If I keep 15 heifers, it has long been my experience that only 7 or 8, will make it into production. Especially if we are talking about making it on the place to their 3rd calf. I usually keep about 10% of my heifer crop, and every few years I will have to keep, or buy a big run to keep my herd numbers from dropping. Is a 50% success rate about average for the industry? It just seems like by the time I remove the slow breeders, the ones that don't wean a big enough calf, and the few that have some other issue arise that I am only left with half.
What percentage of your retained heifers make cows?
- Thread starter Bigfoot
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Hook
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25% of our retained heifers make it to a cow we want to keep.
Backbone Ranch
Well-known member
We have a relatively small herd, but we are expanding our numbers. We kept 37.5% of our heifer crop this year.
Putangitangi
Well-known member
I went back through my records a couple of years ago and discovered I run at about 50% too. I keep the best ones I think are going to make good cows, based on their own development and family records and half of them fall out before the third calf. I thought I'd be better than that at picking, but biology just keeps getting in the way.
Aaron
Well-known member
As of today, this is the percentage of total heifers in the given year that are still here.
16% - 2005
18% - 2006
10% - 2007
35% - 2008
44% - 2009
35% - 2010
16% - 2005
18% - 2006
10% - 2007
35% - 2008
44% - 2009
35% - 2010
Aaron
Well-known member
Lazy M":2dqyv3ju said:
I'm a pretty terrible record keeper myself. I just have a lot of time on my hands during the winter months.
Some of you mentioned keeping one until her third calf. I'm curious, why is the third calf a magic number? What appears positive enough to keep until the third calf, yet negative enough to part with after the third cal? I'm a semi-newbie, so I'm just curious.
I think it may be because not all heifers breed back for the second calf or breed back late. I only used 3 calves since that was what was asked. We don;t cull based on age so if they breed back as first calvers, rarely do they not, they're here for the long haul. Or as happened last year when some folks came up and offered us rediculaous amounts of money for most of the herd.herofan":3jfwwrps said:
OP
OP
Bigfoot
Well-known member
I just used it as a reference point. Seems like they've either made it by 3rd calf or not. Not breeding back after the first gets some, and others breed back slow. I give it to the third to see if they are really going to have a calf every year.
We expect 50% that last past 3. We cull all the time on many things and sometimes a few go elsewhere after 4-5 calves. Thinking that we can replace a average cow with a superior heifer,sometimes works, always hopeing that the newest herd sire is a bit better than one of the older ones. Maybe guessing that we are makeing improvements all the time.
John SD
Well-known member
The answer to the question for me varied through the years and what my goals and needs were at the time.
When in the herd building phase, I kept just about every heifer calf of any color except one that came from a prolapsed cow, or was simply an obvious dink calf.
When I needed to keep replacements only as necessary to replace cows that were culled for age or other reasons, I kept only the best Hereford heifers and sent the blacks and baldies to town.
I would keep the same number of heifers as needed to replace cows that were sold/died in order to maintain numbers. For example, cull 20 cows for age/defect/death each year, keep 20 heifers. Plus a few more because some replacement heifers kept will also flunk out.
20 heifers kept would be 10%. 30 heifers would be 15% in a 200 cow herd. In later years I culled cows at age 12 no matter what. Sooner for infertility and physical/mental ailments.
When in the herd building phase, I kept just about every heifer calf of any color except one that came from a prolapsed cow, or was simply an obvious dink calf.
When I needed to keep replacements only as necessary to replace cows that were culled for age or other reasons, I kept only the best Hereford heifers and sent the blacks and baldies to town.
I would keep the same number of heifers as needed to replace cows that were sold/died in order to maintain numbers. For example, cull 20 cows for age/defect/death each year, keep 20 heifers. Plus a few more because some replacement heifers kept will also flunk out.
20 heifers kept would be 10%. 30 heifers would be 15% in a 200 cow herd. In later years I culled cows at age 12 no matter what. Sooner for infertility and physical/mental ailments.
lithuanian farmer
Well-known member
Every year we keep the different number of heifers. We needed to increase herd more and we lost two cows, so last year from 12 heifers were left 11, because that one is very poor and she probably couldn't calve by her own. This year from 14 will be left 6( one got incalf too yearly and now is carrying her second calf, but will keep her for awhile). Next year to increase herd we'd like to leave all, but we'll watch one, because she is out of 15months old heifer,so she can be small in the future. Anyway, it's always important to leave just those heifers which will make good cows. Now we leave more heifers to replace 1/2dairy cows.
Nesikep
Well-known member
OK, I'll go back a few years and give you my numbers... This is for about a 20 cow herd, give or take a few... we should have 23 this year...
2004 - 4 of 7 = 57%... 2 poor producers culled early, 1 died of a stroke at 9 years old
2005 - 2 of 3 = 67%... 1 bred as a calf and shipped at about 4 years
2006 - 1 of 5 = 20%... 3 were lousy to begin with, 4th lived to 6 years, had bad hooves, udder, and attitude
2007 - 3 of 3 = 100%... They're all pretty good
2008 - 2 of 3 = 67%... One couldn't wean a calf heavier than 500 lbs to save her life.. 1 is on the block for this fall, 3rd seems OK
2009 - 2 of 4 - 50%... 1 poor producer, 1 died of heat stroke, the remaining 2 are prolapse cows and this is their last year... So 0% I guess
2010 - 2 of 2 = 100%.. Both great cows, but 1 has a fencebuster habit... I'll keep her for a while yet
2011 - 4 of 4 = 100%.. They're looking good coming into their 2nd calf... all seem to be good producers
2012 - 3 of 3... but one is late and on thin ice... if she catches and does OK she'll stay
With those numbers I've been able to increase my herd... I keep about 4 a year and I think I've gotten rid of some bad hereditary traits that haunted us for years and caused a lot of culling
2004 - 4 of 7 = 57%... 2 poor producers culled early, 1 died of a stroke at 9 years old
2005 - 2 of 3 = 67%... 1 bred as a calf and shipped at about 4 years
2006 - 1 of 5 = 20%... 3 were lousy to begin with, 4th lived to 6 years, had bad hooves, udder, and attitude
2007 - 3 of 3 = 100%... They're all pretty good
2008 - 2 of 3 = 67%... One couldn't wean a calf heavier than 500 lbs to save her life.. 1 is on the block for this fall, 3rd seems OK
2009 - 2 of 4 - 50%... 1 poor producer, 1 died of heat stroke, the remaining 2 are prolapse cows and this is their last year... So 0% I guess
2010 - 2 of 2 = 100%.. Both great cows, but 1 has a fencebuster habit... I'll keep her for a while yet
2011 - 4 of 4 = 100%.. They're looking good coming into their 2nd calf... all seem to be good producers
2012 - 3 of 3... but one is late and on thin ice... if she catches and does OK she'll stay
With those numbers I've been able to increase my herd... I keep about 4 a year and I think I've gotten rid of some bad hereditary traits that haunted us for years and caused a lot of culling
Putangitangi
Well-known member
In my herd if she's still here at third calving, she's proven herself to be an adequate member of the herd. If the first calf was marginal, I'll give her a second chance. If that one's not up to par, she's out. So if she's here for the third, she's ok.herofan":1l7ddp8e said:
I think the original question is being answered in different ways. I read it as: 'what proportion of the heifers you pick for replacements actually make it in the longer term', not 'how many of your heifers do you retain'? I.e. how good are you at picking the good ones? I guess it also depends a lot on your base. If your herd is already very good, you're going to get a better hit rate on the heifers you keep. If you're still in development, your success rate is only going to be as good as the real quality, or perhaps the consistency, of your herd.
I just went back and looked, since those folks bought so many cows last year the oldest one we have is 5, the only one we kept that year. We still have (except for the ones that went in that sale to another breeder) all of 4 & 3 & 2 year olds we kept. Still have the yearlings but don;t know which will make the cut based on pelvic and RTS in april.
Rafter S
Well-known member
I usually keep all the ones that look like they'd make good cows, without regard to how many cows I will need to replace. If I wind up with more bred heifers than I have room for or need there's always someone who will buy them. I'd rather do that than have to buy someone else's.
Not went back and checked my records but just thinking about some that we have or had I would think 25-30 %. Probably sounds low. We try to plan on keeping some every year, when heifers hit the ground, but by weaning time probably weed half or them out for some reason or another. Once we bred them they usually stay unit we see how they perform with calves. We know the first one might be smaller but if the second one did not improve they usually go to town.
