three years. Well-bred stock should be calving at two years ( +/- )and EACH year after that. Replacement heifers should weigh approximately 60% - 65% of their expected mature weight at first breeding. If you lose a years production by extending the first calving date by a year, you have a tough time in regaining the lost income over the entire life of that mama cow. GOOD quality stock don't need that extra year of maturity to be a successful breeder over a lifetime. Example: a 600# calf would bring $550 - $600 at weaning. If you had 20 first-year heifers calving and delayed those calving dates by a year, you could lose over $10,000 that first year!

Use improved management protocols to stay in business!

DOC HARRIS
 
It's a pretty open question. I'd agree with the others: stop worrying until you really have something to worry about. :)

Is there some reason you'll wait to calve them out at 3? See DOC's comments. A good heifer, properly managed, should be able to calve and breed back as a two year old. Good luck with them.....
 

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