Author Topic: Calving question?? (Read 11918 times)

fluffer · « **Reply #15 on:** April 08, 2008, 02:45:40 PM »

Quote from: justme on April 08, 2008, 01:57:40 PM

Sorry about your bad luck Fluffer. I'm here alone all day and dread when I have to pull or chase one thru the mud to the barn.
Good luck!

I have a Border Collie for that! He is awesome! He helped me last night get 3 heifers back in when the electric fence got unhooked and hubby wasn't home. He is always ready to work- does a good job too. Hes the guy in my picture!

dori36 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 08, 2008, 02:54:22 PM »

Quote from: red on April 08, 2008, 01:37:14 PM

Dori & TJ- I saw we got another Lowline breeder the other day. Lazy G Lowlines. Oh my, they're coming out of the woodwork!

Red

That would be Glenn and Nancy Chapman from Washington State. They have mighty nice Lowlines and own one of the few homozygous red fullblood Lowline bulls in the country. Welcome aboard, guys!! Put a pic of Bluey up. Folks here would love him!

dori36 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 08, 2008, 02:58:18 PM »

Quote from: fluffer on April 08, 2008, 01:41:30 PM

hahah! I might consider that after the year we have had!!!

How sad is it when I ask my 18 mo daughter if she wasnts to go out to see the cows and she says "cows, milk, calf, baby, bottle" every time. She thinks we have to milk the cows and give the calves a bottle. She has seen us milk out too many cows and give the calf a bottle. It has been a crazy year!

how big is a lowline bull (hight and weight) what is their average bw.

Fluffer

Fullblood Lowline bulls can range from "too small fer ya" up to 48" or so at the hip. Some are a little bigger. Bull weights from 1000 to 1400 or so. Mine weighed 1310 when I had him collected a couple of years ago. Halfblood Lowline bulls will probably finish right up there with some of the smaller Angus bulls. Really hard to give an average as the non-Lowline side can vary so much. TJ has probably raised more percentage Lowline bulls all the way to maturity and will have a better handle on it. BW for percentage Lowlines, again depending on the "other" side, probably range from 50 lbs to about 70 at the high end.

dori36 · « **Reply #18 on:** April 08, 2008, 03:07:23 PM »

Quote from: justme on April 08, 2008, 01:57:40 PM

sure that lowline nice in theory, and I for one think they have there place, but I'd get killed at the sale barn with one that small. I cann't imagine they'd dress out at the 1100+ pounds they want around here.

Sorry about your bad luck Fluffer. I'm here alone all day and dread when I have to pull or chase one thru the mud to the barn. Everyone seems to say angus, angus, angus, on first calf heifers....I find to many guys around here having trouble with those angus. I'll take my maine clean up bull anyday. He's a Money Man x CTR Success. Love those easy coming calves out of him.

Good luck!

If your operation primarily depends on marketing cattle on pounds, you have a point. However, if a person wants to market on pounds using a retained ownership agreement and hooks up with a feeder that offers a bonus for grade and quality on the grid, you can do very well with halfblood Lowlines. Lowlines crossed with Angus qualify to be fed as Certified Angus Beef and if they meet the further requirements upon slaughter, there is a very nice bonus. Dress out at 1100 pounds, I don't think so. Let's see, based on a 60% dressing percentage, that would mean the finished steer in the lot has to weigh about 1900 pounds. I don't think that most feeders have any desire to take steers to that weight. And an 1100 pound dressed weight would have a hard time fitting into the "box" that the big guys are aiming for. I guess feeders in your area are looking for much bigger feeders than I have seen.

justme · « **Reply #19 on:** April 08, 2008, 03:14:14 PM »

I meant finished out at at least 1100 pounds I type faster than I should sometimes. If we take a steer under 1100 pounds even if he's finished, they tend to get nailed hard at sale barn.

CAB · « **Reply #20 on:** April 08, 2008, 05:21:17 PM »

Had a cow go 171/2 hours Sat. 2:00pm til 7:30am Sunday morning. C-section Sunseeker, bull calf. Cow wouldn't dilate. Z model year cow, never had that happen B4.

dori36 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2008, 05:45:14 PM »

Quote from: justme on April 08, 2008, 03:14:14 PM

I meant finished out at at least 1100 pounds I type faster than I should sometimes. If we take a steer under 1100 pounds even if he's finished, they tend to get nailed hard at sale barn.

In that case, run, don't walk, to get some Lowline genetics into your commercial herd. Absolutely NO problem for most haldblood Lowlines, crossed with just about any other beed or combination of breeds, to finish at 1100 pounds. they'll do that all day! And, they'll grade on a fraction of the inputs of other commercial feeders. The biggest challenge to putting percentage Lowlines in a feedlot is how to educate the feedlot owner on how to feed them to finish to grade 1-2 and choice and not keep them on feed as long as other cattle. And, if you feed out Lowlines on the same amounts and types of feeds as regular cattle, they'll mature early and start laying on copious quantities of fat! Ugh, not a good thing. Lowlines are best fed out in a lot with other Lowlines where their regimen can be taylored for them.

ROAD WARRIOR · « **Reply #22 on:** April 08, 2008, 06:19:33 PM »

As long as we're pitching calving ease bull - why not consider the breed known for calving ease and maternal traits - Red Angus. Hope for a heifer and if you end up with a steer it is still a merchandisable product. Sullivans used to breed all of their "clubbie" first calf heifers to R A calving ease bulls. RW

Show Heifer · « **Reply #23 on:** April 08, 2008, 06:30:04 PM »

Fluffer, you said something that caught my attention....what breed was your heifers?

We used a 100% calving ease angus bull on some gelv heifers and had a COMPLETE diseaster! Was told that the heterosis is at its ultimate when crossing any british breed with any continental breed. That EPD's are out the window....
The ones we saved were awesome, grew way better than weeds, but lost way too many calves and a few cows.

Show Heifer · « **Reply #24 on:** April 08, 2008, 06:32:31 PM »

Quote from: ROAD WARRIOR on April 08, 2008, 06:19:33 PM

As long as we're pitching calving ease bull - why not consider the breed known for calving ease and maternal traits - Red Angus. Hope for a heifer and if you end up with a steer it is still a merchandisable product. Sullivans used to breed all of their "clubbie" first calf heifers to R A calving ease bulls. RW

I have seen some of those RA epds....a +3 to a +6 BW EPD doesn't scream calving ease to me......seems like the recent sales I have been to are all in that range. But that goes for black angus too....
Know of someone who used a "calving ease" RA bull on heifers and are getting calves averaging 95. It happens in all breeds!!

shortyisqueen · « **Reply #25 on:** April 08, 2008, 06:39:31 PM »

I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the 'my breed is a...and they always...' mentality, no matter what breed you have. Fluffer didn't get big calves because it was an Angus - they got them because it was the wrong Angus (of course, not with their knowledge).

We all have our breed of choice and cattle that we are (rightfully) very proud of. Its probably just me but I find the blatant breed sales pitches to be a little bit rude. There are quality cattle in every breed that can get the job done and inferior cattle in every breed who can't. Correct me if I'm wrong, but just because an animal is a Lowline does not guarantee it will sire a premium market weight steer in the same way having an Angus bull does not guarantee calving ease. Do we have so little respect for other's breeding programs that we can resort to saying 'its just your breed'...when clearly, its not...?

ROAD WARRIOR · « **Reply #26 on:** April 08, 2008, 06:43:54 PM »

Quote from: Show Heifer on April 08, 2008, 06:32:31 PM

Quote from: ROAD WARRIOR on April 08, 2008, 06:19:33 PM
As long as we're pitching calving ease bull - why not consider the breed known for calving ease and maternal traits - Red Angus. Hope for a heifer and if you end up with a steer it is still a merchandisable product. Sullivans used to breed all of their "clubbie" first calf heifers to R A calving ease bulls. RW

I have seen some of those RA epds....a +3 to a +6 BW EPD doesn't scream calving ease to me......seems like the recent sales I have been to are all in that range. But that goes for black angus too....
Know of someone who used a "calving ease" RA bull on heifers and are getting calves averaging 95. It happens in all breeds!!

We run basically three lines of bulls after AIing. 1 with alot of power, growth and maternal, 1 that is our premier female producer and 1 that is money in the bank calving ease. Our heaviest calf at the midway point of calving ease has been 86#s. Our "heifer bull" calves have ranged from 69 to 78#s. Red Angus are no different from any other breed - Just because the numbers say it's so doesn't mean it's so. We have been SO EPD intense for so many years that we have some of the best data manipulaters out there. Find a BREEDER not a MERCHANDISER and go with them. For some the all mighty dollar is more important than reputation. RW

Longway Ranch - SK, Canada · « **Reply #27 on:** April 08, 2008, 10:12:20 PM »

Quote from: shortyisqueen on April 08, 2008, 06:39:31 PM

I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the 'my breed is a...and they always...' mentality, no matter what breed you have. Fluffer didn't get big calves because it was an Angus - they got them because it was the wrong Angus (of course, not with their knowledge).

We all have our breed of choice and cattle that we are (rightfully) very proud of. Its probably just me but I find the blatant breed sales pitches to be a little bit rude. There are quality cattle in every breed that can get the job done and inferior cattle in every breed who can't. Correct me if I'm wrong, but just because an animal is a Lowline does not guarantee it will sire a premium market weight steer in the same way having an Angus bull does not guarantee calving ease. Do we have so little respect for other's breeding programs that we can resort to saying 'its just your breed'...when clearly, its not...?

I absolutely agree!! Some breeds were origionally bred to do some things better than others, but lately they all fall in the same category. The category that Shortyisqueen is talking about.

ROAD WARRIOR · « **Reply #28 on:** April 08, 2008, 11:13:38 PM »

Quote from: shortyisqueen on April 08, 2008, 06:39:31 PM

I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the 'my breed is a...and they always...' mentality, no matter what breed you have. Fluffer didn't get big calves because it was an Angus - they got them because it was the wrong Angus (of course, not with their knowledge).

We all have our breed of choice and cattle that we are (rightfully) very proud of. Its probably just me but I find the blatant breed sales pitches to be a little bit rude. There are quality cattle in every breed that can get the job done and inferior cattle in every breed who can't. Correct me if I'm wrong, but just because an animal is a Lowline does not guarantee it will sire a premium market weight steer in the same way having an Angus bull does not guarantee calving ease. Do we have so little respect for other's breeding programs that we can resort to saying 'its just your breed'...when clearly, its not...?

Did NOT mean to come acrossed as rude or belittle any one elses breed of cattle, if I offended you I appologize. With that said I will make one statement meant to represent only my herd and the offspring produced by it. IF I tell you a bull from my herd is a sleep all night heifer bull - count on it! If I tell you I wouldn't use that bull on heifers - that is exactly what I mean! I have bred 4 to 8 generations of nearly every cow in my herd. I will not make statements on calving ease about calves sired by AI bulls until I have used them in my own herd. AI bulls have to prove themselves to me in my herd and produce at least equal calves to the herd bulls that I clean up with or the semen gets pitched out in the road. There have been alot of disapointments hit the gravel over the last 18+ years and I'm sure there will be many more. RW

Dusty · « **Reply #29 on:** April 09, 2008, 06:25:20 AM »

As I said in an earlier post, there is as much variation within a breed as there is between breeds with regards to all regards to all traits BW, YW, REA etc.

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Author Topic: Calving question?? (Read 11918 times)

fluffer

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dori36

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dori36

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dori36

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justme

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CAB

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dori36

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ROAD WARRIOR

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Show Heifer

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Show Heifer

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shortyisqueen

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ROAD WARRIOR

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Longway Ranch - SK, Canada

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ROAD WARRIOR

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Dusty

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