Question: Most efficient cows?

[Roadapple]

Forget breeds, but in your herd/s, what do you consider are your most efficient cows, and why? Is it size, age, or what?

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

The ones that give you a healthy calf every year,and can raise it. ;-)

 

[jcarkie]

with me it is a cow that i about 1,100 lbs and raises a calf at least 50% her weightor more, rebreeds on time and maintains her condition (easy keeper) and easy to handle.

 

[Brandonm2]

Forget breeds, but in your herd/s, what do you consider are your most efficient cows, and why? Is it size, age, or what?

THE MOST efficient cows are small cows bred too big bulls. A frame score 2 black baldy bred to a frame 8 Charolais would be the classic example. She should wean a calf that is 60% of her body weight. Longhorns or Jerseys bred to big framed heavy muscled bulls are also a pretty "efficient" cross. I don't think that necessarily produces the BEST possible feeder calves; but that kind of cross is certainly the most efficient (when you don't OVERDO it and get into dystocia problems).

I am a big fan of efficiency but like chasing the most possible weaning wts, milk, leanness, etc living on the extreme end of efficiency can create other production problems.

 

[andybob]

The ones that give you a healthy calf every year,and can raise it. ;-)

With the minimum maintenence costs.

 

[randiliana]

Our most efficient cow is 9 years old, about 900-950 lbs, she has an 80-90 lb calf every spring that will usually come in around 550 lbs when we wean at 7 months. She eats less than every one else, and while she doesn't raise "the biggest" calf, she has one that is about 55-60% of her body weight. Plus we have kept 2 of her heifers (they are a bit bigger than her) and they are both raising good calves as well. So she has produced something we can keep in the herd and that does well in the herd as well.

 

[cfpinz]

Forget breeds, but in your herd/s, what do you consider are your most efficient cows, and why? Is it size, age, or what?

Have two that are tied for most efficient. A herf and an angus, neither of which will weigh over 900 soaking wet but brings in a 500lb + calf each year. Herf looks like crap all year long, never puts on much weight, but milks well. Angus had pinkeye in both eyes before I got her, didn't pay squat for her, and her first calf brought more than I paid for her, her name's "Popeye". Ugly - yeah, money makers - you betcha. I'm not too proud to own ugly cows.

cfpinz

 

[purecountry]

I won't banter the breeds too much, but just FYI, our most efficient commercial cows are the AngusXTarentaise, and AngusXHereford. Almost all of the AngusXTarentaise wean 50% of themselves year in/year out, and a couple push 60% every year. One is 9, the other is her 7yr old 3/4 Angus daughter.

A couple of our AngusX Milking Shorthorns push the bar every year, too, and they'd have to stand on a pail to kick a duck in the @$$. 1000lbs and milk like fools of course. In our herd though, type is the key factor. Weights not so much because 2 cows can be the same height, but 200lbs apart. That good-footed, thick, fleshy type has to be there. The slab-sided, long rangy types always seem to weed themselves out, if you pay attention and let them.

 

[oakcreekfarms]

I would say that herefords have always been our most effecient cattle. They eat less then most other breeds and retain great condition. Or for stockers you can feed them as much as the others and they will gain a lot more off of the same amount of feed. That's why stockers are starting to want something other then straight angus around here. THey still want angus, just part hereford or char. At least that is the way it seems.

 

[edde_1]

The ones that give you a healthy calf every year,and can raise it. ;-)

Absolutley. Not the ones that show off in the topp and bottom of the herd. The on in the middle that you dont notice is often the best. They never get sick, they get old and pregnant till they drop, the raise average calfes.

 

[Aero]

highest percent weaned of cow weight.

 

[KMacGinley]

highest percent weaned of cow weight.

I second that.

 

[KNERSIE]

I have to agree with purecountry, that its more a case of type than its is of size or weight. This even more so when conditions are less than ideal. Any milky cow can wean a heavy calf and breed back in exceptionally good conditions and if you only consider percentage of calf weaned to dam weight you might not get the full picture.

Under my conditions a frame 4-6 thick meaty cow with a lot of width over the top and a big heart girth and a wasty brisket will more consistantly wean a calf of half her own weight or more. But keep in mind that our average annual rainfall is in the 10-12 inches a year range and we need a bit rougher cow with an tendency to pack on backfat and brisket in good times to use as an energy source in times of drought. My point being that we need to use horses for courses, but I would love to hear what type works best for you.

Another thing to consider is how much weight the cow looses while suckling the calf, for instance if a cow weighs 1800# at calving and weans a 600# calf, but she only weighs 1200# at weaning she still weaned a calf of half her weight, while another cow may only have weighed 1200# at calving, weaned a 550# calf and still weighs around 1100# herself. Also 50% efficiency rate, but if you look at #s of beef produced per acre per season, the whole efficiency thing look somewhat different for the two cows mentioned above