cmf1":3585b0re said:
So Frankie,
With an easier comparison available to you through the adjustments, do you keep any firsts for replacement or do you consider them to be sub par regardless.
Genetically speaking, if you're doing your homework, the heifers should be better than their mommas. But they probably won't wean as heavy a calf as their momma until they're grown. So if you're selling pounds of calf, first calf heifers aren't a winning proposition. If you're building your herd, know their genetics and have time for them to mature, you're smart to keep them.
We have been keeping first calvers the last few years. We bred five this spring for ourselves. We
always kept the daughters of what we consider the best cows. I've never understood it, but you'll often see a bred heifer (sometimes even an open one) outsell well bred 3-5 year old cows with a calf at side and history on her previous calves! So we took advantage of that for a long time and sold our bred heifers, took the money and bought well bred, experienced, cows. It worked well for us for years. But the two places we liked to buy replacements both went out of business, plus prices for good Angus cows has really gone up. So we have been keeping some.