What would you do.

[AllForage]

BTW Grampa may have not done everything right, but he sure did a heck of lot right. Things were a lot different but he worked with a lot less and got by.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

leave it to you, to argue with a animal scientist....we get good '''FREE''' info and you start barking like a lap dog

 

[AllForage]

leave it to you, to argue with a animal scientist....we get good '''FREE''' info and you start barking like a lap dog

My wife is a food scientist so I guess I won't argue about whats for dinner anymore.

 

[Taurus]

I had some heifers that calved at 3 with no problems and they ended up as BEST cows I ever have. Never had any birth issues from them. That said I don't remember that I ever pulled a calf out of a 3 years old heifer....The bull that had foot problem that year so he missed the heifers. But then again it's not for everyone, I just don't have any problems with a heifer calved at 3 years old.

 

[angie1]

leave it to you, to argue with a animal scientist....we get good '''FREE''' info and you start barking like a lap dog

Once again your thoughts mirror mine. I'm going to go buy a lottery ticket....

 

[ALACOWMAN]

leave it to you, to argue with a animal scientist....we get good '''FREE''' info and you start barking like a lap dog

My wife is a food scientist so I guess I won't argue about whats for dinner anymore.

so am i... bout to go do some work on some right now.. :cowboy:

 

[Lucky_P]

Oh, I've had some that didn't calve 'til 3, and they did OK, too - but it's not necessarily ideal, from a physiologic or economic standpoint - puts an extra year of carrying 'em along before they begin paying for their keep.
If they don't breed by 18 months here, they're not staying, no matter how big & pretty they are.

 

[Lon]

Well thanks for all the input on this. Sorry been awhile since got back we have gottin real busy. I do have a place for the hiefers if he doesnt want to run them. If he keeps them there i will breed and keep. The heifers are coming two this april. Main part of the question was that if he sends them off cause of grass and i have to pay close to 40 a month to run them for the summer is why i am contiplating something besides breeding them.
As far as breeding at two instead of yearlings my input is this. Every old timer says it makes alot better cows. Here is the reasoning i have gottin out of it. They are easier doing and longer lived cows. Most old timers i know wont run old cows in this country because of the cost of extra feed in them during the winter. Not breeding until 3 allows them to keep the cow in production longer without having to replace her because she stays easier doing. The flip side to it is though that if she gets fat before she is bred she will not milk worth a dang and is no good as a cow. So according to my grandpa its a matter over letting them grow slowly. Mainly by following the pasture the cows have gone threw put the hiefers in there and do that so they dont get fat. That is his process. Most of the cows i have if they are on good pasture and are not bred they will get fat even as hiefers as long as not old.
As far as me keeping them to breed at two to calve at three it is not my choice for this reasoning. My thought process is if she cant calve at two and breed back every year after that i dont care much to have her. If you put the time into looking for easier doing cattle and watch your bulls you dont need to wait on them to calve at three to make easy doing cows out of them. We all have a couple of those cows that are old and still in great shape. Breed for that type of cow. Also when pasture is costing close to 40 a month to run something i dont see the point in running it another year on top of that to breed them. This senario is different because i dont have the first year into running them. So i will still only have out of pocket one year into running them to get them bred. Might not matter anyway because i have been visiting granpa and he isnt doing the best right now. Had a stroke awhile back and now his memory comes and goes and he is going down hill fast this last month.