What to use on First Calf Heifers

Had an 80 lb No Worries last Sunday, had to pull it out of a monoploy 2 heifer.  Could never get it too suck, tubed him for 3 days.  Had to put him down yesterday, he just gave up so sad!!  Had 1-67 out of 5 year old cow, big calve 100 lbs. Had another 1-67 weighed about 80.  Won't use him on small cows or heifers again.  Really like the calves from him though!  Has anyone used Comfort Zone?

I have had 2 Jesse James bull calves.  Good calves, but they really tended to follow their dam's birth weight.  Maine cow that was born weighing 65# had a calf about the same size.  One and Only heifer out of a cow that always had bigger calves had a 90+# JJ calf that required chaining up and pulling by hand. 

For what commercial calves are bringing at weaning time, I use my BC Lookout son (Angus) on all heifers because he stamps them with small heads, smooth shoulders and they are really vigorous about getting up and nursing.  Had a calf out of a Walks Alone x Angus heifer yesterday that she had on her own in 15 degree weather, 2 steps outside the barn and he probably weighs 65-70# tops.  His ears got tipped in the cold, but he was bouncing around and happy when we got home yesterday.

My limited experience with Jesse James is that I would use him on heifers that were low birthweight themselves.  I would not use him on a heifer that has a lot of birthweight.

I've used 5 straws of J. J. and got 2 calves and had to pull both. It wasn't a hard pull, they just needed a little assistance. I would say both calves were around that 80lb mark.

Has any one used GCC Gold Standard on first calf heifers?

I wouldn't use Jesse James if Matt Lautner gave me the semen and promised me $5000 a calf.... then again I wont use anything with his name on it cause im  a dick and I think hes an egotistic numb nut that has a bad taste for straight legged short spined no length of body photo shopped bulls. My dad used Confidence and they were his smallest easy calving and heaviest at weaning with a lot of style. That man might be old school and we might not agree on a lot but he knows cattle and he says that bull will just flat work and you can sleep at night.... I sure do like the looks of that Slider bull.... im trying to talk my Angus buddy into using him this year!

whatever you do don't use comfort zone I've had 3  comfort zone x I80 and had to pull all three of them

With such varied results, I would like to know more about the cows, management style, etc. in the various cases.  But mostly about the cows: bloodlines (if known), size, type and any other information.  There's got to be a reason for such varied results.

KAXX said:

Just had a calf out of The Answer. Nice calf 60 lb. up and sucking in 30 minutes. I am using Connealy confidence this year. I highly recommend either. They will come early especially out of The Answer.

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Were are you getting your confidence semen

aww how cute wmw2014 thinks he knows me.... The bulls I have used that Rodgers carry has no ML bloodlines ... like Frisky Whiskey and Maternal Perfection .... just an fyi buddy!

irh said:

Has anyone used Comfort Zone?

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+1 for comfort zone
We had a bull calf out of a monopoly cow. Came out about 70lbs ams was up eating pretty quick. Pretty stout for a heifer bull

Just wish it was a heifer. Love the looks of them

Also just had a Comfort Zone out of a I80 x Carnac/FullFlush. 3 days past and I would guess weighs 70 lbs. The heifer was a show heifer on full feed all last spring/summer too. I'll try to get it weighed later today and a picture in the next couple days.

Also calving out quite a few PB Angus heifers to Frisky Whiskey, I67, and Jesse James. I'll let you know how those calves compare BW wise as all the heifers are bred similar.

My two cows were totally different, other than structure/profile.  Good head and neck, sloping shoulder, longer spined, straighter hocked but still free moving.

Cow one was a Heat Wave x Meyer x Angus cow that was shown up until 1 1/2 before calving.  She was fat & huge.  She is huge and stands 57" at the hip.  Frame score 7.  Not your typical "Southern" cow.  She had a 72 lb. heifer calf on her due date.  Calf was up and nursing in 15 minutes.  Sold her at 10 months for $4000.  I retained one flush.  She was shown lightly and bred.  She's due late spring to Grizzly.  I have not seen her since I was texted a picture in the summer.  They are quite pleased with her.

Cow two is a PB Angus cow from the herd of Dan May.  The day I picked her out, both her mother and grand-dam were in the herd.  She does not have the same mass that the Heat Wave cow has and may look plain next the other cow out in the pasture, but again she fit my criteria.  She, too is not a small cow in stature (7+).  At 23 months she had a 75 lb. heifer, unassisted.  That calf too was up and nursing in no time.  JJ really worked on that heifer.  Kept everything I like about her mother but added a lot more hip, back and hair.  Her calf won her first blue ribbons at 8 months of age.  One judge said she was the one that was the most fault free and had the most potential. 

Pics:
1. Cow one morning of calving
2. Cow one 24 hours later
3. Cow two days before calving
4. Cow two day after calving

Slider and Comfort Zone are both great options for breeding to heifers. Both bulls are proven to have low birth weights and are genetic defect free. CEG will also be offering sexed heifer semen on both Slider and Comfort Zone. For more information on either of these sires visit www.competitiveedgebulls.com or call Raymond at 712-249-2009. Attached in this post is a picture of Comfort Zone and Slider.

DLF said:

What bulls are safe for first calf clubby heifers? No Worries, Jesse James? Also, thought about using a new Angus bull called, Slider.

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We bred and sold Slider's dam to the owners of him. I seen him at the Ohio Beef Expo and was extremely impressed by him. Very smooth shouldered, tons of hair. Phenotypically excellent bull.

Telos said:

HAB said:

Here is a picture of a 65 lb heifer calf sired by Moto Moto out of an I-80 2 yr old heifer.

Moto Moto pictured as a 3 yr old.  His calves start out small, then get wide.

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HAB - I believe you've sold me on Moto Moto. Heifer calf in pic looks pretty special. Hope you keep us updated on her progress.

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Here is another picture of a Moto sired bull calf.  65# BW pic was taken yesterday, calf is 42 days old in picture. 3/4 Galloway 1/4 Angus