Two yr old hiefers

[mnmtranching]

I have 25 Angus/Charolais 2 yr old hiefers, last one calved today. I ended up with 23 calves, 1 abort and 1 open. Hiefers were bred to a good 68 lb Black Angus bull. All calved unassisted in pasture. I don't know, but if some of these hiefers don't breed back and I hold them for another yr. Won't I still be farther ahead then if I would have calved them at 3 yrs old?

Just my thoughts, wonder what you folks think about this?

 

[msscamp]

We never keep 2 year heifers that turn up open, and rarely keep anything that aborts unless there were mitigating circumstances. They are just not something we want in the herd, plus they are costing money without doing their part. Just my thoughts.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Simple you have two culls.

 

[Scotty]

I hope you are not griping. Just kidding, those are great numbers 23 of 25.

 

[jcarkie]

if you are giving them proper nutrition and they calved easy then i wouldn't keep them if they don't rebreed. you can not afford to keep a freeloader, that is my policy. unless it is something i have done or something that is not her fault. i sprayed a young cow one time for flies and she got sick, i let her move to the next breeding season (fall to spring) she has been consistant ever since. do you preg check your cows? it saves you carrying anything that is not bred through the winter, it pays for it's self. in my experience anything that has problems will have problems again and cost you more, cut your loses .

 

[mnmtranching]

ya the one that aborted and the open one go to town soon. I haven't preg tested. Don't have much trouble with open cows, sometimes however those 2yr olds raising calves have problems.
In the fall after calves are weaned if I see some coming around I decide then wheather to rebreed, feed, or sell.

 

[bigbull338]

id send them both to the the sale.you had 1 to slipp a calf.so to keep here for another yr would cost you just shy of $300.an the heifer you have that didnt breed wont breed.so cull them.an buy a pair that will fitt the age of the calves that you have.

 

[msscamp]

Don't have much trouble with open cows, sometimes however those 2yr olds raising calves have problems.

You're right - a lot of times 2 year-olds need to be supplemented a little. Is it possible to sort your 2 year-olds off from the main herd and help them out a little? If so, I would do that until they achieve their full maturity, at which point they either produce or they are gone. If not, I would provide a little extra hay or feed of some type to help them along - unfortunately it's also going to help the older cows who shouldn't need it. Ah well, in a perfect world.............

 

[KMacGinley]

Definetely cull the open one, but keep the abort and see if she rebreeds, if not then sell her.

 

[Aero]

a virgin heifer is the most fertile animal on any farm. it is possible that the Charolais influence delayed the sexual maturity, but this is giving you the opportunity to improve your herd. getting rid of the late bloomer/possibly infertile female.

the aborter could be a coin toss and would be dependent on your breeding plan. some people cull no matter what if the cow doesnt do her job; others will limp a female along for years if she doesnt wean a calf for an explainable reason.

having a plan in writing to make these decisions for you would simplify these situations.

 

[Aero]

You're right - a lot of times 2 year-olds need to be supplemented a little. Is it possible to sort your 2 year-olds off from the main herd and help them out a little?

with one open out of 25, i would say everything was done the right way. if people plan on supplementing enough for all females to get bred, the bottom line has been thrown out the window.

 

[Chris H]

Well, I read your question as meaning do you keep any of the 23 that might not breed back. You said you're culling the 2 without a calf.
We cull if they don't breed back, unless we really like them and can move them from spring to fall or fall to spring. If we lose a whole year we won't keep them. We will keep a cow if she loses a calf through no fault of her own, we've never kept one that aborted though. We do try to give the 2's an advantage in feed since they are still growing. If we have good pasture, they go in with the rest of the pairs, after they calve. If pasture gets short then we pull the 2's and supplement them with grain. Last year they stayed with the cows the full season, but we did wean a few heavy milking ones early.

 

[glover36]

i donno i would cull the one that was open only unles u didnt see her ever in heat and with the other one i would keep her unless she had a tempermant

 

[msscamp]

You're right - a lot of times 2 year-olds need to be supplemented a little. Is it possible to sort your 2 year-olds off from the main herd and help them out a little?

with one open out of 25, i would say everything was done the right way. if people plan on supplementing enough for all females to get bred, the bottom line has been thrown out the window.

You might want to re-read the post - he stated 2 year olds raising calves. ;-)