What do you do with free martin heifers?

whelan2

Is it out the gate asap or do you wait and see if they will breed?

MickeyShtyles

whelan2 wrote: »

Is it out the gate asap or do you wait and see if they will breed?

I don't think they can.
There was an explanation given on Twitter this time last year, tried to find it. Couldn't. Tis up to yerself.

friesian13

had one here yesterday.she will be out the gap next mart day.chance of breeding is under 10pc.have enough passengers here already!!

farmerjj

whelan2 wrote: »

Is it out the gate asap or do you wait and see if they will breed?

Could keep them till fit for the factory, they put on weigh quicker than other females.

freedominacup

farmerjj wrote: »

Could keep them till fit for the factory, they put on weigh quicker than other females.

They're usually stone mad though. Gate asap.

Greengrass1

There is an equine lab in meath I think that can test them I think

whelan2

Greengrass1 wrote: »

There is an equine lab in meath I think that can test them I think

Do they have to be a certain age to be tested?

Timmaay

Kept one 3 or 4 years ago. She made a fantastic teaser bull ha!

MickeyShtyles

whelan2 wrote: »

Do they have to be a certain age to be tested?

There's a blood test ya can do alright.

howdee

Have one here the i dont know what to do with her, should free martins even come bulling?

Kovu

Timmaay wrote: »

Kept one 3 or 4 years ago. She made a fantastic teaser bull ha!

They actually do! Without all the additional mad bull antics.

I think we have one here but an odd case. She's about 20 months, never showed heat although her comrades did and they went incalf. Only kept her over the winter as she's a ped regd with stars coming out of her ears.
Going to get her blooded and handled by a vet next time he's here, reckon she had a twin that was lost early on or absorbed.

Base price

Kovu wrote: »

They actually do! Without all the additional mad bull antics.

I think we have one here but an odd case. She's about 20 months, never showed heat although her comrades did and they went incalf. Only kept her over the winter as she's a ped regd with stars coming out of her ears.
Going to get her blooded and handled by a vet next time he's here, reckon she had a twin that was lost early on or absorbed.

Years ago we had one a bit like yours. She was the dominant female and I had to be careful when introducing a new bull that she didn't beat the daylights out of him. When she was a heifer I could never see her come bulling and we were using AI in those days. Eventually got the vet to handle her and he massaged her ovaries to see it if it would kick start her. Didn't work and he ended up using estrumate on her. I think it was one shot then a few days later another shot then AI a couple of days later. It worked and she never looked back. Vet reckoned that she may have had a twin (bull) that was absorbed early on as she always bullish in her behaviour and body type, iykwim.

Sam Kade

whelan2 wrote: »

Is it out the gate asap or do you wait and see if they will breed?

They'll never breed, I bought a batch of maidens 2 years ago I was able to pick 8 from a batch of twenty, after 2 months of ai one failed to come bulling when I got her checked out it turned out she was a freemartin :mad: The man I bought her off was going to take her back and had a sudden change of mind a few days later :mad:

whelan2

Sam Kade wrote: »

They'll never breed, I bought a batch of maidens 2 years ago I was able to pick 8 from a batch of twenty, after 2 months of ai one failed to come bulling when I got her checked out it turned out she was a freemartin :mad: The man I bought her off was going to take her back and had a sudden change of mind a few days later :mad:

My understanding of them is if they are in the same sac in the cow that they cant breed , but if they are in seperate sacks they are ok. If they are in the same sack the bulls parts start to develop first and the heifer also develops bull parts until the female parts start to form, iykwim

patsy_mccabe

When I went into suckling first, there was one heifer I bought that never came bulling. Always convinced she was a free martin as bullish in looks too.

farmerjj

Sam Kade wrote: »

They'll never breed, I bought a batch of maidens 2 years ago I was able to pick 8 from a batch of twenty, after 2 months of ai one failed to come bulling when I got her checked out it turned out she was a freemartin :mad: The man I bought her off was going to take her back and had a sudden change of mind a few days later :mad:

If he was selling them as breeding heifers then he,d have to take them back or swap them at least, he cant say there breeding heifers if there free martins

Sam Kade

farmerjj wrote: »

If he was selling them as breeding heifers then he,d have to take them back or swap them at least, he cant say there breeding heifers if there free martins

He gave a part refund after a fair bit of hassle, I could have made it a lot more costly on him but I decided against that route.

croot

I sold one in the mart last year and declared her as a twin to a bull. The auctioneer looked at me as if I had two heads. I must be one of the few ejits to declare it.

blackdog1

I have one milking atm. But normally I fatten them and put them in the freezer.

Sam Kade

croot wrote: »

I sold one in the mart last year and declared her as a twin to a bull. The auctioneer looked at me as if I had two heads. I must be one of the few ejits to declare it.

Them auctioneers just want to sell as fast as possible I was selling 2 heifer calves a few years ago down in Bandon, the auctioneer was a hefty young fella. Just as I was about to say they were off ai sires bang down with the hammer, SOLD.

tanko

croot wrote: »

I sold one in the mart last year and declared her as a twin to a bull. The auctioneer looked at me as if I had two heads. I must be one of the few ejits to declare it.

Most farmers don't declare it id say. If only 20% of beef heifers go for breeding most buyers won't care. I'll be selling a nice freemartin Simx heifer in the autumn and will announce it, don't want the hassle of some lad buying her for breeding and ringing me when she wont go in calf.

keep going

To be honest it wouldnt cross my mind with beef heifer calf to say she was a freemartin but I say it all the time with fr.i always keep at sell them in the spring at 2 years and they make 900 to a 1000 most years.after all its better odds than the lotto that they will breed and it dosent put us up or down to have one more

croot

tanko wrote: »

Most farmers don't declare it id say. If only 20% of beef heifers go for breeding most buyers won't care. I'll be selling a nice freemartin Simx heifer in the autumn and will announce it, don't want the hassle of some lad buying her for breeding and ringing me when she wont go in calf.

Ya this one was a very good lim that I didn't want to hear back about.

Future Farmer

whelan2 wrote: »

Is it out the gate asap or do you wait and see if they will breed?

7% of Free-martins are fertile.

Test is I think €40 in Irish Equine Centre.

Donegalforever

Unfortunately no use for breeding.
Your would be battering your head against a wall.

dougalbear

croot wrote: »

I sold one in the mart last year and declared her as a twin to a bull. The auctioneer looked at me as if I had two heads. I must be one of the few ejits to declare it.

You did the right thing Croot, I would do the same.

Mehaffey1

We make nice free Martin sandwiches and burgers out of them.

Mehaffey1

Vet also say a free Martin can be noticed by their long pizzle? Really long hair below the fanny.

Base price

Mehaffey1 wrote: »

Vet also say a free Martin can be noticed by their long pizzle? Really long hair below the fanny.

No mention about her teats??

Mehaffey1

Base price wrote: »

No mention about her teats??

He just pointed it out to me when we were scanning R2's, some dodgy calf rearing going on lol

dohc turbo2

Mehaffey1 wrote: »

Vet also say a free Martin can be noticed by their long pizzle? Really long hair below the fanny.

The lad that dose the freez branding with us told me that he knows them a mile off from the back end alright

patsy_mccabe

Mehaffey1 wrote: »

Vet also say a free Martin can be noticed by their long pizzle? Really long hair below the fanny.

There's the words of a Limerick in there somewhere.......The drizzle from the pizzle.:rolleyes:

Kovu

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

There's the words of a Limerick in there somewhere.......The drizzle from the pizzle.:rolleyes:

Fo shizzle mah nizzle.