Birthweights

[Franke]

I would call our winter not too bad this past year. We had 13 bulls born ET or AI in 13 days in March this year and averaged 98.85 pounds. It is a little disheartening to cut some of these guys here in a month or so. But our cows get fed very well over winter and are pretty sheltered where they winter. Our later born April bulls were smaller but different bull that year in year out has smaller calves. We used Built Right, Style, Cash Flow, Commander, Amen, and All That Matters.

I thought my average was high so far!!! 98.85 is 10 pounds higher than mine. I feel a lot more normal now.

Yeah it wasn't the funnest writing those numbers down, but only three over 100 pounds. A 90 pound bull with projected CE of 16.2 and BW of -1.95 both top 10% for percentage cattle. Funny thing is out of his contemporaries he is the low BW and his calving ease and birthweight ratios and EPD's should get better.

 

[wbvs58]

Ron, you also wean relatively early plus you creep feed the calves which eases the load on the cows. Also the time that you calve means they have most of summer dry on your lush Kentucky pasture just growing the calf in their belly.

Ken

 

[Redgully]

I was very interested reading through this as it sounds the same around here. I weigh most of my calves and a good number of them come in around 100# and my herd weights range from 70-110# Every one else i talk to tells me their cattle are all around the 60-70 pound mark. Then i find out very few actually weigh them and some use tapes. When i have used semen from their bulls i get 100# calves and have even bought cows in calf who produce 100# calves. I guess nobody wants to be known as have genetics that produce big calves. But having said that my cows consistently have a gestation of 290+ days so you could knock 10# off if i could get them to calve 10 days earlier. Haven't worked out why or how yet. Tried low gestation length bulls and made no difference at. Cows can be skinny, perfect or fat and still 290+ days. Just one of those things i guess.

 

[Son of Butch]

Even picking them up you grunt some and are like holy smokes here is a 90# stud, nope hung at a 76#
average calf on scale

That's just the part of life when getting old, gets old and an 80 lb calf weighs a lot more than they use to.

 

[Bright Raven]

Did your final broadway calf come yet? The one who was several days past due

It was just born. Bull. Sired by Broadway. Weight 123 pounds. Gestation 290 says. Amazing, cow only needed some light assistance. The biggest calf I have ever had here. Lifting him was almost impossible. That is why I will not use Broadway here again.
I got 4 more due. Thank goodness they are 3 Cowboy Cuts and an Ironhide.

 

[Bright Raven]

I was very interested reading through this as it sounds the same around here. I weigh most of my calves and a good number of them come in around 100# and my herd weights range from 70-110# Every one else i talk to tells me their cattle are all around the 60-70 pound mark. Then i find out very few actually weigh them and some use tapes. When i have used semen from their bulls i get 100# calves and have even bought cows in calf who produce 100# calves. I guess nobody wants to be known as have genetics that produce big calves. But having said that my cows consistently have a gestation of 290+ days so you could knock 10# off if i could get them to calve 10 days earlier. Haven't worked out why or how yet. Tried low gestation length bulls and made no difference at. Cows can be skinny, perfect or fat and still 290+ days. Just one of those things i guess.

That is very interesting. Where are you located?

 

[Redgully]

The other side of the world in Western Australia. I don't have many cows now, down to nine but 37 is the most we had so a very small operation. Just a hobby now. Trying to breed quality over quantity now days.

 

[wbvs58]

Western Australia is like the other side of the world even to me Ron. You must have had to use some other method to weigh that one Ron. You did very well if you used the bathroom scales. I bet you needed a drink hard drink afterwards.

Ken

 

[wbvs58]

For the last few years I have had trouble with birthweights of my heifers calves so this year I kept them with the cows and after I weaned the calves they all went into next door, an old tin mine which is about 500acres of just scrub, plenty of low quality feed. I do take in a small grain mix each day to supplement them mainly for a roll call. They do lose a bit of weight there, not much but don't put it on. This year all my heifer's calves varied from 30-39kg which was a lot better than some up around the 45kg mark of previous year. The cows all had significantly lower BW also, most with a 3 in front of them.

Ken

 

[elkwc]

Like has been mentioned I feel many factors enter into BW of the calf. I had a PB breeder tell that weighs every calf that during the drought when he fed 12 months of the year for 2 years that his BW's on calves from the same dams and sires was over 10 lbs heavier. He gave the exact amount and I can't remember it. Just remember it was just over 10 lbs. Another told me his was higher but couldn't remember how much. Another PB breeder has told me that calves some on wheat pasture every year that those calves will weigh more than those that he calves on grass. I've seen it in our operation also. When I started helping the lady I'm in a relationship with they had always ran their bred heifers on wheat and since we have started keeping them on grass we have seen a reduction in size. We only weigh a few once in a while so really can't say how much they actually weigh.Feel cold weather has an effect. But there is no doubt in my mind diet can have an significant effect. That is why I try to learn how a herd is managed. We bought a bull with an 86 lb actual BW and used him on heifers and he never got a big calf and we never pulled one. He was calved on wheat pasture. I feel his BW was inflated at least 5-10 lbs because of that.

 

[Bright Raven]

Western Australia is like the other side of the world even to me Ron. You must have had to use some other method to weigh that one Ron. You did very well if you used the bathroom scales. I bet you needed a drink hard drink afterwards.

Ken

I got him up. Not for long and it might not be accurate because I put him down as soon as I could see the reading. I take the front suitcase weights off my tractor a few times a year. There are four. Each a hundred pounds. They are much easier to handle than a calf. I consider them my lifting limit. I am in good shape but age is making lifting anything over 50 pounds a bad practice.

 

[Bright Raven]

For the last few years I have had trouble with birthweights of my heifers calves so this year I kept them with the cows and after I weaned the calves they all went into next door, an old tin mine which is about 500acres of just scrub, plenty of low quality feed. I do take in a small grain mix each day to supplement them mainly for a roll call. They do lose a bit of weight there, not much but don't put it on. This year all my heifer's calves varied from 30-39kg which was a lot better than some up around the 45kg mark of previous year. The cows all had significantly lower BW also, most with a 3 in front of them.

Ken

Converting to pounds, 39kg is 86 pounds. That is what my herd average is over the last 3 years. But those 3 Broadway calves are pushing the average weight up. They are 97, 112 and 123 pounds each. Here is my first 12:

Gestation and BW numbers:
1. Broadway Heifer: 279, 97 lbs.
2. W/C Lock N Load 1143Y Bull: 279, 78 lbs.
3. Cowboy Cut Heifer: 277, 70 lbs
4. HPF Optimizer Bull: 280, 88 lbs.
5. Cowboy Cut Bull: 282, 94 lbs.
6. W/C Lock N Load 1143Y Bull: 278, 82 lbs.
7. Broadway Heifer: 281, 112 pounds.
8. Grandmaster Heifer: 280, 88 pounds.
9. Cowboy Cut Bull: 283, 83 pounds.
10. Upgrade Bull: 287, 105 pounds.
11. Cowboy Cut Heifer: 276, 80 pounds.
12. Broadway Bull: 290, 123 pounds.

With the three Broadways the average birthweight is: 91.67 pounds

Take out the three Broadways, the average birthweight is : 85.3 pounds.

Conclusion: The problem I see is GENETIC. I NEED BROADWAY OUT OF MY LINEUP!!@

 

[Son of Butch]

Extremely small sample size, but the 3 Broadway calves (2 of which were heifers) averaged 110 lbs
Logical conclusion is IF you want birth weights under 95 lbs don't use him.

 

[Till-Hill]

For the last few years I have had trouble with birthweights of my heifers calves so this year I kept them with the cows and after I weaned the calves they all went into next door, an old tin mine which is about 500acres of just scrub, plenty of low quality feed. I do take in a small grain mix each day to supplement them mainly for a roll call. They do lose a bit of weight there, not much but don't put it on. This year all my heifer's calves varied from 30-39kg which was a lot better than some up around the 45kg mark of previous year. The cows all had significantly lower BW also, most with a 3 in front of them.

Ken

Converting to pounds, 39kg is 86 pounds. That is what my herd average is over the last 3 years. But those 3 Broadway calves are pushing the average weight up. They are 97, 112 and 123 pounds each. Here is my first 12:

Gestation and BW numbers:
1. Broadway Heifer: 279, 97 lbs.
2. W/C Lock N Load 1143Y Bull: 279, 78 lbs.
3. Cowboy Cut Heifer: 277, 70 lbs
4. HPF Optimizer Bull: 280, 88 lbs.
5. Cowboy Cut Bull: 282, 94 lbs.
6. W/C Lock N Load 1143Y Bull: 278, 82 lbs.
7. Broadway Heifer: 281, 112 pounds.
8. Grandmaster Heifer: 280, 88 pounds.
9. Cowboy Cut Bull: 283, 83 pounds.
10. Upgrade Bull: 287, 105 pounds.
11. Cowboy Cut Heifer: 276, 80 pounds.
12. Broadway Bull: 290, 123 pounds.

With the three Broadways the average birthweight is: 91.67 pounds

Take out the three Broadways, the average birthweight is : 85.3 pounds.

Conclusion: The problem I see is GENETIC. I NEED BROADWAY OUT OF MY LINEUP!!@

Careful now don't be using any bet the ranch heifer bulls now and ruin their epd's!

 

[Bright Raven]

For the last few years I have had trouble with birthweights of my heifers calves so this year I kept them with the cows and after I weaned the calves they all went into next door, an old tin mine which is about 500acres of just scrub, plenty of low quality feed. I do take in a small grain mix each day to supplement them mainly for a roll call. They do lose a bit of weight there, not much but don't put it on. This year all my heifer's calves varied from 30-39kg which was a lot better than some up around the 45kg mark of previous year. The cows all had significantly lower BW also, most with a 3 in front of them.

Ken

Converting to pounds, 39kg is 86 pounds. That is what my herd average is over the last 3 years. But those 3 Broadway calves are pushing the average weight up. They are 97, 112 and 123 pounds each. Here is my first 12:

Gestation and BW numbers:
1. Broadway Heifer: 279, 97 lbs.
2. W/C Lock N Load 1143Y Bull: 279, 78 lbs.
3. Cowboy Cut Heifer: 277, 70 lbs
4. HPF Optimizer Bull: 280, 88 lbs.
5. Cowboy Cut Bull: 282, 94 lbs.
6. W/C Lock N Load 1143Y Bull: 278, 82 lbs.
7. Broadway Heifer: 281, 112 pounds.
8. Grandmaster Heifer: 280, 88 pounds.
9. Cowboy Cut Bull: 283, 83 pounds.
10. Upgrade Bull: 287, 105 pounds.
11. Cowboy Cut Heifer: 276, 80 pounds.
12. Broadway Bull: 290, 123 pounds.

With the three Broadways the average birthweight is: 91.67 pounds

Take out the three Broadways, the average birthweight is : 85.3 pounds.

Conclusion: The problem I see is GENETIC. I NEED BROADWAY OUT OF MY LINEUP!!@

Careful now don't be using any bet the ranch heifer bulls now and ruin their epd's!

Lol. Sorry. I actually like the bull. He just pushes my birthweights too high.

 

[Bright Raven]

Here is that Last Broadway Bull Calf. 290 day Gestation. So that added weight. Being a bull adds weight. He weighed 123 pounds.

His name is Giganta. :lol: I plan to keep him as a bull and break him for draft as an Oxen.

He has a lot of his Sire's look.

Here is a calf Eleven. The Cowboy Cut daughter. Named her: Cowboy Queen. I register everything under THE (Total Herd Enrollment)

 

[Son of Butch]

Giganta implies female (female enemy of Wonder Woman in literature)
Giganto = male

 

[LocustDaleCattleCompany]

Here is that Last Broadway Bull Calf. 290 day Gestation. So that added weight. Being a bull adds weight. He weighed 123 pounds.

His name is Giganta. :lol: I plan to keep him as a bull and break him for draft as an Oxen.

He has a lot of his Sire's look.

Here is a calf Eleven. The Cowboy Cut daughter. Named her: Cowboy Queen. I register everything under THE (Total Herd Enrollment)

Big ole boy! Great looking calf.

 

[Bright Raven]

Giganta implies female (female enemy of Wonder Woman in literature)
Giganto = male

That might be unique to cartoons because Nouns do not show gender in Latin. Adjectives do but not nouns. I did not take Latin but I did take Biological Etymology. It was a prerequisite for biology majors. Greek and Latin are considered universal languages, so scientists since Grecian times have used Greek and Latin roots for scientific words. In the course of Etymology, we focused mostly on defining roots. However, we did learn the fundamentals of declensions or inflections. The root gigas in Greek means giant in English. The way I am using the root gigas, gigas is a noun. This is from a reference:

Latin is a heavily inflected language with largely free word order. Nouns are inflected for number and case; pronouns and adjectives(including participles) are inflected for number, case, and gender; and verbs are inflected for person, number, tense, aspect, voice, and mood. The inflections are often changes in the ending of a word, but can be more complicated, especially with verbs.

There is merit to what you say but it does not fit the rules for gender when used as a noun. For example, regina means queen and ends in an (a).

I did some review. From what I could find (a) at the end of a latin word does not mean female gender and (o) at the end of a latin word does not mean Male gender. However, I only know Latin and Greek based on etymology roots.

BTW: I register all of my calves under the ASA THE (Total Herd Enrollment). It costs the same to enroll one or 20. I decided to use my etymology to name this calve in the following picture. He has a white nose. I named him Leukorhinus. Google it. There is no such word.

 

[Son of Butch]

Giganta implies female (female enemy of Wonder Woman in literature)
Giganto = male

Nouns do not show gender in Latin. The root gigas in Greek means giant in English.

There is merit to what you say but it does not fit the rules for gender when used as a noun. For example, regina means queen and ends in an (a).

They do in Spanish chico.
giganto = male
giganta = female