Is a year old calf to young to get bred?

[Kiwi Pete]

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.

We got well and truly caught out this year, first calvers calved through November last year @25 months or so. This year they began calving about the same time the dairies calve, way too early! My fault for leaving the bull with them .

We usually try to calve them early because as others have said, it slows the heifer's growth and impacts mature size without having to breed them small

Thus you have a 600kg cow who stays at 450-500kg, meaning you can keep 6 cows for the price of 5.
This means 6 heifers can wean 12+ calves for about the same amount of grass the "efficient" use to produce 5 calves (some time next year)

 

[som farmer]

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

interesting, as we are told, calving dairy hfrs, at 24 months, gives you a higher total lifetime yield, and longer herd life, with a lot less health/vet costs, than calving them at 36. The 36 month old hfr, very often takes longer to get back i/c, tends to need more 'help' calving, and doesn't last as long, which is, what we have found to be correct. The scientific brigade, will tell you about to much fat layed down etc etc, suprised it doesn't apply to beef cows. In dairy cows, the more lactations she has, the more profitable she is, often seen 2 lacs, quoted, just to cover rearing cost.

 

[Henarar]

We had one get in calf at 4 months, the calf died at birth, we sold her to a neighbour ahd she turned out to be one of the biggest cows he has, good cow to

We put the heifers to bull when we think they are big enough and old enough, they are not over bothered what time of year they calve and nor are we

 

[NZDan]

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!

You're kinder than me, we AI as yearlings and then one round with the bull.

 

[Matthew Britton]

You're kinder than me, we AI as yearlings and then one round with the bull.

I guess it’s just different here, that’s the thing with this job, there are so many different ways of doing it who is to say what’s right and what’s wrong.

 

[Generally01]

I guess it’s just different here, that’s the thing with this job, there are so many different ways of doing it who is to say what’s right and what’s wrong.

Well basically it will be okay only if the cow can handle it. I like to use the quote "Only one thing applies to everything and that is, Nothing applies to everything. -Gregory Fatsworth " everything is unique so treat it in its own unique way for best results.

 

[NZDan]

I guess it’s just different here, that’s the thing with this job, there are so many different ways of doing it who is to say what’s right and what’s wrong.

We started restricting mating length in yearlings on the back of US data showing that a heifer that calved in the first three weeks would wean twice the weight of calf over her life time than a heifer that calved in the 2nd three weeks.

 

[NZDan]

Well basically it will be okay only if the cow can handle it. I like to use the quote "Only one thing applies to everything and that is, Nothing applies to everything. -Gregory Fatsworth " everything is unique so treat it in its own unique way for best results.

Great quote.

 

[gatepost]

And a Vet bill!!!!!

Oh yes, £450 for the pleasure, heifer cost £400 so taken a bit of time to show a margin, but not a loss thankfully.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

16/18 months seems too be the age my heifers go to the bull to calve themselves and run into the herd with minimal extra management required. I’ve had them bulled a lot earlier, just like everyone else has. But out of 5 unintended pregnancies I’ve only managed too get 1 full outfit through too weaning! So I somewhat put me off calving earlier as a matter of course. Think our youngest was billed by her father at 8 months. Calved ok but calf was no use at all. Very annoying.