Earliest Age to Bull

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:51 am

This year we have about 17 new heifer calves which are Angus X Dexter. At 10 months old, most are as big as their dams. I still have a Dexter bull, one with a lot of Woodmagic in him, and he has always produced small calves.

So, what's the earliest age that you would personally consider putting this bull to the cross heifers?

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:39 am

It depends a bit on what you are trying to achieve Clive. If you are looking for margins perhaps you should be aiming to feed them well for the first trimester, feed them well again after calving so they continue to grow and aim to calve at 2 years.

Stephanie

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 12:14 pm

Stephanie, basically my herd used to be calving all year except the summer, and I've been trying to get the whole herd to Spring calve, which is quite difficult and costly to do. So I started by delaying some, and bringing others forward a month or so to get them all together in a single batch. I'm well on the way there, but the calving was spread out last year over a quite long period, because some that I put in early didn't take for a while as you'd expect.

If they were all the same age I would simply put them back to the bull at 15 months and keep my 24 month cycle going. But the heifers this year aren't all the same age, they range from 5.2 to 10.5 months at the moment because I'm only half way towards the final goal.

So, to cut a long story short, when they need to go to the bull to achieve late winter/spring calving, a few heifers will be just about 12 months old. I would have thought that would be OK with this bull, but I wanted to know if anyone does this and what problems they've had, if any?

I feel very confident about them having small calves. The only other option would be to beef the younger ones.

Edited By Broomcroft on 1289301472

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 12:29 pm

Sorry, can't edit, I meant 12 month cycle!

ann · Post by **ann** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:44 pm

I would not be bulling them before 15mths if they where mine, and don't be to sure about small calves nature has a habit of defining the odds sometimes.

domsmith · Post by **domsmith** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:39 pm

If you bull them too early you will end up with stunted heifers. they will be really held back in comparison to their siblings

we have a second calver who calved 5 months before her siblings. she is still considerably smaller. but her calves have done alright.

d

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:51 pm

Well, I think I'll stick to 15 months as the youngest age to go to the bull, and either sell or beef the younger heifers which couldn't be used for breeding till next year.

Many thanks.

Rebecca · Post by **Rebecca** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:16 am

Well we had our first "teenage" birth yesterday. 16month old heifer. We had run the bull in with the herd last year when the heifers were only young. Taken him out and all was good until the rotten ..... went through 3 electric fences to get back in with the herd 3 months later.

Although once he took the first fence out the hot wires on the other fences wouldn't have been working too well! :;): By that stage of course we had 3 heifers just at the worst age. I was not happy!

Our heifer who calved yesterday is a well grown animal and had an easy calving with a very active heifer calf. Devoted mum and doing all the right things. However, because we are coming into summer and feed will be very light on the ground this summer the heifer will need to be fed so she keeps growing and will have a bit of a break before going back to the bull - or at least if I have any say in it she will!

Our heifers usually go to the bull the first time from 14 months to 16 months as long as they are well grown. Have occassionally held heifers back as we calve twice yearly and run 2 herds, on seperate properties, so I can swap them between herds.

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:56 pm

The one experience we had was a bought in heifer who had a four month old calf on her at 24 months. For the next few years she dropped off sooner than the others so her calves had to be weaned earlier.
She would pick up over autumn but then she didn't do so well over winter as the others, needed extra feed for five years. We wouldn't persist with a cow like that now but she was one of our first Dexters.
She blossomed when she was 5yo and never looked back after that. She was a beautiful mature cow, but she did it hard before then and I'm sure it was because she had such a hard start with her first calf being so early.
Margaret

Rebecca · Post by **Rebecca** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:47 pm

Well of the 3 heifers who the bull got into 2 of them ended up pregnant. I considered getting them needled at the time but decided to wait and hope they had been to young - didn't see any bull activity. The second heifer looks like calving any day now - can't be far off because the bull was only in for a max of 48 hours. Will just see how they go.

The girl who has just calved is from one of my best cow lines, one of the few I keep bulls from, and was intended as a herd replacement - just hadn't intended it to be so soon! I have someone who desperately wants some dexter calves to raise from very young (would like day olds) but I am not keen on taking calves off their mums early - unless I really have to. However, these girls will have their calves weaned as soon as they are old enough.

The second girl is not in the same situation - nice heifer but not exceptional. Still don't want to lose her but.... we will see how she goes. Have no problems with beefing heifers.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:54 pm

Good luck Rebecca. We had two this year calved at 15 months to an Angus!!! One calved normally but with a lot of help but no jack, and the other had a CS as we could feel the head was just too big. Both are fine but stunted, and have raised their calves well, now 8 months old. Of course, they were both from my favourite breeding lines, I think the bull must have known!

Edited By Broomcroft on 1289483725

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Sun Nov 14, 2010 7:03 am

I normally tell people who ask that question, 16 months. But I usually put the heifers and cows in with the bull at the same time so that the whole herd calves together, when the Spring grass is due to come in. So some of the heifers may only be 14 months.

If any of them aren't well grown, they wait another year until they go to the bull. Because we had a drought here last Summer, none of our heifers went to the bull, as I had no guarantee that I'd have enough grass to feed both them and their unborn calves. It got so desparate that I only left the bull in with the cows for 4 weeks, so that I could put all the females in the same paddock, making it easier for the rotational grassing of any paddocks that had enough grass in them. The poor bulls just got anything I could spare or were leased out to people needing a bull.

Its looking as though this Summer could be following the same way. Fortunately we don't have as many cows this Summer, after selling a good number last Autumn.