calves from first time heifers

[tuck]

How come you hear people say they don't want anything out of a first heifer calf. If it looks good then why not?

 

[SimmAngus]

Often times people feel the first calf from a heifer is smallish, will not finish out well and have a low ADJ. One reason is the heifer is still physically growing as she is pregnant, and this cost the fetus a level of nutrition during gestation. IMHO.

 

[bigbull338]

that is an old wives tale.saying you dont want to keep calves from heifers.b/c people feel the calves arnt good enough.an thats rong.a heifers calf is always better than her.less the bull she was bred to didnt go good on her.resulting in crappy looking calves.

 

[SimmAngus]

that is an old wives tale.saying you dont want to keep calves from heifers.b/c people feel the calves arnt good enough.an thats rong.a heifers calf is always better than her.less the bull she was bred to didnt go good on her.resulting in crappy looking calves.

I agree with you 338! We raise and breed first calf heifers and have very little issue with their calves. Bull calves from then are steered and finish out just fine. I was only offering a possible reason to the original question, and did not say I felt that way.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

How come you hear people say they don't want anything out of a first heifer calf. If it looks good then why not?

I never heard that :|

 

[MikeC]

How come you hear people say they don't want anything out of a first heifer calf. If it looks good then why not?

I have heard some old guys say this. It could be true if a heifer is run with the older cows while nursing and not getting the nutrition she requires while still growing and raising a calf. Another reason is they are down in the pecking order amongst the older cows.

Solution: separate the 1st calf heifers from the older cows and feed them a balanced ration. Usually the calves will do as good as the calves from the older cows.

The heifers should be genetically superior to the cows and should be offered the nutrition to express their genetic merit.

 

[Brandonm2]

This used to be real common. Two reasons.....
1) as has already been pointed out, a heifer is still growing so generally her first calf is not going to wean as heavy as the heifers out of mature cows. It is going to take more nutrition to get her right with the rest of the cows.

and

2) the heifer is not proven. A lot of people like to keep heifers out of only their top cows. You have no history on a heifer to rank her with the cow herd. Saying that she is better genetics than the cows (if you are happy with the cows) MAY be wishful thinking. IF you can't keep every heifer you like, a lot of cattlemen will choose to save a ~equivalent heifer out of a 10-12 year old cow that he may not get another chance to get a heifer out of.

 

[Alan]

Had 2 first calf heifers last season (small Herd), both calves where very nice. Although the heifers are better quality then most of the other cows. I kept the heifer calf and the bull calf I shipped at 6 months (not 205 days) at 540 lbs.

Alan

 

[norriscathy]

If you're keeping your own replacement heifers, that 1st calf heifer will give you your latest and probably best gentics.

 

[Angus Guy]

Our herd bull was out of a heifer. He was also the second high indexing calf out of a 500 cow herd.

 

[George]

If i have a heifer,that raises a heifer calf that i really like.I have no problem keeping it.Some people keep a certain bull,for breeding just heifer's.So they don't want to keep heifers off there heifers,because then they have to buy another bull so they can breed them.So it's easier for them,to just keep heifers off there main cow herd.Then it is to replace the heifer bull, every 2 years.