U/E grade heifers would you put them in calf

cacs

I have a few cracking u/e grade heifers out my stock bull. I didn’t put them in calf this year I have enough coming through. I would like to keep them until next year and AI them at 24 months. My fear is calfing ability and the fact they will get too heavy next summer. They will be calfing down at around three years. My AI said to me you would not put a Clydesdale into the grand national.

Anto_Meath

This is probably a stupid idea but if you though they would be hard to calf for the first time would you consider putting a good AA bull on them. I done it with a CH heifer (she was just 24 months calving hence the AA ) three years ago, she had a smasher of an Angus bull calf killed him last summer, an R3 bullock at 24 months 360 ish kgs (on grass only) @ €4.24 inc all bonus came into just over €1,500 I was very happy with it. I normally wouldn't keep a good heifer like that, prefer something plainer with milk and give a it a Limo calving around 26 - 28 months, but if there is a bit of shape in the cow it does generally pass on very well to the calf.

TooOldBoots

I find those beefy heifers are usually very hard calfers. They just have too much muscle on the legs. If you do get them calved they will have feck all milk.

patsy_mccabe

It all depends on the breeding. Any BB breeding in there and I'd stay clear. I have muscley lims here and they calf no bother.

cacs

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

It all depends on the breeding. Any BB breeding in there and I'd stay clear. I have muscley lims here and they calf no bother.

They are all 7/8 lims. Mind you I have a lim cross heifer calf of a short horn cow with 6% bb in and she is a cracker definitely going to chance her. I was honestly thinking crossing the u/e with a sealer or aa. Muscle should not be a problem and should produce nice calf. Everyone is telling they are beef not breeding heifers which I do agree but I would love to chance them

Limestone Cowboy

cathal irwin wrote: »

They are all 7/8 lims. Mind you I have a lim cross heifer calf of a short horn cow with 6% bb in and she is a cracker definitely going to chance her. I was honestly thinking crossing the u/e with a sealer or aa. Muscle should not be a problem and should produce nice calf. Everyone is telling they are beef not breeding heifers which I do agree but I would love to chance them

Sure you won't know how it will work out until you try them. What everyone else thinks is irrelevant. Have you any pics of them? Often found the biggest problem with muscley ones here is that they aren't the most fertile and generally only lasted a few years because of that.

cacs

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Sure you won't know how it will work out until you try them. What everyone else thinks is irrelevant. Have you any pics of them? Often found the biggest problem with muscley ones here is that they aren't the most fertile and generally only lasted a few years because of that.

I will get a few pics

Who2

Ive no hassle with u and e grade heifers. i rather u grading usually as your limited with the e grades to limo and i wouldnt even consider aa. By the time they are on their 3rd calf you can throw anything on them. The lack of milk thing is a myth in a lot of instances, your not running them through a dairy they need to be able to rear a calf.

blue5000

Agree with Who2, the muscle disappears after a couple of calves. Pelvis width I reckon is more important for calving ability. But the fertility will be reduced a bit by calving them at >30 months.

cacs

Cheers lads. I suppose the hard part is keep condition off them calfing them at 36. That’s nearly the biggest problem

Olpiy

I think the ideal cows are R+ or U-. Once you get into U+ and E grade cows you can forget about milk and expect plenty of bother calving them. Ask any vet and they'll fill you in on what goes on every spring.
I'd prefer to let the bull put the muscle into calves, not so much the cow.
I'd try a Saler bull on them for the first time as the safest option.