I-80

[mccartan]

We had a PB Angus heifer with low BW EPD's bred to a proven calving ease PB Angus bull have a 120 pound calf this year.  She wasn't a show heifer, and was in ideal calving condition.  There are no guarantees I don't care how proven a bull is.  

 

[Cattle Cards]

Why are our heifers not able to just squirt out a calf by a nice bull?  Why do we need to breed to a "calving ease" bull and throw away the first calf?  That's not beef production.  Years ago I had a Simmental heifer that was a winner for me every time out, sold her the fall of her yearling year and she weighed 1700 lbs.  Had a 106 lb. bull calf by a popular new bull.  The year before was almost the same except that heifer wasn't as big.  Maybe 1250 - 1300 lbs.  She had a 88 lb. heifer, line-bred, unassisted.  What's wrong with this picture?

 

[Gargan]

I feel your calf will be ok. He is upheaded in the pic and that is always a good sign.

 

[bcosu]

Why are our heifers not able to just squirt out a calf by a nice bull?  Why do we need to breed to a "calving ease" bull and throw away the first calf?  That's not beef production.  Years ago I had a Simmental heifer that was a winner for me every time out, sold her the fall of her yearling year and she weighed 1700 lbs.  Had a 106 lb. bull calf by a popular new bull.  The year before was almost the same except that heifer wasn't as big.  Maybe 1250 - 1300 lbs.  She had a 88 lb. heifer, line-bred, unassisted.  What's wrong with this picture?

i'm not sure where this post is going.

there is no such thing as a throw away calf that is alive and well with feeder cattle selling for over 1.50 a pound. the most important quality in a cow is that she breeds and has a live calf. you can't sell a dead one and you can't sell a calf if the cow was never bred.

maybe, by using your weight example, you are saying that shape is more important than weight. we have had heavy calves come out of first calf heifers but there were out of angus bulls and they weren't the huge headed, big hipped type of calves and the heifers had them by themselves.

i guess i don't see how beef production is not breeding for live cattle.

 

[kfacres]

you know- i bet that will be your stoutest calf of this year: and that alone- is reason enough for people to use him..

why not take the chance.

 

[Cattle Cards]

My first show heifer, that I bought at the state sale, showed, and went to ABS in WI to look at and pick out bulls when I was just a lad had her first calf and it was a 97 lb bull calf.  WW 662 YW 1271, ranked second in the bull test and sold for $2500, back when cattle were 78 cents and the interest rate was double didgets.  That's beef production.

 

[DakotaCow]

We had a PB Angus heifer with low BW EPD's bred to a proven calving ease PB Angus bull have a 120 pound calf this year.  She wasn't a show heifer, and was in ideal calving condition.  There are no guarantees I don't care how proven a bull is.  

That is why you do what you can to properly manage your herd. Who knows, you could breed her that way a dozen more times and never have a calf over 100 lbs again. That's the game you play with genetics. Using proven and older bulls simply increases the chances of a calf that will pay the cows way. As for throwing the first calf crop away, that's between you and  your banker...

 

[Hereford399]

We had an I80 out of one of our older cows who is 8. She has never had problems and we figured we would try him on her. We had a 98 pounder and she was 70 at birth. I will never use him again. Calf got stuck had to cut it out and the cow will be on my plate on friday because the calf was so big it pinched her nerve to the right leg. My friend has a who made who bull he is collecting on this year and has never had calf over 68 pounds. I will breed him to every first calf heifer i have.

 

[Limiman12]

See I'd there is a animal chiropractor in your area.  I can not do it for pay for others because I am not certified for a vet chiro, but I am eight for eight getting dads heifers back on their feet.....

 

[nathan572]

Thanks for all your post, just trying to make everyone aware that not all calving ease bulls are proven calving ease. This calf has now died and buried in the back pasture. I think it was such a large calf the he had some internal injuries to his head but not for sure. The whites in his eyes, in his last hour had started to get blood shot and the inside walls of his nose looked as it had blood under the skin. Fact is this calf was just too big.

 

[Cattle Cards]

Sorry to hear it. 

 

[Hereford399]

I am eating breakfast then taking that cow to our butcher. It's a shame, her back right leg doesn't Work at all. At least I can get some burger out of her. I guess that's cattle business but I learned my lesson on i80. It should be i80+. Good luck to you sorry to hear bout your calf.Makes me feel a little better others are having problems and not just me because I thought I was having bad luck. Your not alone my friend.

 

[Gargan]

sorry bout losing ur calf. that sux when u plan out ur breeding selections, wait nine months and then something like this happens. i would have bet on ur calf surviving the way he looked in the 1st pic but i guess u never know whats going on internally. I had a calf last yr that i pulled, had a lot of swelling, but lived to be 7 months old. He never did look quite rite, but he ate and grew. Then 1 day he just fell over dead. It was def something internally (maybe and anurism or something). U just never know. Anyway, good luck in the future.

 

[Richland Farms]

Sorry to hear calving season has started on the down side. I have read this post with interest, I was thinking about breeding all of my heifers to I80. Now with that said please don't take any offens to my question,but I must ask did you use a set of scales to weigh the calf? The reason I ask many people have told me of there huge calves, then you ask the question did you weigh it.There answer is always the same(I am good at guessing weights). 

 

[nathan572]

Sorry to hear calving season has started on the down side. I have read this post with interest, I was thinking about breeding all of my heifers to I80. Now with that said please don't take any offens to my question,but I must ask did you use a set of scales to weigh the calf? The reason I ask many people have told me of there huge calves, then you ask the question did you weigh it.There answer is always the same(I am good at guessing weights). 

yes, I did use a scale, but it was the spring type, so it could be off two or three pounds either way.