Don't miss the point. The honey bees have to be from China.That's what I was thinking. I saw how many pages this thread was and thought this must be some bull. No, it was a conversation about honey bees with blue eyes.
Yes, I remember some of the boys used to like to pile onto you pretty hard. I think they did it because you wouldn't back down.
I remember that, never understood it.
Not often we get big winds but one in early December 2020 when the ground was saturated and no frost laid hundreds of acres of trees flat in this area.
No, he was small at birth compared to his half sibs. And, since he's out of this line of simbras, he will grow fast. My thought on BW is, if you have to have them big starting out to get a good weaning weight, there is something wrong. My opinion is, if its easier on the cow she'll rebound faster after the birth and will have a happier calf. Remember we got into sims in the 80s, when having a large calf was the norm, so was pulling calves, slow calves, calves having a hard time nursing due to LUTC syndrome.... to those who dont know, low udder tall calf.............Anywhoot, if you can get smaller calves, thus saving your time and having down cows, but, also getting good weaning weights, why strive for BWs any larger than you need. Now, does that mean all our calves are that size, no. We do get some lunkers. But, over the last 10ish years we've gone to just a few calving problems and only occasionally due to size, not including heifers, that is always a crapshoot.
Most are solid black... we just have 3 brindle. These brindles went on their own herd this year to see if they produce brindle. We have one red like this calf, he produces a few brindles. Not only are they brindle, but if they are, they are wide and sell good, thus, why i want brindle out of our bulls. Its not just the color, the line produces a desirable weanling that sells good. Brindle is just a bonus
I think you are right on target. I would want the small BW like you said for those exact reasons. Now if someone has the opposite personal objective of creating the biggest BW possible, then they are welcome to it I suppose. However, when dystocia and related problems go through the roof for him, he has to accept that as well as a cost of his objective. I posted a very sad story of a case like this on a thread a couple weeks ago. The producer got huge calves like he was looking for. He also got everything else that goes with that scenario.
Dead calves aren't worth much. We were never a fan of heavy birthweights.
Took a long time, but, we're dang good at pulling a calf...lol... With the retro sim coloring, we also get the retro size but not as much anymore. Here is Fatty Mc Butterpants a MONTH before she calved. I suspect she was wayyyy overdue, calf kept growing. Sad, but we didnt lose her and thats a good thing. I just knew it was twins.
I'll be devil's advocate and say that calves do better in my experience if they are somewhere in between. I want calves that are 75 to 90 pounds and cows that can birth them. If it takes a 50 pound calf to have no calving problems I'm raising the wrong kind of animals.
They are in that weight range.....But.............BUT............if i'm keeping a bull, he's not going to be a heavy newborn. I mark every bull calf if it was big at birth, he gets a big ole X by his name, no matter how nice he is.. Aint nobody got time for dat. Argue what you want, but, if we keep a bull, the smaller at birth the better, doesnt mean our calves are all dinks at birth.
I thought i could almost see two in there, we'd already had 2 sets.. Never had triplets, unless, one was abandoned at birth or was stillborn and something drug it off...
You beat me to it.
Kudos to you. I think that what @Travlr was saying is that there is a 'sweet spot' that he aims for. I agree. Too small can be problematic as well. It's just 'too small' usually doesn't enter the picture. Kinda like resting your pastures too long between grazing periods in a grazing rotation. Usually doesn't ever enter the picture or is even a consideration. Occasionally however......
