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
Breeds Board
Criticize this heifer
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="gizmom" data-source="post: 1319469" data-attributes="member: 13402"><p>I copied this from a friend's sale catalog, but I agree with what he was saying.</p><p></p><p>"When is it going to be</p><p>enough?" It's human nature to think that bigger is better, but when will we be satisfied?</p><p>If those heifers weighed 1,200-1,300 pounds at a year of age, they would weigh between</p><p>1,850 and 2,000 pounds as mature cows. At what weight do your cows offer the best</p><p>returns? The most common answer I get is around 1,150-1,300 pounds, so that at a year</p><p>of age, your replacement heifers need to be around 750-850 pounds. I did a little figuring:</p><p>at a year of age if a heifer weighs 950 pounds, she will mature at over 1,450 pounds.</p><p>If she weighs 1,050 pounds, she will mature over 1,600 pounds. Like I said, it's something</p><p>to think about. What is required of a first calf heifer after she calves? She needs to</p><p>do two things: raise her calf and breed back early. If she is late breeding back after her</p><p>first calf, typically it takes a few years to get her back in the front of the calving, if ever.</p><p>If she has the right growth curve (fast early growth and then shut it off), this can hap-</p><p>- 25 -</p><p>pen consistently. If she has an extended growth curve, then she is trying to grow herself,</p><p>feed her calf, and breed back (hopefully early) at the same time. Something has to give,</p><p>and she will take care of her requirements first. Either we will get an open in the fall, real</p><p>late breed back, or a dud of a calf. We know that the females that are the most profitable</p><p>are the ones that each and every year calve at the front of the herd. An extra 20 days</p><p>on a calf is a lot when we get ready to sell it in the fall. It can be the difference between</p><p>a profitable year or not. One thing that I feel is really important when selecting your</p><p>replacement heifers is to make sure that their mother has calved early each year. I have</p><p>noticed in our herd that this trait is very heritable and valuable.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gizmom, post: 1319469, member: 13402"] I copied this from a friend's sale catalog, but I agree with what he was saying. “When is it going to be enough?” It’s human nature to think that bigger is better, but when will we be satisfied? If those heifers weighed 1,200-1,300 pounds at a year of age, they would weigh between 1,850 and 2,000 pounds as mature cows. At what weight do your cows offer the best returns? The most common answer I get is around 1,150-1,300 pounds, so that at a year of age, your replacement heifers need to be around 750-850 pounds. I did a little figuring: at a year of age if a heifer weighs 950 pounds, she will mature at over 1,450 pounds. If she weighs 1,050 pounds, she will mature over 1,600 pounds. Like I said, it’s something to think about. What is required of a first calf heifer after she calves? She needs to do two things: raise her calf and breed back early. If she is late breeding back after her first calf, typically it takes a few years to get her back in the front of the calving, if ever. If she has the right growth curve (fast early growth and then shut it off), this can hap- - 25 - pen consistently. If she has an extended growth curve, then she is trying to grow herself, feed her calf, and breed back (hopefully early) at the same time. Something has to give, and she will take care of her requirements first. Either we will get an open in the fall, real late breed back, or a dud of a calf. We know that the females that are the most profitable are the ones that each and every year calve at the front of the herd. An extra 20 days on a calf is a lot when we get ready to sell it in the fall. It can be the difference between a profitable year or not. One thing that I feel is really important when selecting your replacement heifers is to make sure that their mother has calved early each year. I have noticed in our herd that this trait is very heritable and valuable. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Cattle Boards
Breeds Board
Criticize this heifer
Top