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Breeding / Calving Issues
Replacements out of first calve heifers?
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<blockquote data-quote="regolith" data-source="post: 620359" data-attributes="member: 9267"><p>As a dairy farmer, the main reason for not keeping replacements from heifers is that they're grazed with a run-of-the-mill Jersey bull for easy calving. The remainder of the milking herd is drafted when on-heat for AI, the yearlings not handled regularly enough to make it worth pulling them out for AI.</p><p></p><p>And this: <em>That is my other problem with keeping calves from first year heifers... that cow has not proven herself yet, nor has that bull heifer combo. How do I know I want to keep replacement from them?</em></p><p></p><p>I've kept heifer calves from natural matings. They're smaller, take longer to wean at the same weight as the older cows' calves. They seem to have caught up now - at 18 mths old. Because they're not AI bred I'll only keep them out of the best looking heifers, good healthy calves. And sometimes I've regretted it - kept a calf from a very nervous heifer, calf has same disposition. Kept another from heifer with good breeding figures, her performance wasn't half what the paperwork said it should be.</p><p>They'll be in the milking herd next year, when I'll get a better idea how they perform against the AI-bred stock. Kept six pure Jerseys (had 2/3 bull calves to heifers that season), have 5 now as one succumbed to malignant catarrhal fever last month. Usually I'd keep crossbreds as I reckon the hybrid vigour makes up for the small size at birth and lack of breeding.</p><p>Think I have three yearlings in-calf to AI (bought last winter and kept them with the dairy cows), AI'd them myself, bit trickier than older cows. But I'll be pleased to see their calves if they're heifers.</p><p>There's risk that the heifer's calf doesn't get colostrum because she's first-time Mum, but as far as I can see most of them do just fine at getting that feed.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="regolith, post: 620359, member: 9267"] As a dairy farmer, the main reason for not keeping replacements from heifers is that they're grazed with a run-of-the-mill Jersey bull for easy calving. The remainder of the milking herd is drafted when on-heat for AI, the yearlings not handled regularly enough to make it worth pulling them out for AI. And this: [i]That is my other problem with keeping calves from first year heifers... that cow has not proven herself yet, nor has that bull heifer combo. How do I know I want to keep replacement from them?[/i] I've kept heifer calves from natural matings. They're smaller, take longer to wean at the same weight as the older cows' calves. They seem to have caught up now - at 18 mths old. Because they're not AI bred I'll only keep them out of the best looking heifers, good healthy calves. And sometimes I've regretted it - kept a calf from a very nervous heifer, calf has same disposition. Kept another from heifer with good breeding figures, her performance wasn't half what the paperwork said it should be. They'll be in the milking herd next year, when I'll get a better idea how they perform against the AI-bred stock. Kept six pure Jerseys (had 2/3 bull calves to heifers that season), have 5 now as one succumbed to malignant catarrhal fever last month. Usually I'd keep crossbreds as I reckon the hybrid vigour makes up for the small size at birth and lack of breeding. Think I have three yearlings in-calf to AI (bought last winter and kept them with the dairy cows), AI'd them myself, bit trickier than older cows. But I'll be pleased to see their calves if they're heifers. There's risk that the heifer's calf doesn't get colostrum because she's first-time Mum, but as far as I can see most of them do just fine at getting that feed. [/QUOTE]
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Replacements out of first calve heifers?
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