Ali calves in heifers

[Joe Boy]

I have notice that several of you have talked about large calves from Ali in heifers.

My question:  Are your heifers late, early or on time with their calves?

I have two heifers that have looked like they would drop a calf any day.  They are now a day late... so I was just wondering.

Have a great evening.

 

[red]

Joe Boy- I can't say I have ever used Ali ( just doesn't flip my tigger) but I've heard of calving weights all over the board. There seems to be a lot of heavy calves from him this year. also some are talking about a lot of white on the calves. Generally he seems to have early calves so not sure if there is a correlation with late & heavier calves?
Must not work well with Heatwave lines. I've heard horror stories about some of those calves. Of course the dam has an influence there too!
Good luck on the calves! I believe that Ohio B has had some experience w/ Ali.

Red

 

[showcattlegal]

The calves that came early came really easy. 62 and 65 lbs, but my 3 day late one was 94 lbs. I lost him. My ali's don't have any white but i don't think they will be show calves either, time will tell.

lacey

 

[Jill]

Don't give up on them too early, I had one I didn't like at all, I had her in the sale barn pen, we clipped her up just to see what she looked like and we are now showing her and have done really well with her, but it took her til 8 or 9 months to finally look like anything.

 

[justme]

Last year ours were covered with white...one looked like a holstein.  All very light, but out of 10 none made the showstring.  They were out some of my most consistant bloodlines so I just decided he wasn't for us.

 

[red]

I've heard a lot of people commenting on the amount of chrome on the calves this year.
If it's in the right places it's OK, but when they look like Holsteins- UGH!

Red

 

[Showcalves]

We've had lots of nice ones though.  Be sure not to write them off too early.  They really do change A LOT as they go.  We have one that's nearly 2 months old now and WOW has he gotten better.  He's in our top 10 calves now.  You just never know.

Melinda

 

[Joe Boy]

Thanks..

Both heifers calved from Ali and the calves were 2 days late and very small compared to our other cows this year.  The calves weighed 67 and 70 and were born within 10 minutes of each other....probably  the way I bred them....

In general our calves have weighed 10-15 lbs more on the average this year.  It will be interesting to run the averages at the end of the year.  One of these calves is 1/4 Lemi and the rest is Maine.  He is brown and will turn black.  The other one is black with a little white on his stomach.  I had a Nike daughter with one white dot on her side and the end of her tail.  I had another calve that was white tailed including all of his tail head and rear end to his belly.  It looks funny.  His sire is 258127 and he is the sire of our best fall heifer who is solid black.  The cow is a yellow cow and what she has in her is unknown.  She had a calf with a white tail last year.  I also have a real large bull calve from 258127 that has a large white area and gives the look that he is a holstine.  I have two beautiful Nike heifers, and the rest of this batch have been all bulls.  2-9....  5 more calves and I am finished until fall.  Two are due any time and 3 in June.

Thanks again.

 

[genes]

The white tail is a Char thing, so if she is a yellow cow, that would explain it.  But did you get it on a black calf?  That would be quite a different look, for sure.  We've had a couple but just on tan or red.

 

[Joe Boy]

Yes both of her calves from black bulls have had white tails and the calves are black.... this one is really white on his rear end.....  I will send a picture later...

 

[showcattlegal]

I like my ali calves bodies, but there pretty fine boned.

lacey

 

[olsencattleco]

Ali seemed to calve pretty easy for us this year. Do not give up on them. Give them until about 6-7 months of age and they will start turnin it on. We used ali on a few charolias x first calf heifers. We got one solid black, a smokie, and a paint calf. These were three of the best heifers we had this year. Ill use him again on any first calf heifer. Anyone have any other suggestions besides ali on heifers without sacrficing much quality? The angus bull Legend also gave us some pretty stout nice fronted calves.

thanks alot

eric

 

[red]

Major's Money Man is a favorite of several of us here. He is a purebred Maine bull. Not a new bull, was born in 1999. He has a BW EPD of -6.7. I really like the heifers out of him, very clean fronted. he is also clean for TH & PHA. Several of his daughters have sold very well in sales also.
"Just Me" is getting some calves out of a son of his. She seems to think they have been very nice too.
He is at most major semen distributors or you can talk to Colleen at http://www.majorsshowcattle.com/