Balancer calves weaning weight

[HOSS]

We took our steers off momma yesterday. We had them weighed and the average weight was 650 lbs :clap: :mrgreen: . The heaviest was 685 and the lightest (and youngest) weighed 588. Most weighed around 650 or so. These were all steers with no heifers included which helped the average I guess. The oldest steer was born March 13th and youngest was born in early May. Last year my average was 597 using a straight angus bull. This crop, under the same conditions....just grass and milk.....was a 53 pound gain per head. The decision to go to a Balancer bull really paid off. I am really impressed with the Balancers. :cowboy:

 

[dun]

Just think what you would have done with a pure Gelbvieh instead a percentage

 

[HOSS]

dun.....just a little scared to make the full jump at once....may go purebred next bull.

 

[bigbull338]

hoss i think you need to put a beefmaster bull on your balancer heifers an increase your wws another 50lbs.

 

[AngusLimoX]

Yes Hoss, send that ole bull this way while you improve even more!

Good job.

 

[alacattleman]

hoss i think you need to put a beefmaster bull on your balancer heifers an increase your wws another 50lbs.

the difference in pounds would get docked with ear where he's at

 

[novaman]

Just think what you would have done with a pure Gelbvieh instead a percentage

I agree. Adding Gelb has put the pounds on my calves.

 

[tiger hunter]

i have just bought 3 balancer bulls no calfs yet.are the balancer bulls as good as everyone says? also where did you buy your bulls?

 

[dun]

i have just bought 3 balancer bulls no calfs yet.are the balancer bulls as good as everyone says? also where did you buy your bulls?

They're only as good as the genetics behind them. There are sorry bulls sold everyday just as there are good bulls.

 

[HOSS]

i have just bought 3 balancer bulls no calfs yet.are the balancer bulls as good as everyone says? also where did you buy your bulls?

I can only speak from my recent experience. The Balancer bull really improved my calves over the bull I had (which produced great daughters and good looking steers but lighter weights). I got my bull from a breeder locally here in middle Tennessee. If you are interested in the breeder send me a pm and I'll get you his contact information.

 

[hillsdown]

dun.....just a little scared to make the full jump at once....may go purebred next bull.

I think you will be happy with the end result, those buggers just seem to want to grow ,even in a severe drought.

I was reading on another thread that feeders don't like GV because they are sick all of the time. I just can't see that, my cows are never sick and neither are my calves. It is an oddity here that I ever have to treat a beefer. :?

 

[Cowdirt]

We took our steers off momma yesterday. We had them weighed and the average weight was 650 lbs :clap: :mrgreen: . The heaviest was 685 and the lightest (and youngest) weighed 588. Most weighed around 650 or so. These were all steers with no heifers included which helped the average I guess. The oldest steer was born March 13th and youngest was born in early May. Last year my average was 597 using a straight angus bull. This crop, under the same conditions....just grass and milk.....was a 53 pound gain per head. The decision to go to a Balancer bull really paid off. I am really impressed with the Balancers. :cowboy:

Mighty good weaning weights Hoss. Do you creep feed?

 

[HOSS]

We took our steers off momma yesterday. We had them weighed and the average weight was 650 lbs :clap: :mrgreen: . The heaviest was 685 and the lightest (and youngest) weighed 588. Most weighed around 650 or so. These were all steers with no heifers included which helped the average I guess. The oldest steer was born March 13th and youngest was born in early May. Last year my average was 597 using a straight angus bull. This crop, under the same conditions....just grass and milk.....was a 53 pound gain per head. The decision to go to a Balancer bull really paid off. I am really impressed with the Balancers. :cowboy:

Mighty good weaning weights Hoss. Do you creep feed?

Thanks Cowdirt.....no I do not creep feed at all. Neither my cows or calves have ever tasted any grain, cubes or feed. All they get is grass, milk, hay and free choice mineral. The mommas all held their condition very well also. I think have done a pretty good job in selecting mommas. All of our cows were raised from young heifers. I have never bought a "cow". Just heifers. My bull was specifically selected to compliment my cows. I wanted a low BW bull because I grow with heifers. Since I do not consider myself a bull expert I enlisted the help of the bull breeder to pick the right bull for my needs. I brought him out to look at my cows and told him my goals. Smartest thing I could have done.

 

[Angus Cowman]

We took our steers off momma yesterday. We had them weighed and the average weight was 650 lbs :clap: :mrgreen: . The heaviest was 685 and the lightest (and youngest) weighed 588. Most weighed around 650 or so. These were all steers with no heifers included which helped the average I guess. The oldest steer was born March 13th and youngest was born in early May. Last year my average was 597 using a straight angus bull. This crop, under the same conditions....just grass and milk.....was a 53 pound gain per head. The decision to go to a Balancer bull really paid off. I am really impressed with the Balancers. :cowboy:

. I think have done a pretty good job in selecting mommas. All of our cows were raised from young heifers. I have never bought a "cow". Just heifers. Smartest thing I could have done.

Hoss
Glad you did well. Just a few questions
1 what ages are the cows these calves are from?

2 how was your grass this yr compared to last yr if the same as with us we had a much better growing season, ( cooler weatherr and lots more rainfall)?

3 Could not a straight bred bull with better genetics than your other bull possibly done the same ?

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I enlisted the help of the bull breeder to pick the right bull for my needs. I brought him out to look at my cows and told him my goals. Smartest thing I could have done.

That right there is good advice.

Congrats on the weights with no supplemental feed. Good job.

Katherine

 

[cfpinz]

I was reading on another thread that feeders don't like GV because they are sick all of the time. I just can't see that, my cows are never sick and neither are my calves. It is an oddity here that I ever have to treat a beefer. :?

I've never noticed that tendency in gv's, I'm plum tickled with mine. I can remember when I was a kid it seemed like we always had trouble with the herf calves being more prone to sickness, but now if I had to pick one breed that I've worked with in recent years that was the most prone to sickness (specifically respriratory diseases) it would be the simmentals.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have a put together cow herd so I see a lot of variation. The best looking cows are simi cross, but they and their calves seem to have a few more problems. The most trouble free are the BA x red wf cows. The best looking calves I have come from balancer x shorthorn cows. I have not weighted these thick butted calves yet.

I looked for a GV bull this spring but the ones I saw had pretty high birth weights. Lots of them in the 85 to 105# range. I didn't want to try that on my pet wf heifers...

What typical mature size (pounds more than their English mother) to you see with GV cross replacements?

 

[HOSS]

We took our steers off momma yesterday. We had them weighed and the average weight was 650 lbs :clap: :mrgreen: . The heaviest was 685 and the lightest (and youngest) weighed 588. Most weighed around 650 or so. These were all steers with no heifers included which helped the average I guess. The oldest steer was born March 13th and youngest was born in early May. Last year my average was 597 using a straight angus bull. This crop, under the same conditions....just grass and milk.....was a 53 pound gain per head. The decision to go to a Balancer bull really paid off. I am really impressed with the Balancers. :cowboy:

. I think have done a pretty good job in selecting mommas. All of our cows were raised from young heifers. I have never bought a "cow". Just heifers. Smartest thing I could have done.

Hoss
Glad you did well. Just a few questions
1 what ages are the cows these calves are from? They range from first calf heifers to 6 years old

2 how was your grass this yr compared to last yr if the same as with us we had a much better growing season, ( cooler weatherr and lots more rainfall)? While we did have a wetter / cooler summer but this year the cows were on worse pasture this summer than before....more weeds less fescue etc.. My pastures were due for a total rework which I have done this fall. I would say it was a wash.

3 Could not a straight bred bull with better genetics than your other bull possibly done the same ?

Of course this is possible but I have mostly straight angus cows so I believe I benefited from the hybrid vigor as well as the growth characteristics of the Gelbvieh influence.

 

[dun]

Of course this is possible but I have mostly straight angus cows so I believe I benefited from the hybrid vigor as well as the growth characteristics of the Gelbvieh influence.

You may have been affected by breed regression in the balancer because of the inclusion of the angus on angus cows.

 

[cfpinz]

What typical mature size (pounds more than their English mother) to you see with GV cross replacements?

We've got about a dozen gv sired heifers to calve next month, haven't weighed them but there's very little difference between them and their english contemporaries. Their sire is a 6.0 frame so I'm hoping there's negligibile frame creep, but wider chicks wouldn't hurt my feelings.

I've got some purchased balancer females, and they fit right in with the rest of the crowd. There's extremes and moderation in every breed, just make them work for you.