regenwether
Well-known member
I'm someone who keeps back Heifer's back every year. Some people prefer to purchase bred Heifer's. Doesn't matter the cost is just about a wash.
So I've got a Neighbor (I bet everybody here has the same type of neighbor) who has been complaining the last few years that bred replacement heifers are too expensive. So he has not been buying anything. He still has been culling a few in his herd every year. Well this was the fall when he had to sell a big % of his herd because they were getting too old. Now he is "under the gun" to buy a bunch of Heifer's. Guess what..he says their too expensive :roll: . He knows he doesn't have a choice and must "pull the trigger".
Why do people do this? Perhaps it is the banker but I don't think it is.
So I've got a few questions. What % replacement rate should a person follow? Wouldn't it be a bit lower if you purchase bred Heifer's?
What should be your average age of your cow herd?
We all have a few 12+ yr old cows that keep weaning heavy calves and seem to breed back. At what point do you sell her?
At the end of the day we are selling not blk calves (sorry couldn't resist) but LBS. I think we have to look at whole herd average weaning wt. and the salvage wt of them old cows.
So I've got a Neighbor (I bet everybody here has the same type of neighbor) who has been complaining the last few years that bred replacement heifers are too expensive. So he has not been buying anything. He still has been culling a few in his herd every year. Well this was the fall when he had to sell a big % of his herd because they were getting too old. Now he is "under the gun" to buy a bunch of Heifer's. Guess what..he says their too expensive :roll: . He knows he doesn't have a choice and must "pull the trigger".
Why do people do this? Perhaps it is the banker but I don't think it is.
So I've got a few questions. What % replacement rate should a person follow? Wouldn't it be a bit lower if you purchase bred Heifer's?
What should be your average age of your cow herd?
We all have a few 12+ yr old cows that keep weaning heavy calves and seem to breed back. At what point do you sell her?
At the end of the day we are selling not blk calves (sorry couldn't resist) but LBS. I think we have to look at whole herd average weaning wt. and the salvage wt of them old cows.