Problems to brag about

[Chris H]

I was watering the herd tonight and counting the fall calves. I saw a cow nursing a calf and thought, "what's the yearling heifer doing?!" Then I realized it was one of the late March calves. Another cow came along and tried to ride the calf. I was briefly upset the cow was riding because she should have been bred. Then the bull came along and was riding the calf not the cow!

For spring calving I leave the bull in to breed for calves from Mar - July. Each year, some of the Sept calvers will move into July and then a month or two earlier each year. I planned on pulling the bull this weekend & booster vax the calves & wean. I guess I'll run the Mar & April heifers through for another shot to abort any that are bred. I'm not happy about that, but real pleased that the spring heifers have grown & developed that well with no creep.

 

[Son of Butch]

O.K. a post for bragging about problems.
We had a growing season so good...the volunteer corn in the soybeans produced Full Sized cobs of corn!

 

[fenceman]

Hasn't rained in so long, I lost my pocket knife and had no problem finding it due to the lack of grass...

 

[WalnutCrest]

From a friend:

"Our new bull is so wide I had to go buy a new squeeze chute."

 

[Chris H]

I should have explained that some things rub off after 39 years of marriage to a man who complained if we didn't get rain, but if we got just the right amount and at the right time he would complain the big yields would overwork the combine, cause extra trucking, take extra fuel to dry it, wouldn't have bin room, etc!

I am glad I caught the bull breeding her yesterday because now I'll give them shots in a few weeks instead of finding out 9 months from now that they were bred.

Those other answers are good, too.

I am wondering, I've seen a lot of good looking calves on the board, do most of you also give a shot to abort any bred heifers at weaning?

 

[TCRanch]

I should have explained that some things rub off after 39 years of marriage to a man who complained if we didn't get rain, but if we got just the right amount and at the right time he would complain the big yields would overwork the combine, cause extra trucking, take extra fuel to dry it, wouldn't have bin room, etc!

I am glad I caught the bull breeding her yesterday because now I'll give them shots in a few weeks instead of finding out 9 months from now that they were bred.

Those other answers are good, too.

I am wondering, I've seen a lot of good looking calves on the board, do most of you also give a shot to abort any bred heifers at weaning?

Absolutely! We pull the bulls a minimum of 3 weeks prior to weaning & every heifer (whether or not we retain her) gets a shot of Lutalyse. We wean for a minimum of 4 weeks to monitor any health issues - and abortions - so we can sell them guaranteed open. We've learned our lesson the hard way. We're actually weaning Friday and pulled the bulls 6 weeks ago, mainly because a couple heifers come from a lineage that for some reason seems to mature earlier than the majority of the herd.

 

[WalnutCrest]

I should have explained that some things rub off after 39 years of marriage to a man who complained if we didn't get rain, but if we got just the right amount and at the right time he would complain the big yields would overwork the combine, cause extra trucking, take extra fuel to dry it, wouldn't have bin room, etc!

I am glad I caught the bull breeding her yesterday because now I'll give them shots in a few weeks instead of finding out 9 months from now that they were bred.

Those other answers are good, too.

I am wondering, I've seen a lot of good looking calves on the board, do most of you also give a shot to abort any bred heifers at weaning?

Absolutely! We pull the bulls a minimum of 3 weeks prior to weaning & every heifer (whether or not we retain her) gets a shot of Lutalyse. We wean for a minimum of 4 weeks to monitor any health issues - and abortions - so we can sell them guaranteed open. We've learned our lesson the hard way. We're actually weaning Friday and pulled the bulls 6 weeks ago, mainly because a couple heifers come from a lineage that for some reason seems to mature earlier than the majority of the herd.

I'd keep those heifers and would look to keep any really nice bulls that come from those cows / heifers.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I should have explained that some things rub off after 39 years of marriage to a man who complained if we didn't get rain, but if we got just the right amount and at the right time he would complain the big yields would overwork the combine, cause extra trucking, take extra fuel to dry it, wouldn't have bin room, etc!

I am glad I caught the bull breeding her yesterday because now I'll give them shots in a few weeks instead of finding out 9 months from now that they were bred.

Those other answers are good, too.

I am wondering, I've seen a lot of good looking calves on the board, do most of you also give a shot to abort any bred heifers at weaning?

One of the good things about not running a bull, not need for shots! :tiphat:

 

[Chris H]

I should have explained that some things rub off after 39 years of marriage to a man who complained if we didn't get rain, but if we got just the right amount and at the right time he would complain the big yields would overwork the combine, cause extra trucking, take extra fuel to dry it, wouldn't have bin room, etc!

I am glad I caught the bull breeding her yesterday because now I'll give them shots in a few weeks instead of finding out 9 months from now that they were bred.

Those other answers are good, too.

I am wondering, I've seen a lot of good looking calves on the board, do most of you also give a shot to abort any bred heifers at weaning?

One of the good things about not running a bull, not need for shots! :tiphat:

I tried to AI the yearlings and only got about half on natural heats. I work off the farm full time, hubby was not able to watch heifers close enough, then not at all. A good bull is my best way right now.

 

[Muddy]

I should have explained that some things rub off after 39 years of marriage to a man who complained if we didn't get rain, but if we got just the right amount and at the right time he would complain the big yields would overwork the combine, cause extra trucking, take extra fuel to dry it, wouldn't have bin room, etc!

I am glad I caught the bull breeding her yesterday because now I'll give them shots in a few weeks instead of finding out 9 months from now that they were bred.

Those other answers are good, too.

I am wondering, I've seen a lot of good looking calves on the board, do most of you also give a shot to abort any bred heifers at weaning?

Absolutely! We pull the bulls a minimum of 3 weeks prior to weaning & every heifer (whether or not we retain her) gets a shot of Lutalyse. We wean for a minimum of 4 weeks to monitor any health issues - and abortions - so we can sell them guaranteed open. We've learned our lesson the hard way. We're actually weaning Friday and pulled the bulls 6 weeks ago, mainly because a couple heifers come from a lineage that for some reason seems to mature earlier than the majority of the herd.

I'd keep those heifers and would look to keep any really nice bulls that come from those cows / heifers.

That IF they looks good enough to keep their bull calves. But a lot of average looking or poor quality heifer calves are bred early. That said, its a moot point as nearly all bull calves are sexually mature earlier before the heifers do.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Nature would indicate that animals who breed early and breed back quickly are the most fertile; nature would further indicate that (despite some academic research to the contrary) that this is a reasonably highly heritable trait.

Open cows are expensive...hence my observation that I'd seriously look to keep all of the early cycling heifers. That's the very best way to improve herd fertility ... keep all heifers through their first breeding season, cull all who don't breed up on time ... then ... cull any first-timers who don't breed back the second time ... then keep all these cows. The cows who have the quickest breed back should be the ones you'd look to keep a bull back out of (you'd want to keep the bulls who matured and grew the fastest) to further perpetuate the development of superior blood on your farm.

:2cents:

Or, such is my opinion on the matter (which you obviously didn't ask for!) ...

:hide:

 

[TCRanch]

"Irma" was the ugliest cow we ever had - short, fat, nappy coat, freakishly small ears - but she calved like clockwork & amazingly her calves were all good looking & I've kept back her only two heifers, the 1st one aptly named "Uno" who has followed suit & is always the first one to calve. On a side note, we also have all our heifers pelvic measured based on being bred at a minimum of 15 months. We've had some big heifers not "measure up" & they have to go.

 

[Muddy]

Nature would indicate that animals who breed early and breed back quickly are the most fertile; nature would further indicate that (despite some academic research to the contrary) that this is a reasonably highly heritable trait.

Open cows are expensive...hence my observation that I'd seriously look to keep all of the early cycling heifers. That's the very best way to improve herd fertility ... keep all heifers through their first breeding season, cull all who don't breed up on time ... then ... cull any first-timers who don't breed back the second time ... then keep all these cows. The cows who have the quickest breed back should be the ones you'd look to keep a bull back out of (you'd want to keep the bulls who matured and grew the fastest) to further perpetuate the development of superior blood on your farm.

:2cents:

Or, such is my opinion on the matter (which you obviously didn't ask for!) ...

:hide:

Again, you're only talking about one trait. I have to look at more than just fertility if I want to keep replacements.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Nature would indicate that animals who breed early and breed back quickly are the most fertile; nature would further indicate that (despite some academic research to the contrary) that this is a reasonably highly heritable trait.

Open cows are expensive...hence my observation that I'd seriously look to keep all of the early cycling heifers. That's the very best way to improve herd fertility ... keep all heifers through their first breeding season, cull all who don't breed up on time ... then ... cull any first-timers who don't breed back the second time ... then keep all these cows. The cows who have the quickest breed back should be the ones you'd look to keep a bull back out of (you'd want to keep the bulls who matured and grew the fastest) to further perpetuate the development of superior blood on your farm.

:2cents:

Or, such is my opinion on the matter (which you obviously didn't ask for!) ...

:hide:

Again, you're only talking about one trait. I have to look at more than just fertility if I want to keep replacements.

Fertility, fleshing ability on limited/low inputs, and temperament are my top three.

Other stuff will take care of itself over time if poor performers are eliminated. IMO.

How do you see it?

 

[Muddy]

Disposition, fleshing ability, milking ability, bred on time and raising retainable/respectful calves.

Early fertility can be a good thing. BUT they're also a curse and lute didn't always work. Most times, the oops heifers grew the wheels. In the nature, many animals that got bred too early, they always abandoned their first baby or died from birth complications or malnourished.

 

[u4411clb]

Fertility covers fleshing ability. A cow is not going to come in heat early or first unless she is in good condition early or first. Milking ability at least in the part of the south I am in is a two edged sword. A cow that milks too much is just as bad as a cow that milks too little. Fertility takes care of the cow that milks too much. Because if a cow milks too much for her inputs or environment it is not going to breed early or first. Fertility also covers being able to adapt to the grass in my case hot fescue. If a cow can't adapt then she is not going to breed early or first. Fertility generally covers health and feet issues as well because an early breeder is not going to have repeated feet issues or health problems. Fertility also covers calving ease for the most part. If you have a hard pull of a calf or a retained placenta that cow is usually not going to breed back early or first.

So imo yes in the commercial business where you don't get paid for one off's meaning you sell a half load or load at 550 lbs and anything over you are giving away for free fertility is the number 1 and number 2 and number 3 thing you look for.

And yes I do like Hereford bulls to be out of DOD Dams of Distinction and that helps to take care of all the issues I listed above.

 

[Chris H]

Fertility covers fleshing ability. A cow is not going to come in heat early or first unless she is in good condition early or first. Milking ability at least in the part of the south I am in is a two edged sword. A cow that milks too much is just as bad as a cow that milks too little. Fertility takes care of the cow that milks too much. Because if a cow milks too much for her inputs or environment it is not going to breed early or first. Fertility also covers being able to adapt to the grass in my case hot fescue. If a cow can't adapt then she is not going to breed early or first. Fertility generally covers health and feet issues as well because an early breeder is not going to have repeated feet issues or health problems. Fertility also covers calving ease for the most part. If you have a hard pull of a calf or a retained placenta that cow is usually not going to breed back early or first.

So imo yes in the commercial business where you don't get paid for one off's meaning you sell a half load or load at 550 lbs and anything over you are giving away for free fertility is the number 1 and number 2 and number 3 thing you look for.

And yes I do like Hereford bulls to be out of DOD Dams of Distinction and that helps to take care of all the issues I listed above.

Excellent points. If you raise registered Herefords send me a PM if you sell bulls.

 

[Chris H]

Disposition, fleshing ability, milking ability, bred on time and raising retainable/respectful calves.

Early fertility can be a good thing. BUT they're also a curse and lute didn't always work. Most times, the oops heifers grew the wheels. In the nature, many animals that got bred too early, they always abandoned their first baby or died from birth complications or malnourished.

In 20 years we've only had 2 early(younger than 20 months) calvers. Both did well & bred back timely. But 2 isn't much of a sample.

 

[Muddy]

Disposition, fleshing ability, milking ability, bred on time and raising retainable/respectful calves.

Early fertility can be a good thing. BUT they're also a curse and lute didn't always work. Most times, the oops heifers grew the wheels. In the nature, many animals that got bred too early, they always abandoned their first baby or died from birth complications or malnourished.

In 20 years we've only had 2 early(younger than 20 months) calvers. Both did well & bred back timely. But 2 isn't much of a sample.

Had few 13-15 months old calvers before and they're not in the herd anymore. Stunted and not bred on time is the reason why they got culled.

 

[ram]

Our hay is so thick, I had to tedder it twice and wait 3 days for it to dry.