Breeding Heifers

[TXBobcat]

What's the earliest age a heifer can get bred? I don't mean when should they be bred, but at what age are they physically able to become pregnant?

 

[la4angus]

I have seen them get pregant at about 5 months old.
Way to young.

 

[Arancher]

Typically you shouldn't have to worry until the 7 to 8 month, but there always the but. Like the previous post they can breed earlier.

 

[la4angus]

Yeah, I agree with Aranchers post. By 7 months they shouldn't be around a bull; whether it is other bull calves or the herd bull. Last spring weaned some 3 heifer calves and one bull calf at the same time, and put them in the same lot together. My nephew said the bull was to young to do anything. OKKKK! Guess what? After about 4 days I seen him on of the
heifers. Got them separated and gave all heifers a shot of lutalaye. The bull calf got out of the lot that he was in and with the cows. One young open yearling heifer was in heat and guess what again? More lutalayse. This bull calf was 8 months old.

 

[Anonymous]

If it is a heifer with heavy (at least 50%) Brahman influence my experience, and understanding, is that only in rare cases will she come in heat earlier than 12 to 15 months. Brahman's and many of their crosses reach sexual maturity later than English or Continental cattle. Years ago (and I think to some extent even today) some ranchers were fairly pleased just to get them bred at 20 to 24 months, especially in areas with poor forage quality. Anold Ziffle

 

[fit2btied]

We had a Simmi cross heifer that was bred at 6 months when the neighbors bull came through the fence. He got him back and fixed the fence and didn't bother to tell us. She ended up losing a 90 lb bull calf. She just wasn't big enough to handle it then. We kept her and she turned out to be a good producer for us. She's now 8 years old and is going to be replaced this spring.

 

[la4angus]

If it is a heifer with heavy (at least 50%) Brahman influence my experience, and understanding, is that only in rare cases will she come in heat earlier than 12 to 15 months. Brahman's and many of their crosses reach sexual maturity later than English or Continental cattle. Years ago (and I think to some extent even today) some ranchers were fairly pleased just to get them bred at 20 to 24 months, especially in areas with poor forage quality. Anold Ziffle

Right about that. 30 to 40 years ago we didn't breed the Angus until they were about 20 months old and a lot of them didn't get bred until 2 yr.

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

You can breed the murray grey at about 14 months,if in good condition and mature.

 

[cherokeeruby]

That has been my experience also.

If it is a heifer with heavy (at least 50%) Brahman influence my experience, and understanding, is that only in rare cases will she come in heat earlier than 12 to 15 months. Brahman's and many of their crosses reach sexual maturity later than English or Continental cattle. Years ago (and I think to some extent even today) some ranchers were fairly pleased just to get them bred at 20 to 24 months, especially in areas with poor forage quality. Anold Ziffle

 

[Linda]

You can breed the murray grey at about 14 months,if in good condition and mature.

Agreed that approx. 14 months is usually about the best time to breed a heifer. The youngest Murray Grey pair to breed that I know of was a 6 month Murray Grey bull calf that bred a 5 month old Murray Grey heifer. The breeding wasn't discovered until the vet was doing pelvic diameter measurements. Not the ideal situation, but the heifer did carry the calf to term, calved without difficulty, and was a "2nd calf heifer" when she was two. :lol: