Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Forums
Cattle Boards
Beginners Board
Cow Size Question
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Help Support CattleToday:
Message
<blockquote data-quote="SRBeef" data-source="post: 666560" data-attributes="member: 7509"><p>I take it then that you are not a believer in the male-offspring-gets-most-of-his-genetics-from-the-dam because of the less than complete y chromosome proposition?</p><p></p><p>You have a good idea - wait until weaning in October then compare the calves when they are all from one bull. This makes a lot of sense before culling my "best" cows! I would like to do the RFI tests but just don't think I can devote the time to do that. They are also all nursing calves right now...</p><p></p><p>I want to make the decision before winter and could sell whatever cows I cull as bred.</p><p></p><p>If I still assume that my cows' feed needs are directly proportional to their weight (flawed but probably close) the 25% bigger (1500lb/1200lb) cows need to wean a calf 25% bigger than the small cows calves to remain in the herd??? Frankly I don't think it will happen. If my small cows wean a calf with a 205 day weaning weight of about 600 lb are the big cows going to wean a 750 lb calf? If there is a difference in calf weights I don't think it will be near that large.</p><p></p><p>Thinking as I go here, it would take a huge difference in RFI (big cows more efficient) and a huge difference in calf 205 day ww (big cows' calves much larger than small cows calves) to make up for the increased year around grass/hay consumption of the 1500 lb cow over the 1200 lb cow. </p><p></p><p>The other problem I am facing is after this summer's breeding season (bull in date in a couple weeks) do I sell T-21? If I retain his spring heifer calves I have he would be breeding his daughters next summer....</p><p></p><p>Knersie suggested keeping one of his sons. I have a beautiful T21 bull calf from one of my 1200 lb prototype cows that I left intact when cutting the others and was considering using him next summer (2010). </p><p></p><p>I'm open to suggestions. Keeping the good looking but big cows until fall and reevaluating then with calves from the same bull seems reasonable. However, thinking this through I don't know if it is possible for the numbers to turn in their favor....</p><p></p><p>Since the only time most of my cattle are "sold" it is frozen in boxes, my main profit criteria right now is weaning and yearling weights. As I buy all of my winter hay, keeping a large cow over the winter in WI can cost a lot. Cow grass and winter hay feed consumption per pound of approx 1100 pound yearling going to the processor is very important to my profitability. Unfortunately it takes almost 2 years to geneerate this data!</p><p></p><p>Thanks for the comments. Jim</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SRBeef, post: 666560, member: 7509"] I take it then that you are not a believer in the male-offspring-gets-most-of-his-genetics-from-the-dam because of the less than complete y chromosome proposition? You have a good idea - wait until weaning in October then compare the calves when they are all from one bull. This makes a lot of sense before culling my "best" cows! I would like to do the RFI tests but just don't think I can devote the time to do that. They are also all nursing calves right now... I want to make the decision before winter and could sell whatever cows I cull as bred. If I still assume that my cows' feed needs are directly proportional to their weight (flawed but probably close) the 25% bigger (1500lb/1200lb) cows need to wean a calf 25% bigger than the small cows calves to remain in the herd??? Frankly I don't think it will happen. If my small cows wean a calf with a 205 day weaning weight of about 600 lb are the big cows going to wean a 750 lb calf? If there is a difference in calf weights I don't think it will be near that large. Thinking as I go here, it would take a huge difference in RFI (big cows more efficient) and a huge difference in calf 205 day ww (big cows' calves much larger than small cows calves) to make up for the increased year around grass/hay consumption of the 1500 lb cow over the 1200 lb cow. The other problem I am facing is after this summer's breeding season (bull in date in a couple weeks) do I sell T-21? If I retain his spring heifer calves I have he would be breeding his daughters next summer.... Knersie suggested keeping one of his sons. I have a beautiful T21 bull calf from one of my 1200 lb prototype cows that I left intact when cutting the others and was considering using him next summer (2010). I'm open to suggestions. Keeping the good looking but big cows until fall and reevaluating then with calves from the same bull seems reasonable. However, thinking this through I don't know if it is possible for the numbers to turn in their favor.... Since the only time most of my cattle are "sold" it is frozen in boxes, my main profit criteria right now is weaning and yearling weights. As I buy all of my winter hay, keeping a large cow over the winter in WI can cost a lot. Cow grass and winter hay feed consumption per pound of approx 1100 pound yearling going to the processor is very important to my profitability. Unfortunately it takes almost 2 years to geneerate this data! Thanks for the comments. Jim [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Cattle Boards
Beginners Board
Cow Size Question
Top