Heifers can occasionally join as young as 5 months of age, resulting in a calf at foot when the heifer is 15 months old.
At what age heifers are best to breed?
Whether you are raising or buying replacement heifers, the goal is to start breeding heifers near 12 – 14 months of age. By this time, heifers should have reached or be close to reaching puberty. Heifers must be pubertal in order to become bred.
Can a 6 month old bull breed a cow?
Overall, bulls reach puberty between the ages of 9 and 10 months. About three weeks before reaching puberty, male calves begin showing interest in the opposite sex. However, just because the bull is capable of breeding before reaching his first birthday doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
Can a heifer get bred too early?
Heifers that are bred too early tend to have too small a pelvic area to calve out, so some “whoopsie” heifers need to have a C-section done on them, or have the calf pulled. This can be quite costly, as the new calf will often have to be bottle-fed to get enough milk for him.
Can a 6 month old heifer get pregnant?
After weaning we recommend that you separate the bull calves from the heifers; she can become pregnant after 5-6 months of age.
At what age can you put a heifer with a bull?
A: Breeding should occur when the heifer reaches puberty. Puberty is a function of breed, age, and weight. Most heifers will reach puberty and be bred by 12 to 14 months of age and will be between 55% and 65% of their mature weight when they first begin to exhibit estrous cycles.
At what age can a Angus bull breed?
This happens at approximately 12 months of age, though it can vary in individual bulls several months before or after this age depending on biological type (primarily frame size and potential mature weight), nutrition, and health status.
What age can you bull a heifer?
“Only heifers 13 months or older and healthy are served with a proven easy-calving bull, but the bull’s daughters’ calving score should be positive if they are to be kept.”
How big should a Angus heifer be before breeding?
From weaning to first breeding, heifers should gain an average of 0.56 kgs to 0.80 kgs, (1.25 lbs to 1.75 lbs), per day or 115 to 160 kgs, (250 to 350 lbs), total (depending on breed). For most breeds and crosses, heifers should weigh between 300 to 390 kgs, (650 to 850 lbs.), at breeding time.
Should you keep a heifers first calf?
Heifer development is one of the most substantial expenses for beef cattle operations. Time quickly gets away when you’re a cow-calf operator, but it’s essential to keep the first calf heifers on track. Heifers conceiving early in their first breeding season will have increased lifetime production and efficiency.
Can you breed a yearling heifer?
Heifers should reach puberty from 1 to 3 mo before the average age that heifers are to be bred. For example, in order for heifers to be bred as yearlings and to calve at 2 yr of age, they should have reached puberty by 12 to 14 mo of age.
Can a heifer be breed by its father?
You can have father-daughter matings in beef cattle, but it is not recommended. This type of breeding practice is called inbreeding or close breeding. Again, this breeding practice is rarely practiced today, although it was common in the foundation animals of most breeds.
Why is second breeding of heifers difficult?
“Low blood energy, as a result of poor body condition at calving, generally is the cause of re- breeding failure,” Evans concludes. Compounding the problem is the fact that a first-calf heifer just overcame the greatest physiological stresses of her life.
At what age should a heifer have her first calf?
In North America, a majority of Bos taurus heifers (breeds such as Angus, Hereford, Simmental, and Charolais) are expected to calve for the first time at 22 to 24 months of age (at which time they are referred to as primiparous cows) and at approximately 12-month intervals thereafter until 6 to 10+ years of age.
How many calves can an Angus cow have?
one calf
Calving typically occurs in the spring. After a nine-month gestation, a cow gives birth to one calf. Twins are rare. Calves are generally kept with the mother until weaning age, which is four to five months.
How long should you leave a bull with heifers?
Leave bull B alone with the cows for at least two weeks, and for the rest of the breeding season if his body condition stays above a score of 5. It is critical to favor this young bull during his first breeding season. Turn bull A back out with the cows after bull B has had his two-week learning experience.
What weight should a heifer be at mating?
about 780 pounds
According to the American Angus Association, the average mature cow weight is 1,200 pounds. Heifers from 1,200-pound mothers will need to weigh about 780 pounds by the start of the first breeding season. If the mature size of the herd is 1,100 pounds, then the heifers can be about 715 pounds when breeding begins.
What age do you butcher an Angus cow?
Cattle raised for beef will typically be slaughtered by the time they reach 2-3 years old. Some have advocated a switch to slaughtering cows for meat at an older age.
What is the best bull to breed to Angus cows?
Breeding Hereford bulls to Angus cows results in the perfect female, and the steers hold their own, too. of choice for many commercial cattlemen. For ranchers in the Northern Plains, Hereford bulls are providing the magic cross on their Angus cows.
How many cows can a 3 year old bull breed?
In general, do not expose a young bull to more than 15 cows or heifers during breeding time. Bulls should be well developed and at least 24 to 30 months of age before they are allowed to run with 25 to 30 cows during the breeding season.
What weight can you join Angus heifers?
The main cost of mating heifers as yearlings is the need to feed weaner heifers so that they achieve a minimum liveweight at mating. British breed heifers should weigh at least 275-280 kg at joining, while the later maturing European breeds should weigh at least 320 kg.