Cattle weights

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We do not wean a bunch (6 to 8 each season so far), but we are in the same ball park weight wise with our Simms. We average between 600 and 800 pounds. We had a two year old this year that we weaned at 5 months, he was 490 pounds (he went to CA with a horse to my sister). We submit our data and the ASA adjusts our numbers to 205 days. Most of the calves are not creep fed, except a time or two to get them into the barn to put halters on them. Just grass (fescue) and moms milk.

 

[Nesikep]

AllForage - Well said... a moving goal post!!! there's a new fad that everyone has to bend over backward to try and grab a piece of the pie for.

FireSweep... I'm assuming you had a calf from a 2 year old cow that you weaned at 5 month? your numbers seem to be pretty close to ours for weights, though I'm not sure if we've ever had one over 750lbs... we had 3 heifers who had steers this year, they all look like they'll be about 600, and the rest of the cows that had steers look like they'll all be 700-750, which is rare for us, heifer calves are usually from 6-700 except for the dinks and latecomers. Ours have perhaps a little better pastures, OG/alfalfa mix, but no implants or supplements other than minerals.

 

[AllForage]

Just my opinion here, weaning at 5-6 months no matter the weight is working for your cows. That is too much free lunch. Cow should nurse 7-10 months and breed back.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Just my opinion here, weaning at 5-6 months no matter the weight is working for your cows. That is too much free lunch. Cow should nurse 7-10 months and breed back.

The only reason we weaned the steer calf at that age was because I gave him to my parents in California. My sister came out to pick up a horse I gave her daughter to show, so since the trailer was almost empty I threw on my oldest steer calf to travel with the horse (2 day trip) and give my parents to raise for the freezer. All of our calves stay on the cow till they are seven months, then weaned. My December steer is still on his moma, only because I do not have a group of calves to wean him with. He is next years beef, so I do not mind him staying on mom and grass for awhile.

 

[fitz]

We do not wean a bunch (6 to 8 each season so far), but we are in the same ball park weight wise with our Simms. We average between 600 and 800 pounds. We had a two year old this year that we weaned at 5 months, he was 490 pounds (he went to CA with a horse to my sister). We submit our data and the ASA adjusts our numbers to 205 days. Most of the calves are not creep fed, except a time or two to get them into the barn to put halters on them. Just grass (fescue) and moms milk.

That's about where I am with the SimAngus. Had a cow this year with some problems and after giving it some thought decided to let her go. Had a nice steer on her so took the pair and split. His scale weight was 530# at exactly 5 months old. I usually sell around 6 to 6.5 months and expect 100# of steer weight for month in age.

fitz