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<blockquote data-quote="randiliana" data-source="post: 798406" data-attributes="member: 2308"><p>We do both. Keep our own heifers and buy some too. For the most part, I find that more of our own heifers tend to stay in the herd longer. With boughten ones, regardless of reputation, we tend to cull more of them at a younger age. Once they are in the herd for 3 years or so, then they tend to stay, but more of them will be culled in the first year or 2. If you are buying reputation cattle, you are more than likely paying more for them as well, so you have to figure out where that works for you and where it becomes too high a price. In fact, we have had better luck with <em>trader </em>cattle many times than we have had with reputation cattle.</p><p></p><p>As far as age of the herd, I don't want to see it get too high. But, I don't worry about it too much. I have no problems keeping old cows around as long as they are breeding back and still raising a good calf. I figure that every calf you get out of an old cow is mostly profit. She has paid for herself many years ago, and as long as she is raising a good enough calf to pay for her upkeep she can more or less stay around, and I know what her production is, rather than gamble on a young cow who may or may not work. But, then again, I keep some pretty detailed records, and we use them when making decisions on what to keep and what to cull. We take BW and WW so if a cow suddenly has a lower than normal BW than we would expect from her out of a bull, we will cull her. Same goes for WW. I know we might make the odd mistake, but better to sell before she is really worn out than after. Right now we probably have 15 cows in the herd over the age 10.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="randiliana, post: 798406, member: 2308"] We do both. Keep our own heifers and buy some too. For the most part, I find that more of our own heifers tend to stay in the herd longer. With boughten ones, regardless of reputation, we tend to cull more of them at a younger age. Once they are in the herd for 3 years or so, then they tend to stay, but more of them will be culled in the first year or 2. If you are buying reputation cattle, you are more than likely paying more for them as well, so you have to figure out where that works for you and where it becomes too high a price. In fact, we have had better luck with [i]trader [/i]cattle many times than we have had with reputation cattle. As far as age of the herd, I don't want to see it get too high. But, I don't worry about it too much. I have no problems keeping old cows around as long as they are breeding back and still raising a good calf. I figure that every calf you get out of an old cow is mostly profit. She has paid for herself many years ago, and as long as she is raising a good enough calf to pay for her upkeep she can more or less stay around, and I know what her production is, rather than gamble on a young cow who may or may not work. But, then again, I keep some pretty detailed records, and we use them when making decisions on what to keep and what to cull. We take BW and WW so if a cow suddenly has a lower than normal BW than we would expect from her out of a bull, we will cull her. Same goes for WW. I know we might make the odd mistake, but better to sell before she is really worn out than after. Right now we probably have 15 cows in the herd over the age 10. [/QUOTE]
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