Mostly Heifer calves

[chaded]

I still have some to calve but the first 5 have been heifer calves this year. Last year I only had 2 bull calves. Same bull was used for last years batch and this year. This would be these cows 2nd calves. I think between last year and this year so far we are at 86-87% heifers?

You think a bull thing? I have heard people talk about environment and PH being a factor although I have never had this with other cattle here. Just a fluke you think?

 

[clovlanfarms]

I still have some to calve but the first 5 have been heifer calves this year. Last year I only had 2 bull calves. Same bull was used for last years batch and this year. This would be these cows 2nd calves. I think between last year and this year so far we are at 86-87% heifers?

You think a bull thing? I have heard people talk about environment and PH being a factor although I have never had this with other cattle here. Just a fluke you think?

one year i had 28 bulls out of 30 cows now that was different.

 

[farmerjan]

We had a bull that threw 75% heifers year after year...had him for 7 breeding seasons... and one cow family of mine had 75% heifer calves....she had 9 heifers and 2 bull calves her whole life...kept several daughters.... then granddaughters started having more bull calves but used different bulls too. Yes, it is some ph and some environment, but it also seems to run in some different families of animals...
I think TC has had only 2 heifer calves out of one of her cows and I know she has used different bulls.....

 

[ClinchValley86]

one year i had 28 bulls out of 30 cows now that was different.

That sounds lovely for right now.

 

[Mat Man]

10 heifers 2 bulls this year total opposite of last year same bulls.

 

[WFfarm]

I had a coworker that had this theory about having girls or boys. He said the female sperm (x) are more vigorous and better able to penetrate the egg wall. But, the male sperm (Y) are faster swimmers. So if you want to have a baby boy you have to make for a longer race. He said it's all about length and distance. I don't know how much of that is true, but he had sons. Maybe bulls with shorter equipment have more bull calves?

 

[Warren Allison]

Only the male in any mammal species determines the sex. And over a life tme., a male will produce 50% male and 50% female sperm. Take your average back yard pool. Fill it with a gazillion red marbles and a gazillion white marbles. Then , while blindfolded,. .take them out one at a time. You won't get them out one red, then one white, then one red etc. Maybe for a while you mighty. But you may get 10,100, 1000 of one color before you get one of the other color. before you empty the pool. A bull, stallion, man, dog.,.. whatever..... will not sire 2 gazillion offspring but if he did, he'd end up with a gazillion girls and a gazillion boys.

 

[clovlanfarms]

We had a bull that threw 75% heifers year after year...had him for 7 breeding seasons... and one cow family of mine had 75% heifer calves....she had 9 heifers and 2 bull calves her whole life...kept several daughters.... then granddaughters started having more bull calves but used different bulls too. Yes, it is some ph and some environment, but it also seems to run in some different families of animals...
I think TC has had only 2 heifer calves out of one of her cows and I know she has used different bulls.....

the bull choses the sex i hear feed has a lot to do with it.

 

[Travlr]

I still have some to calve but the first 5 have been heifer calves this year. Last year I only had 2 bull calves. Same bull was used for last years batch and this year. This would be these cows 2nd calves. I think between last year and this year so far we are at 86-87% heifers?

You think a bull thing? I have heard people talk about environment and PH being a factor although I have never had this with other cattle here. Just a fluke you think?

PH is definitely a factor... whether it applies to yours is another conversation.

 

[Travlr]

I had a coworker that had this theory about having girls or boys. He said the female sperm (x) are more vigorous and better able to penetrate the egg wall. But, the male sperm (Y) are faster swimmers. So if you want to have a baby boy you have to make for a longer race. He said it's all about length and distance. I don't know how much of that is true, but he had sons. Maybe bulls with shorter equipment have more bull calves?

He's half right. Just not the complete story. The mucus inside both the bull and the cow influence how easy it is for the sperm to swim. That mucosal environment is what is influenced by PH.

There are other factors to consider too. Temperature and timing from standing heat, and other things.

We see a lot of human families with five girls or five boys, many more than would be explained by chance. PH is the reason. I can usually predict what sex a child will be from asking what their favorite meal is. Not 100%, but better than 50/50.

 

[coachg]

Always heard the earlier in the heat cycle a bull breeds the cow the more likely it will be a heifer . Younger bulls get more heifers because they are more aggressive to breed than an older bull . Always pretty much works out 50/50 for me so don't know if this holds true . Urban legend ( farm legend ) ??

 

[4hfarms]

Had the first yesterday, so we are at 100% female!

Too soon huh?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

When artificially breeding - the "speed" of the sperm can be utilized to help predict by breeding really early in her cycle vs normal or late in her cycle. But, if you breed too early, you get lower conception rates. Theory being, male sperm is slimmer and faster and arrives at the LOCATION for the egg before the fat slower female sperm. If bred early, male arrives - no egg. Slow poke females arrive as the egg is ovulated.

 

[Hogfarmer10]

I'm the opposite right now. 18 first time heifers currently calving. Of those, 12 have calved. Only 2 heifer calves. Also, this is the first breeding with this 2yr old bull.

 

[Hogfarmer10]

Also, I used to manage a farm for another man. He had 42 black angus cows and one "high dollar" angus bull. Calved year round. During the 4 years I managed them, he never had more than 4 heifers born in a year.

 

[Silver]

Heifer calves are leading by 25 here currently.

 

[GoWyo]

I think we got the end of the AI sired calves here. 18 bulls and 15 heifers and 2 pasture sired bull calves from cows I didn't sync. I never breed til they quit standing and breed morning and evening.

 

[Warren Allison]

So far, the January and February calves for the Corriente herd have run about 50/50 . A good many March calves have already been born, We will see what they are when we work them end of March. Through out the years about a 60/40 , either way, has been the max on sex variation. This will be our first herd in 20 or more years that we didn't have all calving in February. It is kinda gonna be a bust this year. The dude we had sold them to used ONE Angus bull on the 100+ cows, and he was obviously not pure Angus. Got a few off colored calves, and even a scur or two. When we sold him the herd in 22, they had weaned 100+ black polled calves in August, and had 100+ black polled calves Feb 23. Actually,. Scott and I are ok with this 4-5 month calving window he let them deteriorate to. It does us no good to have 100 calves top carry to the sale at the same time. And it is a lot of work for us 2 old cripples. It won't be so bad getting up 20-25 each month to carry to the sale. We had 19 January calves, and 25 Feb calves, and it looked like this Sunday there were already that many March calves, and we were just half way through the month. .

 

[Dave]

The bulls were well ahead but lately the heifers have been gaining ground.

 

[TCRanch]

I think TC has had only 2 heifer calves out of one of her cows and I know she has used different bulls.....

I've had a couple that threw almost all bulls. But I believe you're referring to Pipsqueak (Squeaker). As of last year, she had only given me 2 heifers, but this year, her 12th calf is also a heifer. Keeping her as well!