turning heifers into non breeders

[Keren]

I dont have a particularly strong opinion either way. If they are heavy bred (over say, half way) I keep them and calve out, if its before that, I'll let them go.

Some abbatoirs will pay a premium for pregnant cows, they use the placenta I think, plus the blood from the umbilicus and I'm not sure about what else.

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

What makes the calf more innocent than the heifers? They are here for a purpose, and that is to provide tasty beef.

 

[Loch Valley Fold]

Nothing, I'm looking at the situation from a breeders perspective not as the ownewr/operator of a feedlot. I'm developing a particular family, I currently have in the herd 4 generations of this particular family if something should happen to my 4th generation cow & she was in calf & I wanted to carry on this line why would I sell her knowing she was in calf ? to me that unborn calf is unreplacable genetics, lost only because I couldn't wait for several months before selling the cow?

 

[c farmer]

Thet provide tasty beef once grown out to proper weight. I think if a heifer or cow is bred than they should calf out so the calf can live a life and then be tasty.

 

[iowahawkeyes]

Nothing, I'm looking at the situation from a breeders perspective not as the ownewr/operator of a feedlot. I'm developing a particular family, I currently have in the herd 4 generations of this particular family if something should happen to my 4th generation cow & she was in calf & I wanted to carry on this line why would I sell her knowing she was in calf ? to me that unborn calf is unreplacable genetics, lost only because I couldn't wait for several months before selling the cow?

Apples and oranges. He wants to fatten these cattle. Easiest way to keep them from coming in heat is to breed them.

 

[4MBrangus]

From the original post it states that he/she wants to keep them from cycling to prevent them from getting bred.

 

[Roadapple]

MGA will also make them gain faster.

 

[Cattleman200]

This may be a little offine of your post but if it were me I would take in part of my pasture with another place to keep or hold some cattle. If you plan to feed these cattle you are going to sell how will you do it without feeding the entire herd if you dont have a place to cut them off ? How do you wean and mature calves without a place to do it ? You can never have enough places to hold cattle. Also, what if you have these procedures on the heifers, they run with the herd and later when you sell them you find it didnt work on 2-3 of them and they had a big calf inside them when they are slaughtered. Then you will feel even worse about it. The easiest and most effective way is to seperate them from the herd. If you want them to perform you will need to feed them anyway to get maximun growth and to finish them out. JMO Good Luck !

Circle H Ranch

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

Nothing, I'm looking at the situation from a breeders perspective not as the ownewr/operator of a feedlot. I'm developing a particular family, I currently have in the herd 4 generations of this particular family if something should happen to my 4th generation cow & she was in calf & I wanted to carry on this line why would I sell her knowing she was in calf ? to me that unborn calf is unreplacable genetics, lost only because I couldn't wait for several months before selling the cow?

Heifers of replacement quality shouldn't be slaughtered in the first place.