Only One Left to calve.

[Margonme]

All my fall calves are on the ground except one. A cow due 10/26/16 with a Broadway calf.

Last night about midnight, I checked Cricket. She was 283 days post ET. She was nervous and her tail was flicking.

Checked her at 3 am and there was a calf nursing at her side. This morning, I weighed the calf, clipped the umbilical cord, sprayed it with iodine, and saw it was a heifer. All black.

FSSR Mulan's Cricket (one of my Government Heifers, )
Calved 10/18/16 about 3 am
283 days post ET
72 pounds
Heifer
Unassisted

 

[frieghttrain]

They look nice Ron. What's the sire? http://www.selectsiresbeef.com/index.ph ... =Simmental What's your thought's on this bull?

 

[Margonme]

They look nice Ron. What's the sire?

I just ask Fire Sweep that same question. I recently got my phone wet. I had that info on my phone. Most of my records on treatment and breeding are hard copy, thank goodness. Kris has not responded yet. When I get the info I will post it. I do remember she said if it was a heifer she gets first option on it.

 

[Margonme]

They look nice Ron. What's the sire? http://www.selectsiresbeef.com/index.ph ... =Simmental What's your thought's on this bull?

His EPDs are excellent! I will leave that to Fire Sweep. She studies these Bulls with a passion. She knows my cows well enough that she does all my mating selections.

I have heard her mention this bull. She is not fond of his phenotype.

 

[Margonme]

BTW: that heifer has the highest pelvic score of any I have had measured. 222 square centimeters.

 

[Supa Dexta]

http://www.selectsiresbeef.com/index.ph ... =Simmental What's your thought's on this bull?

Looks good, numbers included.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Ron, nice looking calf.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

That calf is sired by Shear Force (here are his EPD's: https://herdbook.org/simmapp/action/ani ... rs=2081939) and a picture of him (long dead) http://cdiamondranch.com/simmentals/hoo ... force-38k/.
Her dam is JM Alice, who is a Remington Red Label x Lucky Dice and the great H25 cow.

It is the only embryo that stuck out of that mating. Talk about a keeper for life! Shear Force walked the pastures for 12 years, along with being heavily collected. Anyone who has had a Shear Force daughter, or son, knows the value of his genetics from a production standpoint. With an accuracy of 97%, he is in the top 1% of the breed for 8 EPD traits, maternal and terminal (I tried to find out how many calves he has sired... all I know is the spreadsheet only loads 500 head, and that he has 500 calves registered from 2/15 to 9/16 - in just 20 months, and he has been dead for 5 years now). Throw that together with Red Label and Lucky Dice, along with the great H25 cow (dam to NUMEROUS well known AI sires), seems like the genetics should click. These are NOT show genetics, but performance genetics that plain flat out work.
I told Ron that if he got a bull, I wanted to market it for him. If he got a heifer, I wanted it back! lol :lol:

The other bull listed, Ollie, is not my type of bull. He is too heavy fronted for me, lots of excess leather. That is one thing I try to clean up on our cattle, since it seems to be a Simmental trait! But he would work well on Angus cows!
Congrats Ron. Seems your concern about birth weights has been more related to genetics than your farm! We sure did bring them down this year with the right matings... :tiphat:

 

[Margonme]

Thank you Fire Sweep Ranch. You do me too much honor in selling me cattle bred so well. In fact, I have four of your cattle in production at Bright Raven Simmental Farm. I hold the distinction of being the holder of more Fire Sweep Branded cows purchased as heifers than anyone except Fire Sweep Simmental Ranch. Each coming with excellent breeding.

As well bred as FSSR Mulan's Cricket was, Cricket deserves the opportunity to pass on her own Genetics. She is one of my prize possessions. To assure she gets the best opportunity possible, I am going to have a LEGEND breed her. I am calling upon INYATI, the man with the sure hand. The Great One with the mitis touch! But he will need your recommendation on the Sire. Never tell him this, but he don't know one bull from the other. However, you put a semen syringe in his hands and he becomes an Artist.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Based on the calf pictured and you reporting that she weighs in at 72 lbs I have a sneaky feeling that our calves are heavier than I have been giving them credit for.

Nice calf Ron.

 

[Margonme]

Based on the calf pictured and you reporting that she weighs in at 72 lbs I have a sneaky feeling that our calves are heavier than I have been giving them credit for.

Nice calf Ron.

In my travels around this region, I have made two observations.

First, I get comments that my cows ( at least four or five) are too big. The two Hudson Pine bred cows are big. Price and Bartlet are 1600 pound cows. But when I drive through the country, I look at the cattle on the side of the road. 90 % are black. And most are in that 1400 to 1600 pound range. At least, they look like they are to me.

Second, when I see newborn calves, I see many that are in the 80 to 90 pound range. There are certainly big calves out there.

Most producers do not weigh their calves. They are working under the false assumption that they are 70 to 80 pound calves when I think they are 80 to 90 pound calves.

Edited to add: TT, your Angus cows are not small framed. I think your average cow there is close to 1400 pounds.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I won't disagree. I'd love to get some actual weights.

 

[wbvs58]

She looks a little beauty Ron, very cute in that woolly coat, should be right for winter.
Gonna be a letdown when that last one calves, have to wait until next year to get your surprises again.

Ken