Gestation records

[Putangitangi]

If you keep reliable records for your herd, what's your average gestation and range?

Mine are Angus (breeding up from a mixed bag of dairy-cross and some pure-bred) and they average 278.9 for heifers and 280.3 for bulls. Longest is 290 days (7 times), shortest 268 (three times).
That's on 570 known gestations over 17 years. I do both AI and very close observation at mating time. I like to know when they'll calve (within a day or so) and find the data fascinating.

 

[sizmic]

I would say that is very close to ours, but I have not run the numbers. I have had some run 15 days early on Angus genetics. Some have been 10 days late too.

Sizmic

 

[Nesikep]

I have done that too and find it very interesting too... but we're a week later than yours..
Shortest is about 275, longest is about 296.. I find bull calves are usually about 2 days later than a heifer calf, and a first timer will usually be about 2-3 days earlier than a cow. I don't have records for as many gestations.. but it's still around 80 to 100.

I also see some heredity in the longer/shorter gestation times... I have some maternal cow lines that will always be around 280-285, and others that push the limits to 288-295 every time. Our cows are mostly shorthorns crosses, with Gelbveih's coming in, some traces of Saler, Red Angus, and Hereford too.

 

[Putangitangi]

I have meant to do some family tree work to see how the gestation periods run from mothers to daughters. I'll get onto it again one of these afternoons when I'm between calving checks - or one of those nights when a heifer looks like she's about to do something and there's no point going to bed in between checks. I love and hate calving time.

 

[glacierridge]

I have meant to do some family tree work to see how the gestation periods run from mothers to daughters. I'll get onto it again one of these afternoons when I'm between calving checks - or one of those nights when a heifer looks like she's about to do something and there's no point going to bed in between checks. I love and hate calving time.

Let me know what you find on the family tree data.

I don't record it like you, but I've noted the calves from our older Simmental semen (bulls from the 80's vs. current ones) take about a week longer it's been seeming.
I'm thinking it's because of all the changes in the breed in the last 30 years. The older ones usually are some BIG BIG animals, having some pretty large frame sizes.

I know gestation periods can vary breed to breed a bit.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Shortest ever for me was 265 days, I don't really know what the longest would be.

 

[vclavin]

Our longest was 21 days late and was verified to AI sire. I would have guessed the herd bull, good thing we had the test.
Blessings
Valerie

 

[Putangitangi]

Even with screeds of records, I can still be horribly caught out: yesterday I found a cow out in one of the hills-and-gullies paddocks, with a new calf well out of her reach, down a hole. She'd calved five days earlier than her six-calf average gestation.

 

[Ohrmundt Simmentals]

We average 286 days ranging from about 274-291. These are PB & % Simmentals. When I was looking thru my program one of my younger cows was 274 one year and 284 the next. Just never know, too many factors.

 

[Nesikep]

you can definitely still get caught off guard, but it you know a cow is always early, you'll keep an eye on her sooner

 

[Ozhorse]

I have Angus cattle and have not been farming all that long so I am sort of a newbie. I have a few questions of those who know better:

1) Do Angus tend to calve earlier than other breeds?
I get the feeling with the 100 herd cows they calve at least a week before the gestation table I use tell me they should. I single sire join and then swap the bulls around and try to keep track of who Dad is by having a rough idea of what calves are born when. The early calving throws my calculations out.

2) Does the CALF have some control of the gestation length?
I have 10 registered cows that AI'd for the first time last year. These girls usually have big solid calves. The bull I AI'd to has very short gestation length figures as well as low Birth weight figures. Just checked the cows, their figures are like mostly -0.9 to -3 days. The bulls gestation length figure is -6 days. They were AI'd on the 29th Oct 2012 and the calves were born between 1Aug 2013 and 6 Aug 2013. They were small calves for these cows too but they also had reduced feed last 3 months.

Does that mean the genetics of the calf to some extent can control the gestation of the mother - or another way, does a calf have some control over its own gestation length via hormones or whatever?

 

[Putangitangi]

What does your gestation table work on? 283 days?

The genetics of the calf being from both parents, of course the bull will influence gestation of the calf. My understanding is that the calf produces a "I'm finished" hormonal signal which prompts labor.

I'm having some longer-than-expected gestations in my heifers from a short-gestation EBV bull right now (he's -5.7 days) ... still waiting on calves I thought might be born five days ago, bearing in mind their own gestations and the bull's EBV.

 

[Ozhorse]

The ones I have work on 283 days.

 

[Putangitangi]

I set up a spreadsheet which gives me a date range for 275-290 days and then work out a probable calving date based on their average - or any family data if it's a first calver. Usually I'm wrong. It provides me with hours of entertainment every year. I'm one third through calving this season and not a single one right yet.

 

[Nesikep]

With my accuracy it's worth more as entertainment as well...

I set up "conditional formatting" on the spreadsheet that contains my breeding dates and the background color will turn yellow at about 280 days, green at about 287, and red at 295... it makes it easy to glance at it and see what could be coming up... as I said before, my gestation times are WAY longer than most, the average being 288, and 292 not being uncommon.

 

[KNERSIE]

I don't claim my records to be that accurate on gestation lengths as I don't pay it much attention, but my herefords average 85 days, heifers probably a day or so shorter, bulls probably a day or so longer

 

[regolith]

I don't claim my records to be that accurate on gestation lengths as I don't pay it much attention, but my herefords average 85 days, heifers probably a day or so shorter, bulls probably a day or so longer

I'd like some of those sort of cows... lots of chances to get them pregnant and still calve at 12 month intervals :lol: :lol:

 

[regolith]

Srsly, I don't pay a lot of attention either but when the cattle database gives me a list of expected due dates, it takes the gestation length of the bull into account if known. I suspect that the calves are arriving a lot closer to the average of 283 days than predicted.

 

[Putangitangi]

Mine are tracking normally this season so far: 278 for heifers, 280 for bulls. (19 of 36 born.) Bulls with recorded high-accuracy short gestation figures appear to have influence on some cows, but I have a few cows who go to 283 or so no matter what bull I give them.

 

[KNERSIE]

I don't claim my records to be that accurate on gestation lengths as I don't pay it much attention, but my herefords average 85 days, heifers probably a day or so shorter, bulls probably a day or so longer

I'd like some of those sort of cows... lots of chances to get them pregnant and still calve at 12 month intervals :lol: :lol:

What is 200 days among friends?