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Replacement cow for small herd

  • 24-03-2021 2:11pm
    #1
    irishguy19772
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 421 ✭✭


    Looking to get a replacement cow for a small herd of 6 cows. We have 1 or 2 ready to be sold after calving as too old or wild.

    We have a limousine bull and Charolais limousine Angus mix of cows

    I was thinking a small Angus. I was looking at an Angus 9 month old heifer for 720 or a Springer for 1100.
    Would a Springer make more sense - get the calf this year and can keep heifer calf as another replacement and I'll have a calf again next year?


Comments

  • #2
    Albert Johnson
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 1,916 Mod ✭✭✭✭Albert Johnson


    irishguy19772 wrote: »
    Looking to get a replacement cow for a small herd of 6 cows. We have 1 or 2 ready to be sold after calving as too old or wild.

    We have a limousine bull and Charolais limousine Angus mix of cows

    I was thinking a small Angus. I was looking at an Angus 9 month old heifer for 720 or a Springer for 1100.
    Would a Springer make more sense - get the calf this year and can keep heifer calf as another replacement and I'll have a calf again next year?

    I'd definitely go for the springer in that scenario provided she's an average quality animal and near calving. By the time you have the heifer brought through to calving down she'll probably be costing €1100 or more and you'll be waiting 2 year's until she's in a similar position to the springer. You'll also have to keep the heifer away from the bull until she's strong enough to breed which means another of group of stock to contend with.

    For small herds especially those running a stock bull I don't know if keeping replacements is worthwhile in a lot of cases. The selection of heifers to keep is often limited year on year, you're adding extra stock groups to keep young heifers away from the main batch of cow's and the bull and inbreeding will be an issue unless you use AI or change the bull regularly. I'd prefer to purchase a springer near calving or a cow and calf as needed off a genuine seller and put them back with the bull. Everything could be run as one group of stock if required and you'll have a quick turn around with weanlings compared to keeping a heifer for 2-3 year's before she produces saleable offspring.


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