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Are the 1150-1200 pound cows reality or myth ?
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<blockquote data-quote="stocky" data-source="post: 958886" data-attributes="member: 1150"><p>A few things to remember, also. There are alot of things that determine the size of the cow besides genetics. There are alot of 900 to 1000 lb cows weaning 700 lb calves with genetics to be much larger. The amount and quality of feed the cow receives, the distance and type of terrain she walks each day for feed and water, the age and size she has her first calf and the time between births, as well as many other factors determine mature cow size. If two cows have the same genetics for size, the one that gives the least milk will put more on her and less on her calf, so she will grow more. Many people freshen their heifers at 18-22 months at a smaller size instead of 24 months or more at 1200 lbs just so they will have a smaller cow. If the bulls are left with the cows and the cow freshens every 10-11 months, she will not get as big as the cow that freshens every 12-13 months simply because she has less dry time to heal and grow. In my hilly area, 900 to 1000 pound cows will do much better than 1300-1500 pounders, will eat less hay and wean just as big or bigger calves than the big cows because it is so difficult on her joints to move so much on the rocks and hills to graze. You can take the genetics for a large cow and determine to a great extent how big she gets by the way you treat her. Same with a bull. You can take a charolais bull and hold him back from the cows until he is 2 and then not breed him to very many cows his first year and by the time he is 3, he will weigh a ton and he is too big to keep around here. Or you can take the same bull, put him with cows early, keep him with plenty of cows, and he will top out around 1700-1800 lbs and last until he is 7 or 8 years old without getting too big for the terrain and cows and you have the same genetics in the calves.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="stocky, post: 958886, member: 1150"] A few things to remember, also. There are alot of things that determine the size of the cow besides genetics. There are alot of 900 to 1000 lb cows weaning 700 lb calves with genetics to be much larger. The amount and quality of feed the cow receives, the distance and type of terrain she walks each day for feed and water, the age and size she has her first calf and the time between births, as well as many other factors determine mature cow size. If two cows have the same genetics for size, the one that gives the least milk will put more on her and less on her calf, so she will grow more. Many people freshen their heifers at 18-22 months at a smaller size instead of 24 months or more at 1200 lbs just so they will have a smaller cow. If the bulls are left with the cows and the cow freshens every 10-11 months, she will not get as big as the cow that freshens every 12-13 months simply because she has less dry time to heal and grow. In my hilly area, 900 to 1000 pound cows will do much better than 1300-1500 pounders, will eat less hay and wean just as big or bigger calves than the big cows because it is so difficult on her joints to move so much on the rocks and hills to graze. You can take the genetics for a large cow and determine to a great extent how big she gets by the way you treat her. Same with a bull. You can take a charolais bull and hold him back from the cows until he is 2 and then not breed him to very many cows his first year and by the time he is 3, he will weigh a ton and he is too big to keep around here. Or you can take the same bull, put him with cows early, keep him with plenty of cows, and he will top out around 1700-1800 lbs and last until he is 7 or 8 years old without getting too big for the terrain and cows and you have the same genetics in the calves. [/QUOTE]
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