I bought some heifers back in October of last year the average weight was 545 lbs. I have been feeding the about 6 lbs of a good 12 to 14 % feed each. I am planing on putting them on good pasture in March. And putting a bull on them the first of May. My question is. Should i keep feeding them grain after i put them on pasture ? And how old would you guess the heifer's might have been when i bought them in October ?
Raising Heifer's
- Thread starter Stepper
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Crowderfarms
Well-known member
With good pasture, you should not need the feed, unless you just want to give them some to keep em' coming to you.Stepper":2y8nbaau said:
Stepper":qbve9vo9 said:
as long as they are 60-65% of their mature weight, it should be fine. 1300 lb * .60 = 780 lb.
from October to May = 7 months * 30.42 days/month = 213 days.
they need to gain (780 - 545)lb/213 days = 1.1 lb/day from Oct to May.
most healthy heifers gain 1.5 lbs/day easily so they should be fine in my numeric assessment. others might be able to give you a more hands on approach.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
Probably not, but alot depends on breed and what type bull you breed them to. If you have been feeding good since October, I'd think they'd be plenty big enough. I think the rule for plain old range cattle is 15 months or at least 800 lbs, these days.Stepper":2a8e3nen said:
Susie David
Well-known member
What breed of heifers and what's the status of the bull, breed, size, weight. How about his calves...birth weight, etc.
IMO your heifers will be ready but we like to use a low birth weight bull on the young grils. A old herd bull can really do a number on a small heifer...DMc
IMO your heifers will be ready but we like to use a low birth weight bull on the young grils. A old herd bull can really do a number on a small heifer...DMc
My bull is a registered black angus with a EPD # 3.5 and he is about 15 months old right now. I am not good a guessing weight but would guess him to be close to 1000 lbs probably a little shy of that. I just bought him a couple of weeks ago and can not remember his blood line right off hand. I think he weighed 64 lbs at birth. When i get his registration papers back i will post more information about him.
Oh yeah and the heifer's are a mixed breed i am sure. I bought them at the sale barn. They look like they are mostly black angus. They dont have alot of ear on them like a brangus or breed of that type. They are solid black. I would guess them to be mostly black angus if not pure bred angus.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Well, not to burst your bubble, but if the bull is shy of 1000# at 15 months old, you don't have much of a bull. You have a male with testicles (a cow settler), and hopefully he will be developed enough to settle your heifers by May.
What are you feeding your bull?? He should be getting fed to grow if you expect him to settle females this spring.
What are you feeding your bull?? He should be getting fed to grow if you expect him to settle females this spring.
Hasbeen
Well-known member
Stepper, your situation and questions sound very much like mine. I would like to see some pictures if you have them.
Also, as one newbie to another, I have a tip for you. If you click on 'search' at the top of the page and type in the word you're interested in such as 'heifer' or 'hay', you'll find that there have been some really good discussions on almost every topic you can think of. Really has helped me.
Also, as one newbie to another, I have a tip for you. If you click on 'search' at the top of the page and type in the word you're interested in such as 'heifer' or 'hay', you'll find that there have been some really good discussions on almost every topic you can think of. Really has helped me.
Jeannie,
I am feeding my bull a 12 lb ration of performance gest a day and have a mineral feeder with a mineral called right now (onanyx) I keep a bale of world feeder bemuda hay out for him. Like i said in my earlier post i am not good at guessing an animals weight. Exspecially a bull there is more muscel to a bull than a cow. So he might weigh 1200 lbs or more. I dont know. The bull is a AI bull that was raised by a reputable breeder who is well know and respected here in this area. So i feel pretty confident the bull of descent quality.
I am feeding my bull a 12 lb ration of performance gest a day and have a mineral feeder with a mineral called right now (onanyx) I keep a bale of world feeder bemuda hay out for him. Like i said in my earlier post i am not good at guessing an animals weight. Exspecially a bull there is more muscel to a bull than a cow. So he might weigh 1200 lbs or more. I dont know. The bull is a AI bull that was raised by a reputable breeder who is well know and respected here in this area. So i feel pretty confident the bull of descent quality.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Its good to hear you purchased a good bull. If you are feeding 12# and he weighs 1200#, he is getting 1% of his body weight - which is minimum, and is fine if he is truly in good condition - body score of 6.5 or 7.
Grand Chaser
Well-known member
To me it depends on if the heifer is solely depentdant on feed and hay. If they are i try to feed them until they get back up in decent shape with that first calf. I have had some bad experiances with fist time heifers and they havn't been to pretty or nice on my wallet either.
