Young heifer

[grassfarmer]

Got an extra calf this morning from one of last years heifer calves. She was born March 15th 03 and calved today - she must have been bred around 20th August (155 days old)! She was in good order all winter and it was only about a month ago I realised she was in-calf. She will weigh around 900-950lbs and had a good 60lb calf at her side this morning,washed and fed.
I once had a heifer calf before that was bred at seven months old but at just over 5 months old how soon do we need to pull bulls?
It's strange how you get exceptional conceptions like this and then a big fat mature cow can turn up open for no apparent reason.

[rusty1]

You ask a very good question grassfarmer. I used to market calves via sattalite years ago. I I'm beeting every cattle marketer would beg you to pull you're bulls in 45 to 60 days. I can show you many leaders in the industry who do that in the large ranch situation. And it works. Anybody who you would hire to market youre calves would be able to do a much better job for you then.

[grassfarmer]

Yes I got caught out last year because I was moving my calving period later. The bulls were only out for seven weeks but because they were turned out later this heifer got bred. Still a surprisingly young heifer to be in heat.

[Willowcreek]

I always Lutalyse all heifers in the fall when I bangs them. Solves lots of surprises and problems.

[kato]

We've had the heifer surprise a few times in the past too. Sometimes they can raise them, sometimes they don't. We would adopt the calf to another cow if one came up, because this calf will make it pretty hard on it's young mother to rebreed.

Now we watch in the winter, and anything that hasn't come into heat gets a shot of Lutalyse.

Cheap insurance.

[tramper]

I had a young heifer that did the
same thing two years ago. She was
born the middle of March and the
following year she had a calf at the
end of May - small but alive and
vigorous. Last year she had a set of
twins in May and this year she was a
little bit later. She just calved a few
days ago.

[pandiana]

Just a word of caution that Estrumate or Lutalyse doesn't always work if the pregnancy is advanced (greater than 4-5months). We also just had a heifer calve, 940 lbs with a 67 lb calf. We tried to abort her in October with Estrumate and dexamethazone (recommended for advanced fetuses) but obviously didn't work. Last year we also had one that we missed. We actually put her on the CIDR's program before we realized she was pregnant. The calf still did not abort although we think it was premature when it was born a couple of months later at 40 lbs and unthrifty.

[rusty1]

Seems yaall missed my point. Have you any idea how much more you'd get for you're calves if you pulled you're bulls at 45 days? You're feedlot opperators would kiss you if you could guarantee that. Their calving problems in their feedlots escalated to record breaking numbers this past year. Givving the heifers a shot is not the answer and causes all kinds of complications and cost them dearly.

PULL THE DAM BULLS EARLY

[GrnAsMoss]

Was talking to a purebred Angus breeder who AI's, last week. They flush those cows to produce as meny eggs as possible, then breed for only 23 days. Then CULL the open cows. Obviously the price of culled cows effects this option this year and last. But, in a perfect world, shouldn't the commercial cow/calf people be breeding up a herd that conceives everytime they are bred? It shouldn't be the purebred guys only that does this. I've wasted too many hours pulling dead fetuses out of "heiferettes" once they are put on Rumensun and hot barley ration. They are a pain in my petunia.

[Willowcreek]

GrnAsMoss- That 23 day breeding period might be OK in a perfect situation. But how about the guy that runs cattle in a 10,000 acre pasture that carries 1 pair every 70-100 acres? Half the time the cows aren't even close to a bull the first time they cycle. I guess you could spend all day riding for a month and make sure each cow in heat finds a bull- but that sure puts the work into the situation, and cuts into any profit.

[cswilson]

Good point WillowCreek short tight calving seasons are great-but not if the costs outweigh the benefits. I've seen guys literally spend thousands of dollars trying to raise their conception rate 5%. There is a widow lady up here runs about 120 cows on her own and only pulls her ONE bull so she misses the real cold weather. She just sorts up her calves at home and every month or two sells a nice package of 20 clves usually hitr the ring together. Maybe that is an extreme case. Ourselves we finish everything-we just get vet to repreg any heifette type cattle before they go to lot-no troubles as of yet.

[rusty1]

ya said it softly GrnAsMoss. It's more that a pain in the you know what. There is huge dollar costs to the feedlot industry for having to give every heifer a shot to abort anything that's possibly there. This past year has been far worse than normal. Therefore the feedlot opperaters pencil in those costs and filter it down to the cow calf producer to pay.
Therefore it is in you're best interest to pull the bulls promptly.
There are some very sucessful and progressive ranchers that have been breeding for a 45 day period for years now.
IT works and don't let anyone else tell you differently.
I know that there are alot of herds out there that would have a lot of open cows the first few years. But thats because they have bred infertility into their cows.
Now I'm talking generally. There is always the exception to a quick breeding that one has to weigh in the balance.
However with the low value of cows today there is no reason to keep freeloaders around just because they look good.