Youngest age for heifers to breed?

youngchap

Just wondering what age you guys think?

Mainly fresian and continental heifers, no angus..

But would start them all on an angus bull for their first year

Whats the correct age/weight to you?

Thanks lads :cool:

Grecco

I usually let them run with the bull when they are roughly 400kg weight and more than 18 months old. That way they are calving at 2 to 2 and a half year olds. I know a lot of lads wouldnt let them run with the bull until they are 2 year olds

Joe the Plumber

Grecco wrote: »

I usually let them run with the bull when they are roughly 400kg weight and more than 18 months old. That way they are calving at 2 to 2 and a half year olds. I know a lot of lads wouldnt let them run with the bull until they are 2 year olds

That's about as light and young as you dare. If they are exceptional heifers and you are taking a long term view for breeding. It will stand to them if you give them another six months.

kkdela6

I would definitely wait til they are at least 15 months of age and at least 300kg, that would be the very youngest, and after that it depends on the individual cow/sire, anguses are generally easy enough calvers

1chippy

kkdela6 wrote: »

I would definitely wait til they are at least 15 months of age and at least 300kg, that would be the very youngest,

Are you breeding dexters?
If they are only 300kg at 15 months, i wouldnt keep them.
This same thread seems to raise its head every so often and 420kg at least and aim for them young. the more ive been reading up the more im convinced of calving at two years.

Timmaay

The teagasc lads are really trying to push us all to get the Heifers up to 330kg before you AI them, which for the spring lads would be about May 1st, or about 15months old if they are spring calfs.

yellow50HX

from what i can remember from when my dad milked cows he tried to keep the oldest heifers so these would have been born around Christmas and early January then the plan was to have then calving down to an AA when they were going on 27-28 months. if you left them too long then they you would end up with late calver for a few years, he wanted most of the cows calved before they went back out into grass to get the most from the milking season. if they came bulling too late he would leave them till they were older and aim for calving at 3 years.

from a suckler point of view he again aims for the oldest suitable heifers as replacements and aims for an AA calf when they are about 27-28 months.

on another point what the youngest you've had a heifer calf at? the 1st year our neighbour had sucklers he noticed that a weanling he had kept over the winter were starting to spring, taught he was imagining it and said it to my dad, then a few days later a tiny little calf was running around the field. so he brought in the rest of the heifers and 2 more were showing signs and calved a few weeks later. when he registered the calves the dept rang him to say he must have made a mistake when he told them what happened they sent out a vet to check. all the heifers calved by themselves and were all happy and healthy. the 1st one calves at 14 months while the second and third were about 18 months. came as a bit f a shock to him so he injects the oldest heifers at the end of the year just in case they were bulled, we have started to do the same just in case of accidents.

Atilathehun

Timmaay wrote: »

The teagasc lads are really trying to push us all to get the Heifers up to 330kg before you AI them, which for the spring lads would be about May 1st, or about 15months old if they are spring calfs.

I have always calved heifers at no less than 30 months. Just the way I did it.
With all the talk about "better farmers", in the weekly rag, I went with the new thinking last year, and bulled four to calve at two years.
Two have calved there in February, and two to calve in next few weeks.
To be honest, I was not at all happy with the size they have come to at point of calving. Just seemed too juvenile to my eye.
Anyway, the two that calved in Feb, calved no bother, and they are out on grass since early March. Getting a bit of meal twice a day, and to be honest, I am really surprised at how well they have performed since calving. Seemed to have put on a growth spurt. Looking very nice heifers now. Glad I did it now, and have kept back four more that I will bull this year to calve at two years.

Timmaay

Atilathehun wrote: »

I have always calved heifers at no less than 30 months. Just the way I did it.
With all the talk about "better farmers", in the weekly rag, I went with the new thinking last year, and bulled four to calve at two years.
Two have calved there in February, and two to calve in next few weeks.
To be honest, I was not at all happy with the size they have come to at point of calving. Just seemed too juvenile to my eye.
Anyway, the two that calved in Feb, calved no bother, and they are out on grass since early March. Getting a bit of meal twice a day, and to be honest, I am really surprised at how well they have performed since calving. Seemed to have put on a growth spurt. Looking very nice heifers now. Glad I did it now, and have kept back four more that I will bull this year to calve at two years.

We are measuring all the heifers now with a weight tape, takes alot of the guesswork out of it, I was surprised at the difference in weight that a similar aged heifers were. Also, we found that if you just guess the weight by eye, you always tended to be under (ie you would think that a heifer that was actually 350kg was only 300). We are all hostens, which would tend to be a bigger cow then the British Friesians which the Teagasc lads seem to be pushing more now.