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Beef heifer breed or sell?

  • 12-12-2012 1:26pm
    #1
    The Real Elmer Fudd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 208 ✭✭


    Trying to decide wether to keep this heifer for breeding and looking for few more experienced opinions.

    The cow she is out of is a first calved heifer who was bought in as a weanling. The cow is AAx X CH with possibly some br fr back the line and plenty of milk for a suckler. When being ai'd I was told she had very tight cervix n the calving was a very tight pull. No way she would've calved herself but then again she was a heifer calving at 24 months.

    The bull she is out of Is mbp in dovea who has 3 stars across breeds for daughter fertility and milk.

    The heifer is in the pic attached. She is about 7 months old n has only been getting meal for the last week since she was weaned. She is also extremely docile which is a big help when looking for a suckler cow


Comments

  • #2
    pakalasa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,552 ✭✭✭pakalasa


    MBP has 4.5 Stars for Maternal Calving, so that is good for a start. Only one star for milk so, her mother would want to be very milky.
    She is a fine looking heifer. Hard to tell from the photos, but wide square hips are always the first thing I look for. You could keep her and if she grows into a big roomy heifer, then breed from her. If she stays small and muscley, then let her go.


  • #3
    The Real Elmer Fudd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 208 ✭✭The Real Elmer Fudd


    pakalasa wrote: »
    MBP has 4.5 Stars for Maternal Calving, so that is good for a start. Only one star for milk so, her mother would want to be very milky.
    She is a fine looking heifer. Hard to tell from the photos, but wide square hips are always the first thing I look for. You could keep her and if she grows into a big roomy heifer, then breed from her. If she stays small and muscley, then let her go.


    Thanks pakalasa. Have a couple of bull weanling to sell this week n was trying to decide wether to put her on the trailer n take her to town with dem r let her off with few sim heifers Weanlings that I plan to bull next year. I suppose she won't do any harm lying out with them til next spring.

    I'd say the milk side of things should be fairly ok if she's anything like her mother. I'm just a bit apprehensive with her mother being a bit tight at calving n wether that will carry through to the daughter. Suppose ill no more on that from when mother has her 2 nod calf in d spring


  • #4
    Seaba
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 448 ✭✭Seaba


    Lovely looking heifer!
    Unusual colour though for a Limousin?
    Not surprised the 24 mth mother had a bit of trouble calving her! so wouldn't go too much on that until you see what the mother is like calving the next one.

    I'd do as Pakalasa said and see how she turns out. If the mother has milk and the heifer is quiet its very tempting to bull them - we have done it in the past. We always give them a black the first year to be on the safe side and see how that goes. The likes of the limousin bull FL22 is an easy calving option the year after and brought good calves off small, muscely cows for us (bad calves off big cows) and if all that fails it will be easy fatten her as a cull cow and she'll grade very well.


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