We just weaned these calves on the 2nd. About a dozen steers and half dozen heifers. Most in the 520-600 pound range. Born late August and all through September.
Pics of fall calves
- Thread starter Aaron
- Start date
Rustler9
Well-known member
good looking calves
greenwillowherefords
Well-known member
Good looking Herefords.
Hill Creek Farm
Well-known member
Good looking group of Hereford calves. I see that you have a good head on your shoulders, because you raise Herefords. :cboy:
sidney411
Well-known member
Very nice calves! I would love to have those heifers!
Did you keep them on their momma's the whole time since they are aprox. 10 months old? Do you see a problem with the dams not gaining their condition back or problems with the new calves not having adequate colustrum?
Did you keep them on their momma's the whole time since they are aprox. 10 months old? Do you see a problem with the dams not gaining their condition back or problems with the new calves not having adequate colustrum?
OP
OP
Well Sidney, last year we left our spring calves on the cows for 9 months. We found that if you are going to leave the calves on the cows for 7 months, you might as well keep them on for another 2. Gained about another 100 pounds on the calves and they were more prepared to be weaned as they did not lose much weight due to stress. Cows didn't suffer much and all with calves weaned on December 29th calved with healthy calves again.
New research coming out of a research station working with beef cattle in our province has found that keeping calves on cows for 300 days has no long term impacts on the cows and is quite beneficial for the calves. I will try to see if the article is online or not. Some researchers are now starting to suggest that the 205 day standard for weaning weight should be changed to about 250 or even 300 days...as 205 reflects a time when calves that are weaned are susceptable for lost potential gain.
That's why we left the calves on for 10 months this time around. No problem for the cows or the calves. Looking to continue doing this 300 days weaning as it makes everything much simpler.
New research coming out of a research station working with beef cattle in our province has found that keeping calves on cows for 300 days has no long term impacts on the cows and is quite beneficial for the calves. I will try to see if the article is online or not. Some researchers are now starting to suggest that the 205 day standard for weaning weight should be changed to about 250 or even 300 days...as 205 reflects a time when calves that are weaned are susceptable for lost potential gain.
That's why we left the calves on for 10 months this time around. No problem for the cows or the calves. Looking to continue doing this 300 days weaning as it makes everything much simpler.
branxchar&charx
Well-known member
do herefords have a problem with breeding very early? something I heard. also this year, from last year's calves, had nine of them calve before they were sold in late april this year. they were born appox. 1 year before, well actually most of them were born in feb. grandpa has a year round calving season. i figured few of those heifers had to only be about 6 mos. or so when they were bred, knowing which pasture they came out of. these were mainly angus cross calves, but my grandpa said that the herefords he had always or almost always bred before weaning. these calves were weaned in nov. I know late, but if did wean like usually do they would have still dropped them calves like they did.
this question came to mind when you said that you kept the calves on for 10 mos, sorry about the stray topic.
BTW, excellecent set of calves
this question came to mind when you said that you kept the calves on for 10 mos, sorry about the stray topic.
BTW, excellecent set of calves
OP
OP
If you have any breed of heifers that are fast growing and early maturing, they can get bred before weaning. Our calves run with the cows till 10 months, but the bulls run a tight 60-day breeding season when the calves are about 2-3 months, to avoid having heifer calves getting bred. We sold 1/4 of our herd in 2002 to a new and ambitious young farmer. We warned him not to let the bull run all summer with the pairs he bought, nor in future years...due to the fact that some of our calves mature quickly and could easily be bred in late summer/early fall. He leaves his bull in for most of the year, but lives in constant concern if one of the calves has gotten bred. I don't have time to worry about stuff like that, so I just keep the breeding time range to a minimum.
greenwillowherefords
Well-known member
I have seen the results of a study-may have been Roughsedge,not sure,-showing Herefords to be the most fertile breed with a 96% conception rate.
A friend had some spring and fall calving registered Hereford cows running together, and a bull that was not yet weaned, bred a first calf heifer that cycled before her calf was more than a month old. He didn't know for sure which bull calf had bred her, so he couldn't register the calf, which was a dandy heifer. He sold the calf to a club calf breeder from another state, who bred her to calve at two, and says that she is the best cow he has ever had, a real milker.
A friend had some spring and fall calving registered Hereford cows running together, and a bull that was not yet weaned, bred a first calf heifer that cycled before her calf was more than a month old. He didn't know for sure which bull calf had bred her, so he couldn't register the calf, which was a dandy heifer. He sold the calf to a club calf breeder from another state, who bred her to calve at two, and says that she is the best cow he has ever had, a real milker.
greenwillowherefords":14zhpfzh said:
Tha MARC data from August 1977 that I have shows @ 368 Red Poll to have 83.7% having reached puberty, Herefords 31.7%, Angus 46.1%, Limousin 36.1%, Braunvieh 89.7%, Pinzgaur 85.8%, Gelbvieh 86.3%, Simmenthal 77.4% and Charolais 50.7%.
At 410 days Red Poll 88.6%, Herefords 39.9%, Angus 57.4%, Limousin 44%, Braunvieh 94.2%, Pinzgaur 92.1%, Gelbvieh 92.9%, Simmenthal 86.8% and Charolais 60.6%.
dun
Beefy":2zzbf16w said:
I've wondered about that too, and if the herds they used are good representatives of the breed or above or below average.
Fertility would be a whole different ball of wax, age at puberty doesn;t enter into that.
Tha MARC data from August 1977 that I have shows calving @ 2 years old, Red Poll 95.7%, Herefords 93.2%, Angus 93%, Limousin 96%, Braunvieh 98.2%, Pinzgaur 95.2%, Gelbvieh 93.6%, Simmenthal 97.9% and Charolais 98%.
I won't do the 3 or more years but the All Ages data are Red Poll 98%, Herefords 96.6%, Angus 97.2%, Limousin 97.8%, Braunvieh 98.3%, Pinzgaur 96%, Gelbvieh 97.9%, Simmenthal 97.3% and Charolais 98.7%.
I requested the data, it's a book, from Cundiff because I had an e-mail address for him at one time, but that was years ago.
There is tones of data from breeding to hanging
dun
greenwillowherefords
Well-known member
The study I referenced was in an article in HW in the last year or two. The Roughsedge study was 2001, if my memory serves me correctly.
