Separating heifers and bulls

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Cucumber35

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In the past we've kept replacement heifers in their own lot until ready to breed, giving hay and supplementing with a little grain to help them grow. I'm not too sure the grain was really all that helpful or necessary especially with decent hay. The Bull or Bulls usually gets wintered with the cow herd. I'm trying to plan for this winter and intend on keeping quite a few replacements, more than normal. Wondering if I'm better off to let the heifers stay with the cow herd and pen the bull up? Seems to be less work that way and I could give the bull some grain to make sure he's in good condition come spring...
How do the rest of you do it and what are the advantages?
 
Some years we do it one way, some years the other. No rhyme or reason, just whatever mood strikes me.
 
I prefer to keep heifers far away from the cows so they don't decide to become a chronic sucker their whole life. They won't see a cow again all winter, and perhaps the next summer season even, depending on pasture turn out.
 
What you've been doing is the same way I handle mine. I'm a big believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
 
We keep our heifers away from the cow herd until a month or so before they calve so they don't have to fight for cubes & it's easier to make sure they get adequate nutrition (main calving is in spring/cold/wet/snow). Bulls are pulled off the cows a month prior to weaning & kept in a separate pasture until it's time to turn them out again.
 
I keep heifers yearly and the pastures cut in 2 and the heifers are in a paddock that has a lot of strong current on the electric fence the bull looks over but he knows those lines don't play. I hate having to drive to different places to feed so I had started keeping all on one place its easier on me.
 
Well I can agree with the "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Fence is what's broken though! Lol. I guess I shouldn't try to take the easy way out and pen the bull... Just need to find time to build some more fences and probably install a better setup for water. Winter is gonna sneak right up on me, can't believe it's September already. If we have a hard winter I'm gonna be cutting it close on hay and I have a buddy with an excess of baleage that would probably be better utilized feeding to heifers than cows anyway. Better go borrow his post pounder again I suppose.
 
Where you located Cuke? In upstate NY we're being told it's gonna be a snowy one.
I hear ya on the whole "can't believe it's sept thing." Going down into the 40's tonight supposedly. Don't mind that, just hate the daylight hours getting chipped away at!
 
One reason I prefer most times to leaving the bull with the cows and the heifers separate is becuase I get ired of hearing him moan/beller 24/7 when he is away from them.
 
I'm right on the MD PA line. I keep hearing talk about a snowy winter here as well... Which is fine by me since I do a lot of snow removal in my contracting business, doesn't make tending to cattle very pleasant though. We had the record breaker blizzard last year and I have a feeling we are gonna be prime for snow this year as well, probably nothing like what you get up there though!
 

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