Is a year old calf to young to get bred?

Generally01

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Livestock Farmer
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We have a 21 month old gersey/south poll hiefer that showed up with a calf. the calf is really active (even if it is really small) and the heifer seems to have plenty of milk.
Is there anything to do to make sure they will be fine? its getting pretty cold around here right now.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
We have a 21 month old gersey/south poll hiefer that showed up with a calf. the calf is really active (even if it is really small) and the heifer seems to have plenty of milk.
Is there anything to do to make sure they will be fine? its getting pretty cold around here right now.
Depends who you ask 😉 ours are generally incalf by 15 months, to calve before they turn 2.
If they aren't bred to look like Arnie then you'll be fine, just keep them out of the windchill and pump the grass into them
 

gatepost

Member
Location
Cotswolds
Just keep feeding, and then some more, bought some 9m angus heifers a couple of yrs ago, one turned out to be incalf to half brother, had to have a caesarean but sold mother fat after weaning, bit smaller but still got to 870, and sold calf this week at 18m for 940 but there was a bit of a cake bill.
 

som farmer

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Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
we ended up with several aryx calves, last spring, but we never saw the bull out of his barn. Should have been BB or AA, never worked that one out.
 

Generally01

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I worked on a farm that had a Blue Grey cow have her 3rd calf at 36 months. From memory her 1st calf was at 14 months and her 2nd calf at 25 months. A good wee cow who used to jump fences to the nearest bull as soon as she came on heat.
It seems the cows know (for the most part) when they should be bred, some recover from calving and within a few weeks are like you said jumping fences to get to a bull, others need a couple months. It depends on the age, what they are being fed, overall health.
 
A bit off topic but what age are you putting French limmis to the bull Matthew?
Two or there abouts. It is just what I have always done, there isn’t a rush and a bit of time lost up front is replayed several times over at the other end in my opinion. You have to remember that I am only a trainee farmer which is why I spend so much time on here learning how to do it properly!
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
Two or there abouts. It is just what I have always done, there isn’t a rush and a bit of time lost up front is replayed several times over at the other end in my opinion. You have to remember that I am only a trainee farmer which is why I spend so much time on here learning how to do it properly!


Yea, we like 22 months plus.
Some “go ahead types” like to try earlier, to save what? I ask :rolleyes:
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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