Cross breeder #1
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- Feb 19, 2012
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bse":3u987hqf said:Ill try and explain what I told our extension agent when they were preaching these smaller cattle. They said cows have a certain number per hundred weight DMI it was around 1.8lbs. so a smaller cow has less intake than a big cow which means everybody has to have 1100lb cows and everybody there thinks its the gospel. When it was over I explained to him if you have 100 eleven hundred pound cows it gives you 110,000 ponds of cow, to make that same amount of pounds in 1400 lbs cows it takes 79 it will be 110,600. Assuming each cow weans a calf at 50% the 1100lbs cows will have 55,000 lbs of calf the 1400lb cows will have 55,300 lbs of calf just about the same, but 21% less cattle to vaccinate and handle, maybe 1 less bull so whats all this worth. Just the way I see it the 1400lb cow is way more efficient. I weighed mine last spring they had around 6 month old calves bred back around 4 months average weight was 1430. Whatever weight they are if there not performing its time to go.
That is the problem, both cows probably won't wean at 50%, more like 48% for 11-1200 cows (Ours do this spring or fall) and a 1400 pound cow more like 44%. I would think a 5.5 frame cow @ 1250-1350 would be ideal, proper management, genetics and hybrid vigor could get you to a 46% WW and when you breed to a 6-7 frame bull your calves will bring a premium