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<blockquote data-quote="farmerjan" data-source="post: 1463233" data-attributes="member: 25884"><p>Because I wait to breed my first calf heifers until 18 months on average, they have a little more growth and seem to be able to raise the calf and breed back without any problem. Most of the heifers are in the 27-30 month age when they first calve. Many say that we wait too long. And I say I am only losing half a year than if they were to have calved at 24 months. And I don't pull calves either. Yes, we use an easy calving bull, but It has been years since we pulled a calf out of anything and then if I remember right it was one that was backwards, out of a cow; and my wuss of a brown swiss that didn't want to put the effort into having a 65 lb black angus calf. Needless to say, she didn't stay in the nurse cow herd too long.</p><p> But, I have a couple of heifers that got in with a neighbors cattle when some wind took some trees down on the fence. They got bred and calved at 23 months. They are doing an okay job but not great. They are small, and yes I am supplementing them with grain. They have adequate milk, but the calves will not wean that big. There were 5 in that group of 10 that did not wind up preg that we bred 6 months later. They have calved, they are bigger, they have more milk, and the calves are growing faster. I held the others back so they will all get bred now for fall calves like they were all supposed to have. Doubt the earlier bred ones will ever get the growth the older ones have.</p><p>This is what works for us. I do not want to raise/feed grain/ or otherwise deal with small calves that I have to pull off a heifer like RafterS, but that works for them. I do wean the calves off the first calf heifers no later than 7 months so the they have a little extra time to get some weight back on and get a little longer rest before they have their second calf. I may sacrifice 6 months at the outset, but we have cows that were born here that are in their teens and still producing yearly. On occasion I will move a heifer to the other calving group ( we calve spring and fall) if she comes up open, and has raised a super calf the first time around. But they get only 1 chance to get a move. And on occasion we have had a good cow come up open and sometimes we will give them a second chance. Again, they get one turn at a second chance. But there are others that come up open and they get a ticket out on the next truck/trailer. So we are trying in our own way to try to improve the fertility also. I want a calf yearly, and I expect them to do it with little or no excuses. I also realize that there are circumstances sometimes that will allow me to cut them a little slack. I am not perfect either.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="farmerjan, post: 1463233, member: 25884"] Because I wait to breed my first calf heifers until 18 months on average, they have a little more growth and seem to be able to raise the calf and breed back without any problem. Most of the heifers are in the 27-30 month age when they first calve. Many say that we wait too long. And I say I am only losing half a year than if they were to have calved at 24 months. And I don't pull calves either. Yes, we use an easy calving bull, but It has been years since we pulled a calf out of anything and then if I remember right it was one that was backwards, out of a cow; and my wuss of a brown swiss that didn't want to put the effort into having a 65 lb black angus calf. Needless to say, she didn't stay in the nurse cow herd too long. But, I have a couple of heifers that got in with a neighbors cattle when some wind took some trees down on the fence. They got bred and calved at 23 months. They are doing an okay job but not great. They are small, and yes I am supplementing them with grain. They have adequate milk, but the calves will not wean that big. There were 5 in that group of 10 that did not wind up preg that we bred 6 months later. They have calved, they are bigger, they have more milk, and the calves are growing faster. I held the others back so they will all get bred now for fall calves like they were all supposed to have. Doubt the earlier bred ones will ever get the growth the older ones have. This is what works for us. I do not want to raise/feed grain/ or otherwise deal with small calves that I have to pull off a heifer like RafterS, but that works for them. I do wean the calves off the first calf heifers no later than 7 months so the they have a little extra time to get some weight back on and get a little longer rest before they have their second calf. I may sacrifice 6 months at the outset, but we have cows that were born here that are in their teens and still producing yearly. On occasion I will move a heifer to the other calving group ( we calve spring and fall) if she comes up open, and has raised a super calf the first time around. But they get only 1 chance to get a move. And on occasion we have had a good cow come up open and sometimes we will give them a second chance. Again, they get one turn at a second chance. But there are others that come up open and they get a ticket out on the next truck/trailer. So we are trying in our own way to try to improve the fertility also. I want a calf yearly, and I expect them to do it with little or no excuses. I also realize that there are circumstances sometimes that will allow me to cut them a little slack. I am not perfect either. [/QUOTE]
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