although this bull looks like a good calver we have had 4 calves out of him ( we breed red angus to heifers for small calves) this bull has thrown 3 over 100 pound calves and we have had to jack two of them the 4th was out of a cow and it was small just if you ever consider using im on heifers i wouldnt http://www.semex.com/di/beef/semex.cgi? ... 69236285F6
Heres some advice
- Thread starter glover36
- Start date
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Jogeephus
Well-known member
:shock:
Victoria
Well-known member
That kind of stuff is good to know. What breed are the heifers?
DiamondSCattleCo
Well-known member
My "heifer" bull did that to me last year. Oddest thing I ever saw. My heifers were throwing calves between 105 lbs and 135 lbs, yet the cows he'd been bred to threw 80lb - 90 lb calves. Some of the cows were dams of the heifer calves, other cows had the same sire as the heifers, and all were Angus/Shorthorn or Shorthorn/Simm cross animals.
Rod
Rod
DiamondSCattleCo
Well-known member
What makes it odd is that I hadn't done anything different with those heifers than I'd done with any other heifers in my entire life. I don't do much "management" on my breeding stock. Forage and a good free choice mineral. Certainly nothing that would boost birthweights by that much.
Rod
Rod
DiamondSCattleCo
Well-known member
Oddly enough, it was one of the warmest winters on record. Besides, I've never bought into the whole 'cold makes big calves'. I used to breed for 70 lb jackrabbits, and consistently hit those marks. I know other breeders who have small calves during cold winters.
Its all about properly managing your feed. Knowing what you have for nutritional value, and knowing when to feed it. Example, you don't feed your hottest second cut alfalfa in the 3rd trimester. You're just _asking_ for over big calves. As it is I want my cows having 100 lb calves and my heifers had better be able to drop 80-90lb calves (depending on the shape of the calf of course) or they find new homes.
Rod
Its all about properly managing your feed. Knowing what you have for nutritional value, and knowing when to feed it. Example, you don't feed your hottest second cut alfalfa in the 3rd trimester. You're just _asking_ for over big calves. As it is I want my cows having 100 lb calves and my heifers had better be able to drop 80-90lb calves (depending on the shape of the calf of course) or they find new homes.
Rod
SEC
Well-known member
Out here he has been fine for calving ease!
Dusty Britches
Well-known member
Doesn't the cows' genetics play a role with low bw calves?
We bought a lot of heifers from a "we breed them for beef" ranch. That lot was the only heifers we ever had large calves from. In fact, of that lot of 5, one died giving birth to a big calf, 2 never took, 1 was sold but was going to have a 100 pound calf, and 1 is still around. She throws medium to large sized calves.
The rest of the cows we have squirt out the tinest babies with fast growth rates.[/list]
We bought a lot of heifers from a "we breed them for beef" ranch. That lot was the only heifers we ever had large calves from. In fact, of that lot of 5, one died giving birth to a big calf, 2 never took, 1 was sold but was going to have a 100 pound calf, and 1 is still around. She throws medium to large sized calves.
The rest of the cows we have squirt out the tinest babies with fast growth rates.[/list]
