Building a herd in 1 day.

[KNERSIE]

Aight so what do you suggest put him with the heifers this fall or next spring. The 15 animals I bought the past 2 days very close to age, size and body condiction. I would say the youngest is 5 months and the oldest 9 months. I can really throw the feed to them to build them up.

That really depends on when you want them to calve, personally I would rather calf just ahead of the spring flush so that would suggest a late spring early summer breeding season, but I am sitting about 15000 miles away in a very different environment.

Trying to breed the 5 month old heifers this fall would be pushing your luck, so I'd rather wait till next spring if feasible at all and join them all at the same time. Or you could join them in the winter for fall calves, but that would bring a whole lot more management issues and increase the cost of getting them through the next winter while suckling their first calves. Like I said buy a weight tape to give you an indication of size, 800lbs and 14 months is usually a pretty safe bet.

 

[TheLazyM]

We can argue about phantom mountain lions all day long; but at the end of the day it is highly unlikely that a mountain lion (if one even exists in Alabama) took out your heifers. Consider putting trail cams out. That would show you everything that is running around on your land.

Please, please, please show me where I said a moutain lion killed my heifers.
I trust my friends that are rangers and gamewardens. Then seen moutain lions. Next to God coming up to me and telling me he does'nt have any moutain lions in Alabama I'm going to leave it right there.
I have trail cams out. One of the few ways I know my eletric fence works. I think the trail cam was the best idea since they put cams on bows{compouds}.

 

[Brandonm22]

We can argue about phantom mountain lions all day long; but at the end of the day it is highly unlikely that a mountain lion (if one even exists in Alabama) took out your heifers. Consider putting trail cams out. That would show you everything that is running around on your land.

Please, please, please show me where I said a moutain lion killed my heifers.
I trust my friends that are rangers and gamewardens. Then seen moutain lions. Next to God coming up to me and telling me he does'nt have any moutain lions in Alabama I'm going to leave it right there.
I have trail cams out. One of the few ways I know my eletric fence works. I think the trail cam was the best idea since they put cams on bows{compouds}.

If they want to come forward and present their evidence then they need to do it, because the state has come out and pretty much said that anybody who has seen a Mountain Lion in Alabama is either confused, needs glasses, saw a captive lion, or is a liar. The trail cams are a good investment. I had a coyote take down a two hundred pound calf and was all but called a liar at a Cattlemen's meeting once (it didn't actually take it down but ate a chunk out of it's rear end that couldn't be replaced effectively killing it). Coyotes taking a yearling is even more unlikely. I am not saying it did NOT happen.....just that I have doubts.

 

[TheLazyM]

Trying to breed the 5 month old heifers this fall would be pushing your luck, so I'd rather wait till next spring if feasible Or you could join them in the winter for fall calves,.

Kinda what I was thinking. When I said 1-11/2 year return. Thanks for you insight in both posts.

 

[Cattleman200]

You know its kinda funny.... The Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources which is endorsed by the commissioner of that Dept. and The Director and Asst. Director of the wildlife and fresh water fisheries as well as the Govenor Bob Riley all acknowledge the possibilty of bears , ruffed grouse and mountain lions in the state of Alabama by stating in the hunting and fishing digest that there is NO OPEN SEASON on these animals. If the possibllity doesn`t exist in the state there wouldn`t be a reason to have NO OPEN SEASON on them. The hunting and fishing digest can be picked up at any Wal-Mart and has the name of all the above gentlemens name on the front cover.


Circle H Ranch

 

[Brandonm22]

A person did shoot and kill a Mountain Lion in Georgia recently and got away with it as Georgia Game law has no regulation against killing an animal that does not exist in that state. The state people that examined it believed it spent most of it's life on concrete thus is believed to be an escapee rather than a native cat.

 

[Cattleman200]

You could kill one in Alabama too and get away with it if there was any proof whatsoever that it was intending to harm livestock, pets or humans when you killed it.


Circle H Ranch

 

[Brandonm22]

More on the "Alabama Cougar":

http://www.fieldandstream.com/pages/dis ... ama-cougar

 

[TheLazyM]

[Coyotes taking a yearling is even more unlikely. I am not saying it did NOT happen.....just that I have doubts.

Just like I never said a mountain lion killed my calves. Neither did I say coyotes killed a yearling heifer.

 

[Brandonm22]

Out of 37 cows I ended up with 18 healthy heifers 9 bulls 5 deaths at births and 5 I dont know if the miscarried or had still borns I never found, or was'nt preganet. At weinning I sold thte cows. I had real high hopes. Out of my 18 heifers 3 where lost to coyotes. 4 died giving birth. Lost their calves as well. 3 never conceived. I had to sell my bull yesterday cas he broke hisss... well you know.

"3 where lost to coyotes". If they lived to be weaned, they become "yearlings" ~= to 10 mos - 18 mos. What am I missing here???

 

[TheLazyM]

Out of 37 cows I ended up with 18 healthy heifers 9 bulls 5 deaths at births and 5 I dont know if the miscarried or had still borns I never found, or was'nt preganet. At weinning I sold thte cows. I had real high hopes. Out of my 18 heifers 3 where lost to coyotes. 4 died giving birth. Lost their calves as well. 3 never conceived. I had to sell my bull yesterday cas he broke hisss... well you know.

"3 where lost to coyotes". If they lived to be weaned, they become "yearlings" ~= to 10 mos - 18 mos. What am I missing here???

1st I did'nt say all 18 got weined. Just I sold the cows at weining. I call a 1 minute old female calf a heifer untell she drops a calf. Dude my calves never get over 6 months old before they are weined.

 

[CattleHand]

How many week old calves did you lose? wasnt that number high?

 

[TheLazyM]

How many week old calves did you lose? wasnt that number high?

I did'nt lose any at a week old. Yea I concider my lose high.

 

[CattleHand]

Out of 37 cows I ended up with 18 healthy heifers 9 bulls 5 deaths at births and 5 I dont know if the miscarried or had still borns I never found, or was'nt preganet. .

thats what i meant. 5 births at deaths out of 37 cows calving. Those a bad ratios. Any idea why thats happening?

 

[TheLazyM]

Out of 37 cows I ended up with 18 healthy heifers 9 bulls 5 deaths at births and 5 I dont know if the miscarried or had still borns I never found, or was'nt preganet. .

thats what i meant. 5 births at deaths out of 37 cows calving. Those a bad ratios. Any idea why thats happening?

I see where your at now. No i dont know why. These where old bred cows I bought. I just came up to a dead calf. The cows seemed fine. It was'nt 5 in a row either. Its was 5 stretched out over like 20 weeks. I would have a dead calf then like 6 would be born taken my mind away from it.

 

[tm_bk20]

There are NO mountain lions in Alabama. The last confirmed mountain lion sighting was killed by farmers in my native St Clair County in 1947 (I am sure my Grandfather knew those guys). We all keep hearing black panther stories; but none of those "sightings" have ever been confirmed. There are a lot of Black bears in Baldwin and Mobile counties; but I kind of doubt that a bear (quite capable of taking one yearling) is making his living taking cattle that size. A poacher took a coyote probably on my place and dumped him by my gate. THAT was the biggest coyote I have ever seen. IF the kill was fresher when I got to him, I would have took him to the zoo or Auburn to ask what the heck that really was really big coyote, coyote/dog hybrid, or coyote/wolf hybrid. Could that THING have taken a yearling heifer???? I still have doubts. What you might have is DOGS. They will run them to death for the fun of it. Well fed dogs can ran multiple full grown cows too death because they will keep running them and running them and running them.

My thoughts exacly, I lost 2 yearling heifers a couple years ago and thought it might be coyotes but couldnt imagine coyote bringing one down. Drove back home got a gun went back sit down where I could see my cow an calves had to move a couple a times, after a couple a hours four dog came by for a visit. They took straight for a calve, I shot three on the spot wounded the other one, found him a couple a days later. I have to agree with Branonm22

 

[Brandonm22]

A coyote kills because he is hungry. Something dies and he stops everything to eat his fill. Any time you got multiple fresh kills, you can just about bet that was dogs. Dogs (usually well fed yard or hunting dogs) kill for their entertainment. They run a cow down and they might eat the tounge or maybe the eyes or the rear end then they are up and running again (if they ever bothered to stop).

 

[Stocker Steve]

My thoughts exactly, I lost 2 yearling heifers a couple years ago and thought it might be coyotes but could not imagine coyote bringing one down. Drove back home got a gun went back sit down where I could see my cow an calves had to move a couple a times, after a couple a hours four dog came by for a visit. They took straight for a calve, I shot three on the spot wounded the other one, found him a couple a days later. I have to agree with Branonm22[/quote]

Good shooting! Brings a new twist to the old cow (goose hunting) decoy trick.