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Regenerative Agriculture and Direct Drilling
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<blockquote data-quote="Blaithin" data-source="post: 6773669" data-attributes="member: 5764"><p>It’ll be a con of the increased fertility and plain of nutrition modern breeds are on.</p><p></p><p>Many heifer calves start cycling as young as 6 months, some breeds, like Jersey, are known to be closer to 4. Where in the wild would you find a large mammal that is capable of breeding at 4-6 months?! Even cats struggle to meet that at times.</p><p></p><p>I’ll admit that there are moments I feel I must be failing somewhere nutritionally because my heifer calves rarely show a cycle before they’re a year old. In reality it’s keeping them safe and means their bodies are developing properly. They aren’t being creep fed to the point the starches speed up puberty for them and growth is directed to other aspects. I mean.... why do I want them cycling at 6 months anyway? I don’t want to breed them until 14-15 months so why is that a goal? What is it really a symbol of? I know of no studies that show a heifer cycling closer to 12 months means she’ll be less fertile than one who starts at 6 months. It could actually be a reverse indicator of longevity. I’m assuming cows are like humans, they’re born with a set number of eggs. If they start ovulating and using eggs as early as 4-6 months then they’re actually taking withdrawals from the bank months before necessary as a complete waste. A late cycling heifer could translate as a longer fertile heifer - to a point where her eggs become old and less viable anyway. </p><p></p><p>If a producer has a herd that they’ve worked on and know their heifers consistently don’t start cycling until 12+ months then mob breeding would be something of an option. Otherwise I wouldn't want to try it. It’s one of the flaws of rewilding cattle. If they’re bred young and you don’t even preg check them, how can you know to nutritionally support them and watch them closely for calving complications? You could potentially lose a large portion of your herd in the first couple years as replacements fail to survive.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Blaithin, post: 6773669, member: 5764"] It’ll be a con of the increased fertility and plain of nutrition modern breeds are on. Many heifer calves start cycling as young as 6 months, some breeds, like Jersey, are known to be closer to 4. Where in the wild would you find a large mammal that is capable of breeding at 4-6 months?! Even cats struggle to meet that at times. I’ll admit that there are moments I feel I must be failing somewhere nutritionally because my heifer calves rarely show a cycle before they’re a year old. In reality it’s keeping them safe and means their bodies are developing properly. They aren’t being creep fed to the point the starches speed up puberty for them and growth is directed to other aspects. I mean.... why do I want them cycling at 6 months anyway? I don’t want to breed them until 14-15 months so why is that a goal? What is it really a symbol of? I know of no studies that show a heifer cycling closer to 12 months means she’ll be less fertile than one who starts at 6 months. It could actually be a reverse indicator of longevity. I’m assuming cows are like humans, they’re born with a set number of eggs. If they start ovulating and using eggs as early as 4-6 months then they’re actually taking withdrawals from the bank months before necessary as a complete waste. A late cycling heifer could translate as a longer fertile heifer - to a point where her eggs become old and less viable anyway. If a producer has a herd that they’ve worked on and know their heifers consistently don’t start cycling until 12+ months then mob breeding would be something of an option. Otherwise I wouldn't want to try it. It’s one of the flaws of rewilding cattle. If they’re bred young and you don’t even preg check them, how can you know to nutritionally support them and watch them closely for calving complications? You could potentially lose a large portion of your herd in the first couple years as replacements fail to survive. [/QUOTE]
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