Breeding Season

[sedrick_hall]

I would like to know what the southern breeders breeding & calving seasons are. Why you chose the time you did? Market price, environment, climate, etc.

 

[txshowmom]

Our breeding season (for our exotics) is from November to Febuary. We want our calves to be born Sept to Jan because it is so hot where we live that the exotics won't produce as much milk in the summer heat and the calves don't want to nurse because its so hot. Plus we are trying to get show steers and that is the time of the year they need to be born for the county shows in our area and the Teaxas major shows. Our Brahmans we run a bull year round.

 

[Ryan]

Since our main focus is show cattle, we have a bull out year round. But we mostly calve from January to May, with a few throughout the summer and fall.

 

[Texan]

Our Brahmans we run a bull year round.

I suppose this would be your $16,000 bulls? You actually leave them in the pasture with cows year around? Don't you feel that there would be some advantage in defining your breeding season so that you could have a set of bulls to sell that are close to the same age?

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Mine is based on the replacement sales dates. New heifers come in open or 30 days bred the same time every year. Bulls are turned in a few days before they arrive to start on the main herd. Every heifer that doesn't catch gets a chance 6 months later (2 seasons). After the second chance it's off to the hamburger factory.

 

[IndianCreekcowboy]

I don't show, nor market cattle for showing. Our Winters are not very harsh this far South; but our Summers are very Hot and Humid. My parents and now myself have calves born Mid-Jan.-April, mainly to take advantage of the early Spring Lush for milk production. I typically have Clovers coming out in Feb.

 

[jgn]

My bull stays in the field year round. I have calves that are born from Feb. to Aug. Would like them to be on a specified cycle but to do this would result in to much time between calves from holding the bull out until they were all cycling. All calves are sold usually Apr. of the next year.

 

[rwtherefords]

Part of my herd calves in Sept. which means I have calves for sale in april when many people are buying (high demand). The other part of my herd calves in Jan.-Feb. for the same pasture reasons stated by others.

 

[txshowmom]

Don't you feel that there would be some advantage in defining your breeding season so that you could have a set of bulls to sell that are close to the same age?

Nope! People buy cattle year round.

 

[la4angus]

Don't you feel that there would be some advantage in defining your breeding season so that you could have a set of bulls to sell that are close to the same age?

Nope! People buy cattle year round.

Definitely there is an advantage to have a defined breeding season.Even though people buy cattle year round, most ranchers and farmers buy their bulls to breed the cows for a fall or spring calving season. If you have a few stragglers born year round you are missing out on sales to producers that want multiple bulls from the same herd, with similar genetics to give a more uniform calf crop.
The ones that only want one bull still has the opportunity to buy from you.

 

[txshowmom]

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txshowmom wrote:
Quote:
Don't you feel that there would be some advantage in defining your breeding season so that you could have a set of bulls to sell that are close to the same age?


Nope! People buy cattle year round.


Definitely there is an advantage to have a defined breeding season.Even though people buy cattle year round, most ranchers and farmers buy their bulls to breed the cows for a fall or spring calving season. If you have a few stragglers born year round you are missing out on sales to producers that want multiple bulls from the same herd, with similar genetics to give a more uniform calf crop.
The ones that only want one bull still has the opportunity to buy from you.

Seems to work well for us and I guess that's all that really matters!

 

[la4angus]

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Seems to work well for us and I guess that's all that really matters!

Nope, what really matters is if it works for the commercial cowman/woman that is buying the bulls.
That's what matters to the industry.

 

[txag]

Our Brahmans we run a bull year round.

do brahmans have epd's? it's a little harder to get a contemporary group if you calve year-round.

 

[la4angus]

Our Brahmans we run a bull year round.

do brahmans have epd's? it's a little harder to get a contemporary group if you calve year-round.

Not if you run 400 + cows.