Culling yearling replacements?

[Stocker Steve]

Most of the ones I kept are really shaping up now that they have had grass for a couple weeks. They wintered on hay with the cows. :cowboy: A couple may even be a little too growthy but there is always a market for huge heifers here. A concern is that I do have one that was a beauty from a heavy milking cow, and is now really shaggy and a little rough looking.

I seem to get pickier on replacements each year... Have you seen any long term benefits for keeping the really shiny heifers, or else benefits from culling the ones that shed winter hair late?

 

[Bonsman]

From what I have read and experienced, the late shedding heifers reach puberty later than the early shedding heifers. They should start shedding around the front shoulders. So it it an indicator of maturity--the early the shedding the earlier the maturity when compared to the late shedders of the same breed and age. This is what I read in Dr. Bonsma's book Man Must Measure.

 

[dun]

On KY31 the ones that shed earlier seem to have a higher tolerance for the endophyte. They look better towards the time their calves are weaned and generally have a little bigger calf at weaning. They just appear to be easier keepers but I'm fairly sure (in my mind anyway) that it is the tolerance or lack of same to the endophyte.

 

[Aaron]

I wouldn't get all caught up it that. I would rather question how good a cow line is that heifer coming off of, than hair coat. I've shipped a lot of slicked up cows to markets and have a few old rough haired powerhouses in the herd.

 

[mrvictordomino]

I wouldn't get all caught up it that. I would rather question how good a cow line is that heifer coming off of, than hair coat. I've shipped a lot of slicked up cows to markets and have a few old rough haired powerhouses in the herd.

Being from Canada, you shouldn't have to be concerned about shedding. If you are in a hot, humid climate and
grazing fescue based pastures, believe me, you will want to select for hair coats that will be slick in the summer.

 

[Lon]

I wouldn't get all caught up it that. I would rather question how good a cow line is that heifer coming off of, than hair coat. I've shipped a lot of slicked up cows to markets and have a few old rough haired powerhouses in the herd.

Being from Canada, you shouldn't have to be concerned about shedding. If you are in a hot, humid climate and
grazing fescue based pastures, believe me, you will want to select for hair coats that will be slick in the summer.

very true but the guy asking the question is from central min. so i am sure he doesnt have to be as conscerned with shedding the same way you are down south.

 

[Aaron]

I wouldn't get all caught up it that. I would rather question how good a cow line is that heifer coming off of, than hair coat. I've shipped a lot of slicked up cows to markets and have a few old rough haired powerhouses in the herd.

Being from Canada, you shouldn't have to be concerned about shedding. If you are in a hot, humid climate and
grazing fescue based pastures, believe me, you will want to select for hair coats that will be slick in the summer.

very true but the guy asking the question is from central min. so i am sure he doesnt have to be as conscerned with shedding the same way you are down south.

Very true. He's only a couple hours from my front step, so the weather isn't terribly different.

If it was someone from the South asking, I wouldn't likely offer my two cents as it's totally different situations. :cowboy:

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have two rough black cows who raise a big calf. Both of them have a little Simi in the woodpile and need a lot of copper sulfate in the mineral. The hard part would be to estimate how much more they eat.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

I have two rough black cows who raise a big calf. Both of them have a little Simi in the woodpile and need a lot of copper sulfate in the mineral. The hard part would be to estimate how much more they eat.

Stocker Steve-

QUESTION: You infer that "..Both of them have a little Simi in the woodpile and need a lot of copper sulfate in the mineral". Are you stating that the Simmental Breed of cattle require more copper sulphate than other breeds? Could you justify this statement please?

DOC HARRIS

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have two rough black cows who raise a big calf. Both of them have a little Simi in the woodpile and need a lot of copper sulfate in the mineral. The hard part would be to estimate how much more they eat.

Stocker Steve-

QUESTION: You infer that "..Both of them have a little Simi in the woodpile and need a lot of copper sulfate in the mineral". Are you stating that the Simmental Breed of cattle require more copper sulphate than other breeds? Could you justify this statement please?

DOC HARRIS

Yes

I can see it in some of my stockers

I asked my vet but he is a dairy man... :bang: so I followed up with the regional mineral rep. who pushes the expensive stuff. He quoted some studies that did liver biopsies on red tinged and non red tinged cattle, saying that some but not all red tinged cattle are short on copper, and there were some breed tendencies, with Simi being one that need more copper than average.

and then I ran out of copper sulfate for a couple months and some, not all, or my "black" Simi crosses turned a red tinge. Including one Simi cross cow, and her 2 year old heifer who both turned red... :?:

Good thing my Herefords are not black :banana:

 

[TexasBred]

Copper deficiency has absolutely nothing to do with the breed....only that "whatever breed" you have is either not receiving enough coppper or the source of the copper if being bound up by an antagonist such as excessive iron and is not being utilized by the animal....or all of the above. Many black cattle in thigs area have a slight orange tinge to the winter hair they are shedding and in some herds it's an indication of "herd health" in general.

 

[Northern Rancher]

A short breeding season will pick the fertile ones for you.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I am not so sure all the breeds need the exact same feed and mineral. Seems like a fella could make some money if he could turn red cattle black...

 

[Nesikep]

but why? they WANT to be red

 

[Stocker Steve]

but why? they WANT to be red

because reds have more fun? ;-)

 

[ANAZAZI]

but why? they WANT to be red

because reds have more fun? ;-)

Well you guys know what I think about this. :banana:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Be thankful you have a couple of black Simmental's to let you know you are not providing enough Copper to the whole herd :banana:

 

[Nesikep]

While were talking about this, I was at a big black angus dispersal auction on saturday... a LOT of them were definitely not jet black and had a lot of red in them, now are ALL black angus completely black if they have the copper, or is it breeding as well?

I know they fed mineral blocks with copper, I bought the salt blocks lol

 

[TexasBred]

While were talking about this, I was at a big black angus dispersal auction on saturday... a LOT of them were definitely not jet black and had a lot of red in them, now are ALL black angus completely black if they have the copper, or is it breeding as well?

I know they fed mineral blocks with copper, I bought the salt blocks lol

More than likely just old winter hair.

 

[JHH]

I think I am with stocker steve on this. When I brought my dads simmys from memphis to here they were nice and shiney black. After two months they turned a red tinge. I gave them a different mineral and they all turned shiney black again. Vet told me the same thing about the mineral.