Calfing sucklers at 24 months

dodo mommy

Good morning all
Just wondering what are yere opinions on calfing sucklers at 24 months are there many of ye doing it and are their any problems at calfing?

Farrell

dodo mommy wrote: »

Good morning all
Just wondering what are yere opinions on calfing sucklers at 24 months are there many of ye doing it and are their any problems at calfing?

Started doing it here, not noticing much difference with those calving at 28 months. Try to get size for weight as a 1yo

patsy_mccabe

In recent years, I calve all sucklers down at 2 years here. Use an easy calving bull on well grown square heifers and you'll have few problems. If the heifers are a bit on the small side, I might wait 6 weeks or so, before bulling them. It's a pain then though, trying to bring back their calving dates.
I found that calving them down at 3 years meant they had a lot of condition on come bulling time and were difficult to get in calf.

Dozer1

Always have aimed for 24 months here, never too much problems to stock bull or AI, monitoring feeding is half the battle fit not fat same as the cows.

Any I pick out for keeping get a bit extra meal as weanlings just to get them to a good size prior to breeding and a bit of meal after calving aswell so they don't loose too much condition

blue5000

Have always tried to do it here, use an easy calving bull, but make sure they are big enough (min 350kg) going to the bull. Have 3 yr old blonde x AA heifers calving this year and they are a lot bigger at calving. It's important to feed a heifer well after calving too. She has to grow, rear a calf and go back in calf. Might be worth running them separately for a few months after calving.

Kovu

I look at height and width before age. So have had them calving from 22 months to 28/29. Never really let them run to three yr olds, they get too big.

Limestone Cowboy

Always try to do it here and works alright with the most of them. An odd one might skip the following year but it's better than leaving them all idle for an extra year. Not many doing it around here though, plenty telling me I'm mad to be bulling small (420-450kg) heifers that have never tried it.

grass n slurry

We used always calf down at 2 and a half, put 2 parthenaise x heifers in calf to saler last year, one weighed 390kg and one was 410kg, will find out in august if it is a good or bad idea, both will be just under 24 months calving

50HX

calving down at 22mnths - good square heifers and easy AI bull

aim to calve 2-3 months before remainder of herd to allow for slippage for going back in calf which does happen

separate from main herd if possible after calving and supp feed to drive cow. feed calf + go back in calf again

doesn't always work out like this but aim for this as best i can

Never wrestle with pigs

50HX wrote: »

calving down at 22mnths - good square heifers and easy AI bull

aim to calve 2-3 months before remainder of herd to allow for slippage for going back in calf which does happen

separate from main herd if possible after calving and supp feed to drive cow. feed calf + go back in calf again

doesn't always work out like this but aim for this as best i can

+1, the first winter feeding is very important. Protein to grow the frame or else it's a waste of time.

Miname

Calve at anything from 21 months to 24. No issues. I put the stock limo bull on most he's at 6.2 calving difficulty ai mainly on the rest and got greedy and stuck the Charolais which is currently 10.6. The couple of Charolais needed a help alright but nothing too major. The younger heifers do look scrappy their first winter but they grow plenty by their second calf and regardless what people say their as big as any cows by their third calf.

croot

Miname wrote: »

The younger heifers do look scrappy their first winter but they grow plenty by their second calf and regardless what people say their as big as any cows by their third calf.

Ya I found the same thing. At the start you think they'll never improve but they always do.

patsy_mccabe

Well worth feeding the heifers with a bit of meal when they calf down too. They're still going to be growing, so need all the energy they can get.

High bike

Have 5 first timers due middle of March 24 and25 mts to an easy calving limo ,off silage and on hay now so hoping for the best:D

dodo mommy

High bike wrote:

Have 5 first timers due middle of March 24 and25 mts to an easy calving limo ,off silage and on hay now so hoping for the best

Ya would be a big fan of the hay here too that and oats, small hardy calfs
That hop up and suck.

Miname

High bike wrote: »

Have 5 first timers due middle of March 24 and25 mts to an easy calving limo ,off silage and on hay now so hoping for the best:D

The only issue with too much hay is it kills the milk yield on a first calver especially. I fed hay only to all dry cows this winter and even ones that have a serious bag weren't bagging up, I started rotating silage every second day since and everything is going nicely since. It's a bit of a balancing act.

TITANIUM.

Miname wrote: »

The only issue with too much hay is it kills the milk yield on a first calver especially. I fed hay only to all dry cows this winter and even ones that have a serious bag weren't bagging up, I started rotating silage every second day since and everything is going nicely since. It's a bit of a balancing act.

Very true. Hay is grand but an odd shake of silage does no harm. not a big fan of pushing heifers to make weight or size for bulling. If there not heavy or big enough their not suitable for calving down at 2 years imho. I look after them afterwards coming up to calving tho and especially after calving.