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Breeding / Calving Issues
Keeping a twin heifer for a replacement
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<blockquote data-quote="Katpau" data-source="post: 1753289" data-attributes="member: 9933"><p>Interesting question. I may need to look back over my records. I have records on calf crops that go back about 25+ years and I think most ended up close to 50/50 bull to heifer. I would often start out heavy in one direction or the other, but it was usually fairly even in the end. My rainfall information goes back to 1948 and was provided by a drought insurance company for this location. </p><p></p><p>This year may have been our highest percentage of heifers ever, and in the last two years we experienced record drought. If I had to guess, I'd say LOW rain totals might mean more heifers the next year. Kind of like how trees produce more seeds in drought years or when they have been compromised by insects. In nature, extended drought results in more animals dying. More heifers could be natures way of having enough females survive to produce calves when conditions improve. We ran over 62% heifers this year. Nine of the last 10 calves born were heifers. We left the bulls in for 60 days, but 85% of the calves were born in the first 21 days and only one calved after 45 days. Opens were culled. Those last 10 calves would have been conceived a bit latter when the summer drought was really beginning to affect forage quantity and quality.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Katpau, post: 1753289, member: 9933"] Interesting question. I may need to look back over my records. I have records on calf crops that go back about 25+ years and I think most ended up close to 50/50 bull to heifer. I would often start out heavy in one direction or the other, but it was usually fairly even in the end. My rainfall information goes back to 1948 and was provided by a drought insurance company for this location. This year may have been our highest percentage of heifers ever, and in the last two years we experienced record drought. If I had to guess, I'd say LOW rain totals might mean more heifers the next year. Kind of like how trees produce more seeds in drought years or when they have been compromised by insects. In nature, extended drought results in more animals dying. More heifers could be natures way of having enough females survive to produce calves when conditions improve. We ran over 62% heifers this year. Nine of the last 10 calves born were heifers. We left the bulls in for 60 days, but 85% of the calves were born in the first 21 days and only one calved after 45 days. Opens were culled. Those last 10 calves would have been conceived a bit latter when the summer drought was really beginning to affect forage quantity and quality. [/QUOTE]
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