REPLACEMENT HEIFERS? How and Why!

[DOC HARRIS]

Any time someone wishes to stimulate a heated discussion, all that needs to happen is to post a thread regarding whether EPD's are effective - or - a collection of scientific lies!

Along with the discussion, there usually comes into light some comment about whether it is "better" to raise replacement heifers, - or - buy them. Every rancher has his or her own personal dogma concerning Replacements - but I invariably question whether they really know WHY they persist in their dogmatic attitude regarding retaining or purchasing Replacement heifers. Is it because of a bad experience in their choosing one or the other of the options, or whether they are merely mouthing platitudes that they have heard someone else express!

In any case, I would recommend your reading an article which appears on CattleToday front page today titled, "Manage Replacement Heifers for Fertility and Productivity in Herd." The suggestions noted in this article, combined with your personal opinions in relationship to 'Raising or Buying Replacements' may make for some interesting debate. I would recommend, though, that you have solid reasoning and logic for your point of view.

There is a lot more than meets the eye in the decisions concerning replacement females, and EPD's are part of the subject matter involved. Be prepared to defend your preference because very probably someone will attempt to change your mind - whatever choice you make!

Read the article before you come to any 'closed-minded' decisions. You may change your mind, whatever your attitude may be at the present time! What you did and why you did it five or ten years ago may not be expedient today!

Or - maybe it is!

DOC HARRIS

 

[bigbull338]

i can go either way buy or raise replacementsan ive done it both ways.an they work fine.but id rather buy 1st or 2nd calf cows as replacements.b/ecause raising a heifer takes 2yrs to get calf on the ground.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Well Doc that was a very interesting article. It was also very informative.
The one thing I could not agree with for our program is feeding Monensin to bring on puberty in yearling heifers. We calve in the end of Febuary for first year heifers and the first of March for the main herd.
We start feeding our calves out in the pasture one month before weaning. Then the replacements get oat hay, grass and Weaner-T pellets. Once the pellets are gone they get fed ground barley. The second year heifers are brought in and fed with the first year heifers. Same feed as the replacements, but no pellets.
We start watching the heifers around the first of May. We are watching to see if they are cycling.

The article did give me alot to consider with our program. Thanks for letting us know about it Doc.

 

[ENNOT]

I think most of it comes down to how your operation is set up to manage replacement heifers. We are able to run our replacements by themselves on grass and hay. They don't get any grain ever in their lives. If they can't do it our way, they are sold as they cull themselves. The other thing I like about raising our own is that we know who the mother is and how good of a mother she is.

On the other side, I would have no problem going and buying replacements if I knew where they came from and what type of genetics, not epd's, they have. I definitely think you can save some money, mostly in the time it takes to raise a replacement, if you can get them bought at a price that reflects the quality of cows you are buying.

Both sides have their advantages and disadvantages, it just depends on how you can operate your business to make them work.

 

[blueridge]

I prefer to purchase replacement heifers. I do it simply from a time factor. With so many reputable breeders today it allows me to find what I am looking for genetically and not have to wait the 14 months to breed them. This does not however guarantee the end result I might want. Just because a heifer has a particular lineage doesn't allways mean that she will exhibit the desired genetics. Just like with children.
So far I have been fortunate to work with heifers that I could put a hold on when they were newborn (based on parents) and had the right to withdraw the purchase if I did not like how they looked at purchase time.

 

[bgm]

I purchase replacements. The reason is I have a breeder not far from me that steers all bull calves, and only keeps the top 3 heifers for show. I hand pick from what he doesn't want, which are still pretty good stock. Since he's keeping show stock, I'm getting the moderate framed ones which I like better anyway. They've done real well for me and he prices them at or below feeder prices.

 

[purecountry]

Have to say I refuse to buy replacements, just because I don't know EXACTLY what I'm getting. For sure not the way I know my own cows. Most of my herd traces back to a base of 10yr old cows I started with, and still have most of them. Some are just great for raising beef, and some are great for raising replacements. So every year, when I pick replacements, I have a list of cows that I will use daughters out of, and I pick from those heifers. It has nothing to do with EPD's obviously, but rather is based on frame, feet, flesh, disposition, and the mother's history of breeding in a 60-day season without ever missing, and bringing in a live calf every year.

Keep in mind, we're all grass, and trying to move away from cattle that need feed. Replacements like that are hard to come by from seedstock outfits around here. That's why we're trying to raise them.

 

[manaftergodsheart413]

I think that it is better to raise your own replacement females because if someone is selecting good enough bulls they should be the overall improvement of your herd.

 

[manaftergodsheart413]

I purchase replacements. The reason is I have a breeder not far from me that steers all bull calves, and only keeps the top 3 heifers for show. I hand pick from what he doesn't want, which are still pretty good stock. Since he's keeping show stock, I'm getting the moderate framed ones which I like better anyway. They've done real well for me and he prices them at or below feeder prices.

Sounds like a good deal.

 

[novatech]

I think weather you buy or raise replacements is about what type of operation one has, their goal, and their financial status.

I have penciled it out and find there is no way to to come out ahead raiseing replacements in a commercial operation.
But on the other end with a regestered seedstock operation it is an entirely different story. They are in the business of produceing seedstock heifers and bulls.
Then there are those in the middle that produce heifers for replacements to the commercial opperators. This is where the most risk is. Takeing high dollar seedstock (usually culls) from different breeds and comming up with an affordable, yet profitable heifer for the commercial producer.

 

[SEC]

It all has to do with choices and what things are worth to every operation.

Buying heifers can be simple, choice ....off farm or from the auction mart and risk introducing something to the farm.

If you buy 10 yearling heifers you will end up with 7 or 8 heifers being kept. There is always 2 or 3 being culled for disposition, pregnant, etc.

Buy replacements as bred heifers, there will still be some that won't work as well. I know some commercial guys that will stand behind their heifers and if they don't work they will replace them for you.

Some want to buy 3-4 year old cows because they have been sorted numerously for many things and should be the cream of the crop. There will still be the same amount culled due to the fact that some will work to hard and come up open.

So really I don't think it matters at what stage you buy heifers there will be some culling to do.

Home raised there would still be culling but if you know the cows really well you will likely only keep replacements out of your favorite cows. But at least you can decide if the mother is good enough.

We all have different ideas of what is right!