early calves and EPD's

[kenny thomas]

A couple of weeks I posted about AI bred calving. Got a lot of replies. Thanks. Almost all heifers calved and none are due until the 22nd.
Now has anyone noticed a relationship between easy calving EPD's and early calving? If they are early seems like they would be easy calving? Any certain bulls that seem to have short gestation periods?

 

[dun]

A couple of weeks I posted about AI bred calving. Got a lot of replies. Thanks. Almost all heifers calved and none are due until the 22nd.
Now has anyone noticed a relationship between easy calving EPD's and early calving? If they are early seems like they would be easy calving? Any certain bulls that seem to have short gestation periods?

Generally (a dangerous presumption), lower birth weight calves are frequently earlier.
That said, we've had small calves that were late but the calves from that bull that were on time were tiny (40-45 pounds)

 

[Frankie]

A couple of weeks I posted about AI bred calving. Got a lot of replies. Thanks. Almost all heifers calved and none are due until the 22nd.
Now has anyone noticed a relationship between easy calving EPD's and early calving? If they are early seems like they would be easy calving? Any certain bulls that seem to have short gestation periods?

I don't think it's strictly easy calving bulls. I know of an Angus breeder who said if he missed an AI breeding, he'd put GT Max into the cow on her next heat because he was a short gestation bull. And MAX was not calving ease bull. Every Midland calf born on this place has been early. One cow had a Midland bull calf last year 12 days early. This year her Midland heifer was 18 days early. Tiny little girl with no tail switch. But she's healthy and active. I just hope she grows. ;-)

Heifers are always tricky. We generally get them in the calving pasture a couple of weeks before their due date. I hope your calving went well?

Which bull did you use for calving ease?

 

[kenny thomas]

Final answer, blue moon, pendleton, all from Genex. So far all have been small and I like the final answer calves the best.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

This is pretty interesting (not being a wise a$$).

Where I work, the majority of the AI'd heifers calved before their due dates. Not just by a few days, but by 3 weeks. Only 5 calved within 2 to 3 days of their due dates. They were all due on the 11th of Jan. By that time, many of the AI'd cows started calving, 2 to 3 weeks prior to their due dates as well. Initially I wondered if the calculations were off, but they were not.

The semen comes from SelectSires.

Katherine

 

[kenny thomas]

My thought was if there are bulls that you could figure on having short gestation periods they should be smaller calves. Seems like GMax throws that out.
Only my second year of AI so I have a lot to learn. Guess that just gives them a few extra days to rebred and be in sinc with the cows next year.

 

[S&S Farms]

Larks Canyon that Genex has/had was a short one too. My rep told me about a ranch in nebraska going to move the heifers home 2- 3 weeks prior to calving and moved home alot of pairs

Jeff

 

[CWT Angus]

Final answer, blue moon, pendleton, all from Genex. So far all have been small and I like the final answer calves the best.

Not to change the tune of your thread- but I was just looking at Pendleton tonight on the Genex site. How do you like your calves out of him?

 

[kenny thomas]

being that they are less an a week old it is hard to tell yet. no problem calving though. at birth I like the Final Answer calves better but they are a little bigger. If I remember Pendleton is a calf from Final Answer.
He does show easy calving with very, very good growth.