three down, one to go

[Dave]

I had four teen pregnancy heifers amongst the heifers I bought this year. I luted every thing when they came home but I guess these were too far along for the lute to work. So when the rest went out with the bull and off to summer pasture these four stayed at the house. The first two popped out calves with no problems at all. Number 3 looked like it was about to happen on Sunday evening. She got regular checks from Sunday about 6:00 pm to Monday 11:00 am. About half the time she was acting like she was about to calf any time the other half she would be just eating like nothing was happening. Dang heifers will drive you nuts. At the 2:00 check there was a feeble looking little bull calf and she was off eating. I got them into a pen together and she was liking him more by the time we went through that. But I didn't think he had nursed. I got her locked up and she was good. But she is a little long legged and he is short legged. I couldn't get him to nurse. I had to go so I left a note for the wife. When she got home she was either going to get him to nurse or get some powdered colostrum down him. She got already and about the time she was going to start working on them the calf found the buffet. I don't think he has stopped sucking ever since. He is still mighty small but he isn't nearly as feeble. So 3 down 1 to go. Anyone interested in about 4 teenage moms and their babies?

 

[Supa Dexta]

Good run so far. How long from time they left the bull until you luted them? And what age were they at that point.

 

[cowgirl8]

Um, no thanks...If i were you i'd take those calves off those heifers if you plan to keep them. Odds are they wont breed back this year if nursing a calf. If you dont plan to keep the heifers, then i guess it doesnt matter.

 

[cow pollinater]

I bought a couple like that this spring. I suspected they were bred, as did everyone else in the barn according to the price, and the last one calved today. I kept about as close of an eye as I ever do on them which means I saw them at least once a day unless I missed them that day... or the next. Every one did it on their own.
One good thing about the black is best deal is that just about everyone and their neighbor is running angus bulls so when you buy bred heifers without a history there's at least a decent chance of them being bred to a somewhat calving ease bull.

 

[TCRanch]

Congrats & sending good juju for the last one! Our last heifer just calved today. We held her back a couple months and everything went perfect but I was terrified because the one before her was a complete nightmare.

 

[Dave]

These heifers are all that famous line of breeding; out of saleyard by truck. They are sale yard purchased in March when they weighed 750-800 pounds. They are all black and all the calves are black. The only one I know anything about the breeding is the one that hasn't calved yet. That heifer's sire and possibly the sire of the calf that she is carrying came from the same people I get my bulls from. I wont keep any of these heifers. They were bought to be bred and sold as bred heifers this fall. Once #4 has her calf and the calves get a little age (about a month) they will all get a trailer ride.
Buy 60 heifers that weigh 800 pounds and you will be surprised how many of them will already be bred. That is the reason that I lute them all when they get home. Last year I had pretty good luck. The lute aborted all but one. This year not so good.

 

[TCRanch]

These heifers are all that famous line of breeding; out of saleyard by truck. They are sale yard purchased in March when they weighed 750-800 pounds. They are all black and all the calves are black. The only one I know anything about the breeding is the one that hasn't calved yet. That heifer's sire and possibly the sire of the calf that she is carrying came from the same people I get my bulls from. I wont keep any of these heifers. They were bought to be bred and sold as bred heifers this fall. Once #4 has her calf and the calves get a little age (about a month) they will all get a trailer ride.
Buy 60 heifers that weigh 800 pounds and you will be surprised how many of them will already be bred. That is the reason that I lute them all when they get home. Last year I had pretty good luck. The lute aborted all but one. This year not so good.

We pull the bulls at least 6 weeks prior to weaning & every heifer gets a shot. We don't sell until they are generally 45 days weaned (partially to watch for abortion) & sell as guaranteed open - so far we've either been lucky or no one has complained.

 

[City Guy]

When you say you pull the bulls 6 weeks ahead of weaning which bulls are you talking about, the drop mates of the heifers or the sires of the crop? Sorry to be so ignorant

 

[TCRanch]

When you say you pull the bulls 6 weeks ahead of weaning which bulls are you talking about, the drop mates of the heifers or the sires of the crop? Sorry to be so ignorant

The sires. As a general rule we band our bull calves day 1 or 2; if we miss one (bad timing, couldn't catch it, ornery mama) they're cut the first time we work them around 3 months. That said, we occasionally keep a bull calf intact to sell private treaty (we have one this year) and we'll pull them the same time. Rare, but it is possible for a weanling bull to breed a heifer calf - a cow not so much just by virtue of logistics. And BTW that was a valid question