Ky hills
Well-known member
Just thought that I would honestly and openly share something that may be of benefit to others, although I'm sure most take steps to avoid this. Years ago when I had registered Charolais, I weaned the calves at an average of 7 1/2 months, worked fine until a heifer calf came up bred a couple years in a row. Since then I started weaning around 6 months for the oldest calves.
Since I have been buying 5-600 weight heifers to be wintered and later sold as bred, I have ended up with at least 1 to be bred before I bought them. I have kept them and calved them out, most of the time they have calved ok and raised pretty good calves, but it was a lot more watching and work. My 2016 calves were spaced out from late Feb-May, and I weaned them
when the oldest were barely 6 months. Since the calves are Angus and Hereford cross, I thought there could be a chance the oldest calves may have been in heat, we Lutalysed them at weaning. Fast forward to now, I noticed a couple of them looking to be bred. This summer, I am hoping to fix a bull lot to have a place that will hold an older bull away from the cows and calves.
And as if I'm not crazy enough, after realizing those heifers are bred, last week at a cow sale I bought a heifer 4-6 months bred to go along with them. I figured that I would be having to watch those like a hawk, I may as well take a chance on another one. :hide:
Since I have been buying 5-600 weight heifers to be wintered and later sold as bred, I have ended up with at least 1 to be bred before I bought them. I have kept them and calved them out, most of the time they have calved ok and raised pretty good calves, but it was a lot more watching and work. My 2016 calves were spaced out from late Feb-May, and I weaned them
when the oldest were barely 6 months. Since the calves are Angus and Hereford cross, I thought there could be a chance the oldest calves may have been in heat, we Lutalysed them at weaning. Fast forward to now, I noticed a couple of them looking to be bred. This summer, I am hoping to fix a bull lot to have a place that will hold an older bull away from the cows and calves.
And as if I'm not crazy enough, after realizing those heifers are bred, last week at a cow sale I bought a heifer 4-6 months bred to go along with them. I figured that I would be having to watch those like a hawk, I may as well take a chance on another one. :hide: