Getting heifers ready

[inyati13]

Here are four heifers that will move into the herd when they are bred. Jeanne, the ones with the red ear tags are Oct 2011 heifers from Keith that I told you about. The Simangus cross with the white spot and no ear tag was 13 months old on January 3, 2013. The other one with the same white spot (yellow ear tag) is only 7 months old and a couple of days. She is from one of my mixed cows. Mom is an elephant. She is via AI to a CE angus bull. The 7 month old heifer is going to be big. She is probably a shade over 700 lbs at 7 months old. I plan to put the red tag heifers with a bull around April or May. The Simangus heifer that is 13 months old will weigh 800 or more but she is short. Shorter than she looks in the pics. She was at 137 square cm at 9 months. I have been worried more about her calving. The red tag girls will go about 900.

Below is the 7 month old with one of the red tags that is 14 months old.

Below is the 7 month olds mom:

Below is one of the red tags from Rocking P:

Another:

The other one:

 

[Limomike]

Some really good lookin heifers you got there.

 

[inyati13]

Some really good lookin heifers you got there.

Thank you.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Nice heifers, they would be welcome in my pasture anytime.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

They all look really good. But - that SimAngus without a tag looks like she's built like a brick sh$t house!!! Appears in pic to be really wide & low. I really like her look. Great replacements!

 

[Bigfoot]

They should make you some nice big cows. As much as you handle, and are around your cattle you ever try any AI on them?

 

[inyati13]

They all look really good. But - that SimAngus without a tag looks like she's built like a brick sh$t house!!! Appears in pic to be really wide & low. I really like her look. Great replacements!

Thanks, Jeanne. She is wide and low in life. She has grown since we measured her. She had a very high reproductive system score. She has been a regular 20 day cycler if that word can be used that way. She started at about 8 months and you could set your calendar by her. I have not seen the 7 month old cycle yet.

When do you breed your heifers? At what month or do you go by their physical development?

 

[inyati13]

They should make you some nice big cows. As much as you handle, and are around your cattle you ever try any AI on them?

Hi Bigfoot, good to see a neighbor's comment! No, but I would like to. When I first got started about 3 years ago, I had four cows. I decided to have them artificially bred. Well, Joe (guy in this area who does AI, not his real name) synchronized them and then bred them all at the same time. Only one took. After that, I would watch and when one was ready, I would call him. But one thing or the other always went wrong; mostly he was late. Sometimes a day late and no one has to be remotely familiar with the reproductive system of a mammal to know that isn't going to work. It isn't like they are amphibians that can store sperm for years in their seminal vesicles and use it when they need it. :lol2: I can't remember but there are some vertebrates that only mate once in their life and they store the sperm to be used for the rest of their life. I have thought about teaching myself and getting the equipment and giving it a try. (I am talking about doing AI not storing my sperm). It looks easy to me. I worked with mice in reproductive physiology. Although we let the male do the fertilization, we removed the zygotes. I have never seen a cow flushed, but I have flushed zygotes from the uterus of a mouse in which case the mouse is killed by cervical separation (broken neck) and the uterus is removed placed in a Petri dish and the zygotes are flushed out with a micropipette. All done under a dissecting microscope. I watched Joe, looks like the hardest part of what he does is keeping the feces off him. :lol: Actually, jokes aside, I am sure their are critical protocols like procedures to ensure the semen is viable and stays viable. Preventing infection of the cow, etc.

 

[Bigfoot]

Just reading your post on here, I would think you would really enjoy experimenting with different genetics. Also having gentle cows you see everyday would help tremendously.

 

[inyati13]

Just reading your post on here, I would think you would really enjoy experimenting with different genetics. Also having gentle cows you see everyday would help tremendously.

I think that is right. Bigfoot, I wonder sometimes if anyone realizes how gentle a cow is. I have cows that are more tame than my dog!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I breed by the calendar. In other words - I have a 60 day breeding season. It may vary by a week or so from year to year, but pretty much I start breeding on a certain date. Any heifer that was born at the beginning of our season, will be around 15 months - end of calving will be closer to 13 months. If the 13 month old was too small - well, she would not still be in my herd. I can't remember having to cull one because she wouldn't be big enough. Granted, if the 13 month old didn't settle right away, she may be close to 24 months old when she calves.

 

[glacierridge]

Nice group!!
I also think you could get some nice AI calves, gentle cattle make it easy to take advantage of the positives of AI.

inyati13, do you have a specific calving season you want to have and when?

 

[inyati13]

Nice group!!
I also think you could get some nice AI calves, gentle cattle make it easy to take advantage of the positives of AI.

inyati13, do you have a specific calving season you want to have and when?

No but that is what I want to do. About like Jeanne said above is what I want. I now have the open heifers in the bull pen. But I want to put my bull behind that fence where the heifers are. It also has three strands of electric wire on it where it runs along the pasture side. I don't want the cows riding my heifers so they gotta stay where they are for now.

I haven't made any money but it sure is fun playing out the role of a cattlemen. :lol: I have also spent a lot getting the farm ready for cattle. Heated automatic watering system, a Cat D3G LGP 2005 dozer (it is for sale right now), cattle handling facility, shop building, etc. here look. The last picture is the guy who runs the dozer for me, his name is Blue. :lol2:

 

[Crazy Farmgirl]

Good looking heifers.

 

[plumber_greg]

Good heifers, but if I may make a suggestion, next time you start on a farm/ranch, buy a level one. That looks like a lotta' hill to me. Take some more pics of your farm/area if you don't mind. gs

 

[glacierridge]

Not everyone has a level farm and they do well.
I feel sorry for the dairy farmers in LaCrosse, WI.
VERY hilly there with "cliff country" and they are running tractors and equipment on that stuff all the time!
I'm not jealous of them at all... :shock:

inyati13, you say you haven't really made a lot of money yet, welcome to farming.
I think it's hard for anyone to get rich in this line of work, most people do it for the love of it.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I have a Blue Heeler (he's 16 years old - 3rd one we've raised) and an arch steel building!

 

[inyati13]

Good heifers, but if I may make a suggestion, next time you start on a farm/ranch, buy a level one. That looks like a lotta' hill to me. Take some more pics of your farm/area if you don't mind. gs

Glad you ask because I got pictures but they are not going to make it look level. This farm has plenty of steep hillsides but I mow every inch with no trouble (except for where I have some wooded areas). Most of it is clear of any woody growth. One other thing unique here, almost no rock!!!!! I like the character of my farm and that character is largely a function of the hills. I do have a large ridge that has enough room for hay and my facilities. The grass and clover grow extremely well on this land. It is really a special place, but that is my secret. Here are some views:

 

[glacierridge]

Beautiful place, would be neat to come for a visit sometime.

 

[cow pollinater]

Beautiful country. Nice and flat. :lol: