How old does everybody else have their heifers bred?

[greenwillowherefords]

I have in the past turned the bull in with heifers at 17-18 months, because I think that probably eliminates a lot of calving trouble, but I have early-maturing heifers that start cycling at 7-8 months old, and when your fences are as sorry as mine, that can be a problem. This year, my neighbor brought his black Brahman-type bull next door, and I moved my heifers to my bull at about 13 months to avoid trouble.

 

[Campground Cattle]

12 to 14 months depending on the heifer. Usally at 14 months.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

We breed our first calf heifers at about 14 months or minimum 650 lbs. All heifers that are being "saved" for correct time to breed are kept in separate small pasture separated by 14' wide alleyway from any bulls, yearling or mature.

 

[greenwillowherefords]

We breed our first calf heifers at about 14 months or minimum 650 lbs. All heifers that are being "saved" for correct time to breed are kept in separate small pasture separated by 14' wide alleyway from any bulls, yearling or mature.

Thanks to all. The weight is no problem, as we are averaging over 800 pounds yearling weights on the heifers. With this in mind, do you think I will have a problem with a bull who had an actual BW of 70, and is around breed average BW EPD?

 

[plbcattle]

14-15 mo. that way they calf by age 2. if you watch your birthweight on your sire you should have no birthweight problems.

 

[Jake]

14-15 months or 750-950 lbs no calves have to be pulled because of size in 3 years. only ones with a leg back or something like that have problems

 

[txshowmom]

14-15 mo. that way they calf by age 2. if you watch your birthweight on your sire you should have no birthweight problems.

This is great advice. We do the same thing. You want you heifers to calve by 2 years.

 

[dun]

We calve from late February through March, with an occasional rebreed calving in April. We breed the end of May through June. If they aren't within that window they either grow wheels or go in the freezer. That makes the heifers from 23 to 24 and maybe a 1/2 when they calve. They have to be at least 650-700 as yearlings, we way during spring workup, or they grow wheels.

dun

 

[hillbilly]

We calve from late February through March, with an occasional rebreed calving in April. We breed the end of May through June. If they aren't within that window they either grow wheels or go in the freezer. That makes the heifers from 23 to 24 and maybe a 1/2 when they calve. They have to be at least 650-700 as yearlings, we way during spring workup, or they grow wheels.

dun

I've been feeding my heifers from weaning to turn in w/ bull @ 14 months.
Just feeding about 4-5# per head per day + hay & minerials.
Alot of feed expense, they weigh 800 to 900 at 14 months.
Am I waisting money and feed??
They still only weigh 1000 to 1100 after calving?
They get no additional feed after 14 months, just treated like a cow.
Any comments would be appreciated.

Hillbilly

 

[dun]

Depends on the quality of the forage base. Ours get a couple of pounds of grain a day from weaning for 4-6 sometimes 8 weeks. They're then turned back with the cow herd. No supplements except for severe snow/ice or subzero windchill. When they calve they run around 900-1000 but no problems and wean low 5 weight calves.

dun

 

[Frankie]

I have in the past turned the bull in with heifers at 17-18 months, because I think that probably eliminates a lot of calving trouble, but I have early-maturing heifers that start cycling at 7-8 months old, and when your fences are as sorry as mine, that can be a problem. This year, my neighbor brought his black Brahman-type bull next door, and I moved my heifers to my bull at about 13 months to avoid trouble.

We don't have a bull on the place, nor do we share fences with a bull. We AI the heifers to calve as two year olds. We use a proven calving ease bull and have very little problem, but we watch them closely anyway. When we first started going to the K74 Hereford sale, they selling registered Hereford heifers to calve at 30 months. They'd breed the fall born heifers for spring calving and spring born heifers for fall calving. But the last couple of years they started selling heifers bred to calve as two year olds. I never heard the reason behind the change.

 

[hillbilly]

Depends on the quality of the forage base. Ours get a couple of pounds of grain a day from weaning for 4-6 sometimes 8 weeks. They're then turned back with the cow herd. No supplements except for severe snow/ice or subzero windchill. When they calve they run around 900-1000 but no problems and wean low 5 weight calves.

dun

Dun, You've been in missouri long enough to hear, "Thats the way we have always done it."
Well, thats where I'm at. I always pushed between weaning and breeding.
Maybe I could manage them more like you, let them grow on grass a little slower and wind up with the same results for less money.
I'm a little leary of turning out a 700# heifer with a 1800# bull.
You think this would be alright with natural service?

Hillbilly

 

[PATB]

We breed to calf at 2 years plus or minus a month.

 

[frenchie]

We breed at 14 months(750 to 900lbs) Really like m-3 beefboosters for heifer bulls.

 

[dun]

Depends on the quality of the forage base. Ours get a couple of pounds of grain a day from weaning for 4-6 sometimes 8 weeks. They're then turned back with the cow herd. No supplements except for severe snow/ice or subzero windchill. When they calve they run around 900-1000 but no problems and wean low 5 weight calves.

dun

Dun, You've been in missouri long enough to hear, "Thats the way we have always done it."
Well, thats where I'm at. I always pushed between weaning and breeding.
Maybe I could manage them more like you, let them grow on grass a little slower and wind up with the same results for less money.
I'm a little leary of turning out a 700# heifer with a 1800# bull.
You think this would be alright with natural service?

Hillbilly

My arm doesn't weigh 1800# so I can't say. Most of the folks around here that use live service use a younger bull on smaller heifers. I'ld be leery of the girls supporting that much weight too. Ask your vet and see what he thinks, or maybe there are folks on this forum that use large bulls on heifers. I'mm sure you'll get some rewsponses. I do know that 500# heifers can support a 1365# steer alright. But I've seen grown cows callapse under the thrust.
Whether you feed them to higher weights for breeding is one of those individual managment decisions that circumstances dictate.

dun

 

[ollie]

Sound atheletic bulls can keep more weight off cows than smaller non atheletic bulls.

 

[cherokeeruby]

I agree with Ollie, the bull is supposed to support his weight on his hind legs.

 

[dun]

I agree with Ollie, the bull is supposed to support his weight on his hind legs.

It's the lunging that I would be concerned about, not the weight bearing part.

dun

 

[TLCfromARK]

We put a young bull on our heifers when they're 14 -16 months old.

;-)

 

[Rustler9]

We try to breed our Longhorn heifers at 14-15 months old. However I did have an eleven month old heifer get bred and have a great calf at twenty months old. This was one of my best heifers and I noticed that she started to look like she was springing-at first it was hard to tell because she was already well conditioned. Then I remembered that one of my young bulls had somehow made his way over the fence into the heifer pasture a few months back. This happened one night and I quickly put him back where he belonged first thing in the morning when I found him. No one had shown any signs of heat and weren't old enough to breed yet. But I guess she must have come in, got bred and that was it. I'm glad she turned out fine but I was pretty upset at first because of her age. I don't advise breeding at that age. Sorry to ramble on.