Black hereford heifers small

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jordanesch

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Hi, these to angus hereford heifers are 16 months old, they are very short in my opinion my yearling Shorthorn heifers are much bigger, my guess is 650-700 lbs?? Long story short the guy i got them from said they were bottle calves so they were smaller, but they got in with the bull and possibly are bred(he is almost certain) do you think they are ok size for the breed, what can i do to get them bigger i have 9 months! Thanks, just want them to be ok and healthy
 

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Another pic for comparison, the two heifers to the right and left are 8 month old angus holstein and the large red one behind is 13 month old hereford short horn
 

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What are they bred to?
Don't know where u are located but they need time and good grass.
U wont wanna feed em too heavy or u can risk making the babies too big.

Someone will be along with better info...
 
What are they bred to?
Don't know where u are located but they need time and good grass.
U wont wanna feed em too heavy or u can risk making the babies too big.

Someone will be along with better info...
They are bred to a smaller frame black angus bull, im in michigan might get a few more weeks of grass before snow but i have grass hay. Thanks!
 
Smaller frame bull doesn't necessarily mean he throws smaller frame calves. Little late in the game (what's done is done) but you could take them to your vet and have them pelvic measured. At least that way you'll have some idea what size calf they can theoretically have unassisted. Is this bull registered? Do you have access to his EPD's?
 
Smaller frame bull doesn't necessarily mean he throws smaller frame calves. Little late in the game (what's done is done) but you could take them to your vet and have them pelvic measured. At least that way you'll have some idea what size calf they can theoretically have unassisted. Is this bull registered? Do you have access to his EPD's?
Yeah thats true, no I dont have anymore info on him, i think this was his first go around for breeding, young bull. Thanks
 
Height does not make them good, bad, or ready to calve. A dairy cross could be 6+" taller and have a harder time calving. If they are over 10 days since bred, you can easily abort them and breed them when you are ready for them to be bred. I can't open either of your pictures, but they "appear" good and thick. Sounds like you need someone more familiar with beef cattle to eyeball them for you - maybe the vet.
 
I purchased a total of 10 head of purebred Herefords at the beginning of this year. The person I got them from acquired them with the property he purchased and knew nothing about cattle. There were a total of 3 bulls, 5 cows/heifers, 1 heifer calf, and 1 bull calf all mixed together. I had no idea who bred who and who was related but, all of the cows were extremely small framed (I assume due to poor genetics/breeding and/or poor nutrition). I took all but 3 to the sale. I had absolutely zero history on these cattle so most went to the sale, but I kept the two pairs and one that looked very close to calving. Once the calves were weaned, I took the cows to the sale and they were tiny.... the smaller one weighed around 600lbs. I knew they were small. Anyway, all 3 calved just fine with no assistance or issues, but, that may not be the case for all. My best suggestion would be to check on them often when they begin to show signs of bagging and springing so if you need to pull the calf you can.
 
They look OK to me, nothing beside them for comparison. I would not treat them special. Don't push them otherwise you will have big calves to deal with.

Ken
 
Hi, these 2 angus hereford heifers are 16 months old, they are very short in my opinion....
breeding at 16 months = calving at 2 yrs 1 m
and that's about ideal age wise, big cows are seldom efficient cows.
They won't raise calves as big as your Angus x Holstein but should be more efficient.
 
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breeding at 16 months = calving at 2 yrs 1 m
and that's about ideal age wise, big cows are seldom efficient cows.
They won't raise calves as big as your Angus x Holstein but should be more efficient.
Thanks you sir that puts my mind at ease small calves are all right by me, appreciate it!!
 
I purchased a total of 10 head of purebred Herefords at the beginning of this year. The person I got them from acquired them with the property he purchased and knew nothing about cattle. There were a total of 3 bulls, 5 cows/heifers, 1 heifer calf, and 1 bull calf all mixed together. I had no idea who bred who and who was related but, all of the cows were extremely small framed (I assume due to poor genetics/breeding and/or poor nutrition). I took all but 3 to the sale. I had absolutely zero history on these cattle so most went to the sale, but I kept the two pairs and one that looked very close to calving. Once the calves were weaned, I took the cows to the sale and they were tiny.... the smaller one weighed around 600lbs. I knew they were small. Anyway, all 3 calved just fine with no assistance or issues, but, that may not be the case for all. My best suggestion would be to check on them often when they begin to show signs of bagging and springing so if you need to pull the calf you can.
Thanks!
 

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