Stocker Steve
Well-known member
On average, how much difference do you see in weaning rate percentage between first calf heifers and cows?
dun":1vpmfh1h said:If by weaning rate you mean calves weaned to calves born live, zero difference.
Rafter S":3q72arl1 said:Please define"weaning rate percentage". If you mean number of calves, mine are about the same. If you mean weight there's a big difference, since I wean calves from first calf heifers at no more than 90 days old, and around 8 months from mature cows.
Personally I don't want those types of heifers in my herd if they can't breed back while raising a calf. A lot of them look real rough every year after weaning for a bit but they either get in calf or hit the road. They get back in shape over the winter and look great by calving. After a few years of hard culling it has paid off with increased herd fertility. When I started I would give some a second chance if they came in open. Not anymore. But we all have different ways of making it work.Rafter S":1cmbs6ab said:The heifer usually breeds back within a few days after weaning the calf, and I just think it's asking a lot of a 2-year old heifer to raise a calf to 8 months old and breed back on time, all while she's still growing herself. I know I'm giving up some money up front, but I believe it pays off in the long run. If you disagree I won't argue with you, but this has been working well for me for a long time.
farmerjan":27gvzykc said:And I have successfully grafted a calf on some bought cows, but they are iffy. Bought cows that lose a calf just leave most of the time.
I been wanting to ask, what does "adjusted" mean? Does that mean deducting birth weight from weaning weight?Jeanne - Simme Valley":2pgmc3ox said:Here's a chart that gives your weight adjustments based on age of dam (adjusted to a 205 day WW)
https://www.angus.org/Performance/AHIR/PerfLinks.aspx
The adjusting for BW, WW, YW are all based on algorithms using a standard weight. It takes into account the number of days of age, the age of the dam and maybe breed.HDRider":riz8vx5q said:I been wanting to ask, what does "adjusted" mean? Does that mean deducting birth weight from weaning weight?Jeanne - Simme Valley":riz8vx5q said:Here's a chart that gives your weight adjustments based on age of dam (adjusted to a 205 day WW)
https://www.angus.org/Performance/AHIR/PerfLinks.aspx
Stocker Steve":5mshq2aa said:farmerjan":5mshq2aa said:And I have successfully grafted a calf on some bought cows, but they are iffy. Bought cows that lose a calf just leave most of the time.
Bought cows are less maternal, or ?
In an adjusted WW and YW, they do take our the BW in the calculations, then add it back into the final number. Each breed has their own "age" adjustment .dun":1m291juw said:The adjusting for BW, WW, YW are all based on algorithms using a standard weight. It takes into account the number of days of age, the age of the dam and maybe breed.HDRider":1m291juw said:I been wanting to ask, what does "adjusted" mean? Does that mean deducting birth weight from weaning weight?Jeanne - Simme Valley":1m291juw said:Here's a chart that gives your weight adjustments based on age of dam (adjusted to a 205 day WW)
https://www.angus.org/Performance/AHIR/PerfLinks.aspx
Using adjusted, also allows you to weigh them all at the same time when working them and seeing with the 205, comparables. I find it interesting to see which had the highest and lowest among the herd and who their sire was (We AI our commercial herd)dun":ict6r5v9 said:The adjusting for BW, WW, YW are all based on algorithms using a standard weight. It takes into account the number of days of age, the age of the dam and maybe breed.HDRider":ict6r5v9 said:I been wanting to ask, what does "adjusted" mean? Does that mean deducting birth weight from weaning weight?Jeanne - Simme Valley":ict6r5v9 said:Here's a chart that gives your weight adjustments based on age of dam (adjusted to a 205 day WW)
https://www.angus.org/Performance/AHIR/PerfLinks.aspx
cattleman99":yb7bzy15 said:Personally I don't want those types of heifers in my herd if they can't breed back while raising a calf. A lot of them look real rough every year after weaning for a bit but they either get in calf or hit the road. They get back in shape over the winter and look great by calving. After a few years of hard culling it has paid off with increased herd fertility. When I started I would give some a second chance if they came in open. Not anymore. But we all have different ways of making it work.Rafter S":yb7bzy15 said:The heifer usually breeds back within a few days after weaning the calf, and I just think it's asking a lot of a 2-year old heifer to raise a calf to 8 months old and breed back on time, all while she's still growing herself. I know I'm giving up some money up front, but I believe it pays off in the long run. If you disagree I won't argue with you, but this has been working well for me for a long time.