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May/June heifers, hitting weights?

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  • 04-04-2014 3:44pm
    #1
    Timmaay
    Registered Users Posts: 11,394 ✭✭✭✭


    Just weighted the maiden heifers today, they are doing ok, most in around the 300kgs so with some more feed should be fine in mid may to breed, however I've one may born, and one June born, who are only 210 and 240kgs now. Whats my best option with these? Feed like crazy and try get to calf down for say April 2015? Push around to calf down for the autumn? I'm not hugely keen on anymore autumn calvers. Or push around to spring 2016, would mean calving down at about 2yrs 9months, not really ideal either.


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    #2
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Just weighted the maiden heifers today, they are doing ok, most in around the 300kgs so with some more feed should be fine in mid may to breed, however I've one may born, and one June born, who are only 210 and 240kgs now. Whats my best option with these? Feed like crazy and try get to calf down for say April 2015? Push around to calf down for the autumn? I'm not hugely keen on anymore autumn calvers. Or push around to spring 2016, would mean calving down at about 2yrs 9months, not really ideal either.

    Ye may push them to autumn Tim I'm afraid.
    I put smaller ones incalf last year and they didn't grow as much as I thought and as a result are smalll calving down.

    If you do have them calving down next autumn you can always sell.
    A lot of the big money for heifers in the mart are for real milky cows.
    A lot of older farmers I know are buying your sort of heifers and paying decent money


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    #3
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Just weighted the maiden heifers today, they are doing ok, most in around the 300kgs so with some more feed should be fine in mid may to breed, however I've one may born, and one June born, who are only 210 and 240kgs now. Whats my best option with these? Feed like crazy and try get to calf down for say April 2015? Push around to calf down for the autumn? I'm not hugely keen on anymore autumn calvers. Or push around to spring 2016, would mean calving down at about 2yrs 9months, not really ideal either.

    Pull out of the group and you can run behind others. No matter what you do they won't make the weight as only 3 wks left to breeding.

    Run to Autumn and AI, these winter guys love 2.5 yr olds


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    #4
    keep going
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,551 ✭✭✭keep going


    Another option is to give them the bull for one month in june.I know you will say she too late calving and idealy she is but they could gain 90 kilos or so in the next 2 months and she'd be better calving in the spring than autumn and definitely better than bringing them around for next year


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    #5
    TITANIUM.
    Registered Users Posts: 2,313 ✭✭✭TITANIUM.


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Just weighted the maiden heifers today, they are doing ok, most in around the 300kgs so with some more feed should be fine in mid may to breed, however I've one may born, and one June born, who are only 210 and 240kgs now. Whats my best option with these? Feed like crazy and try get to calf down for say April 2015? Push around to calf down for the autumn? I'm not hugely keen on anymore autumn calvers. Or push around to spring 2016, would mean calving down at about 2yrs 9months, not really ideal either.

    Well if you're planning on selling the offspring (as weanlings). You'll have away more left outta the spring calf. Straight out to grass with them and you won't be feeding calf and mother ration all winter. Did a profit monitor on two groups of cows and calves here. Two small groups 10 each. 1 autumn calved the other spring calved. The difference shocked me.


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    #6
    mf240
    Registered Users Posts: 4,848 ✭✭✭mf240


    Calve down around Oct and then let her run around to Jan calving next time.


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    #7
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    TITANIUM. wrote: »
    Well if you're planning on selling the offspring (as weanlings). You'll have away more left outta the spring calf. Straight out to grass with them and you won't be feeding calf and mother ration all winter. Did a profit monitor on two groups of cows and calves here. Two small groups 10 each. 1 autumn calved the other spring calved. The difference shocked me.

    Would you have any figures?


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    #8
    Milked out
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,433 ✭✭✭Milked out


    Tim, if you could calve them fort next April it may be worth it as at last you'll get 6 months production of them, and seeing as you're autumn milking as well you could roll them thru to autumn if Thai don't go back in calf within the spring block, at least they would be producing, and no quotas to be worrying about


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    #9
    keep going
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,551 ✭✭✭keep going


    Traditional y april heifers have always sold well around here, must be fellas that lose a couple of cows that buy and fellas dontseem to like buyingthem until they have grass


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    #10
    loveta
    Registered Users Posts: 1,015 ✭✭✭loveta


    Would you consider selling them now?? Do your sums and see what you would need to get for them and stick them up on done deal and see how you get on, worth a shot maybe??


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