Hello. I raised a heifer in hopes of her becoming a cow but after 47 months ( she was born on February 3, 2015) there is still not a calf. She was taken out of the heifer pasture on June 28, 2016 and allowed to run with the other cows in a pasture where the bull stays with the cows all the time. She is mostly black angus with some beefmaster influence. Even if I had her palpated and found she is finally pregnant should I keep the heifer? Thanks in advance for any comments.
what to do with a 47 month old heifer
- Thread starter east_tex
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Caustic Burno
Well-known member
east_tex":gal593k5 said:
If you figure she cost you a 1.50 a day
you roughly have 2k in her with no return.
Is your vaccinations program up to date?
If so off to hamburger land she is a cull.
At today's feeder calves prices she will be a loser her entire life.
I am grabbing the popcorn and waiting for the responses to this from this group. 
op:
op:farmerjan
Well-known member
I will just say that by the time she was 24 months, she should have been pregnant. By 30 months she would have been at the stockyards or in the freezer. The sad thing is, the way prices have come off in the last 6 months, you will never even break even on her. And no, if she should come up pregnant, I certainly would not keep her as a brood cow. That is perpetuating a problem breeder.
JMJ Farms
Well-known member
Sell her. You could palpate her and if she happens to be bred, which she most likely won't be, you could let her have one calf then sell her. Unless you want a pet, then I wouldn't worry about the money.
MtnCows93
Well-known member
beef pen her
Dave
Well-known member
A 4 year old heifer will bring good cull cow price. With today's cull cow price I would just eat her myself. One that age won't be melt in your mouth tender but will have good beef flavor. But what ever you do I would do it soon. At this point you are just throwing good money after bad.
Nesikep
Well-known member
There are some people with 8 year old steers.. they keep them around because the rest of the herd will follow them anywhere the steer leads them.
Even with my pets I have standard of production though.. Some get a 2nd chance, but never 3rd chances. I had one heifer that had her first calf in August instead of April.. I told her she better shape up and catch up.. She's goign to have the first calf of the year this year (5th calf now), so she held up her end of the deal.. She made nice calves, she carried her first two through the winter on dry cow ration and did well.. I have one daughter from her expecting her first calf.. ON TIME..
Even with my pets I have standard of production though.. Some get a 2nd chance, but never 3rd chances. I had one heifer that had her first calf in August instead of April.. I told her she better shape up and catch up.. She's goign to have the first calf of the year this year (5th calf now), so she held up her end of the deal.. She made nice calves, she carried her first two through the winter on dry cow ration and did well.. I have one daughter from her expecting her first calf.. ON TIME..
Son of Butch
Well-known member
Were you expecting replies more along the line of.....sstterry":3ngb03ht said:I am grabbing the popcorn and waiting for the responses to this from this group.
IF you have to ask what to do with a 4 year old heifer, perhaps a career in agriculture is not in your best interest.
farmerjan
Well-known member
Nesi; we have a Red Poll bull that by rights, should go. There is no market for the calves here. NONE. We will take a hit or $.25 to $.50 per lb on the calves because they are red. But, He is very gentle, easy with the cows breeding and we use him on a few most years to keep him active. His saving grace..... he stops ANY AND ALL fights in the bull lot. No joke. If someone decides to be stupid when we put them back in, he just walks up to them, and must give them the evil eye.... because the ones getting into a shoving match will just quit. He will just walk around and no one seems willing to try his mettle. Have never seen him in a shoving match with anyone either. He just is like the policeman in there. They don't get to tearing up fences or anything because he seems to put a spell on them and they just behave. So he is still here....plus with prices so off, no sense in giving him away when he saves us fence repair bills....
I can see the idea of keeping an animal around if it has a purpose; like the steers you mentioned that will lead cattle etc. But, an unproductive 4 yr old heifer.... Naaah.
I can see the idea of keeping an animal around if it has a purpose; like the steers you mentioned that will lead cattle etc. But, an unproductive 4 yr old heifer.... Naaah.
Every farm needs a mascot, you've got yours.
I say keep her.
I say keep her.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Do you have any other cattle?
As a producer, our goal is for our cattle to calve at 24 months of age (some breeds/producers shoot for 30 months).
As a producer, our goal is for our cattle to calve at 24 months of age (some breeds/producers shoot for 30 months).
Nesikep
Well-known member
I had an old cow like that.. She was boss, didn't do much fighting, she was boss because she was old.. and the youngsters knew better than to be stupid around her.. I've also had bulls that didn't like the cows fighting. Never had enough bulls to see what would happen with many of them together.farmerjan":3j3tklp4 said:
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
east_tex":20o9cxiv said:
Thursday Nacogdoches, Saturday Livingston, Tuesday Crockett.
The stupid tax hurts the worst to pay.
We have all paid it at some time the trick is don't get taxed twice on the same issue.
GMN
Well-known member
Did u take her to a vet to have her checked? That should have been done years ago
BC
Well-known member
Monday - Henderson or Sulphur SpringsCaustic Burno":s7ufthbl said:
Tuesday - Carthage, Mt Pleasant, Emory or Crockett
Wednesday - Center, Elkhart or Paris
Thursday - Nacogdoches or Longview
Friday - Winnsboro
Saturday - Wills Point, Emory, New Summerfield, Paris, Texarkana or Kirbyville
You have lots of options.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
She's no longer a heifer. She's going to be an old maid.
