Ideal Nurse Cows ?

[Stocker Steve]

Steve should be able to find bred dairy heifers bred to Angus bull for about same money, I want to do it with putting embryos in, just don't have the spot to do it.

What are open dairy heifers selling for in your area?

How will a diary mom effect the WW EPD ?

[Till-Hill]

Open heifers are bringing like you said $65/cwt, nice ones off herd dispersal's Johnes vaccinated most of them around here too.

On WW epd heck who knows, all Genomic tests anymore, I don't think most of these big epd pushers will even weigh their cattle in the near future.

The price of them open heifers tho I could put in some eggs I feel are going to be worth $2,000+ at weaning time. I could then just sell any of the ones that were either a pain to feed their calf or ones that didn't take an egg the next time and still make more money than commercial calf going to the sale barn.........

[Stocker Steve]

On WW epd heck who knows,

The minute you set up a system, there are folks looking for a way to work it.

I think a lot of the WW number pushers will start implanting into dairy recips, and go for 900# weaning weights.

[Till-Hill]

On WW epd heck who knows,

The minute you set up a system, there are folks looking for a way to work it.

I think a lot of the WW number pushers will start implanting into dairy recips, and go for 900# weaning weights.

In all honesty you don't need alot more milk than what a beef cow has. Last year my pasture with 5 cows with bull calves at side grass got short. I fed them cows just a tick over a ton of 80/20 corn and DDG with rumension and force fed mineral. 3 were pushing 900#, 2 that weren't didn't have the genetics to do it. And all 5 cows stuck in like 30 days too. People just need to feed their cows a little better.

[Stocker Steve]

"Pushing 900#" WW... I thought Simi was a dual purpose breed. Maybe I should sort of some easy Simi heifers for nurse cows ?

[Till-Hill]

"Pushing 900#" WW... I thought Simi was a dual purpose breed. Maybe I should sort of some easy Simi heifers for nurse cows ?

Haha no actually modern Simmental's have really lost a lot of milk, and actually not pushing 900# but biggest ones I've raised, 827#, 803 & 840 and first one was SimAngus (Angus dam) two others were on beef/dairy cross cows 3-5 year olds and ET PB Angus calves with WW EPD's in the lowest 45% of the breed. And like I said 150 or so days on grass and just tick over a ton of feed to 5 cows I really think made the difference. I could have creep fed them calves and I know they would have ate well over 2 ton in that period with short grass.

My new plan for these small pastures is to feed the cow and let her feed the calf, maybe I'm crazy.

[Stocker Steve]

My new plan for these small pastures is to feed the cow and let her feed the calf, maybe I'm crazy.

Supplementing on pasture is an art, supplying just a little of what is limiting the animal.
Here - - usually energy,and perhaps fiber, is provided to balance out lush high CP cool season grass.
What were you feeding?

[Nesikep]

On WW epd heck who knows,

The minute you set up a system, there are folks looking for a way to work it.

I think a lot of the WW number pushers will start implanting into dairy recips, and go for 900# weaning weights.

that's one reason I'm against using number from ET calves for weaning weights.. If the calf wasn't raised by its biological dam, you can push a lousy calf to grow throwing enough food at it.

[Till-Hill]

My new plan for these small pastures is to feed the cow and let her feed the calf, maybe I'm crazy.

Supplementing on pasture is an art, supplying just a little of what is limiting the animal.
Here - - usually energy,and perhaps fiber, is provided to balance out lush high CP cool season grass.
What were you feeding?

80/20 corn/ddg with a mineral pellet with rumension. Probably going to use less DDG this fall.

[Till-Hill]

On WW epd heck who knows,

The minute you set up a system, there are folks looking for a way to work it.

I think a lot of the WW number pushers will start implanting into dairy recips, and go for 900# weaning weights.

that's one reason I'm against using number from ET calves for weaning weights.. If the calf wasn't raised by its biological dam, you can push a lousy calf to grow throwing enough food at it.

Nesi like I said before these two Angus ET calves I had were lowest 45% in breed for growth, I have other dairy/beef recip cows at work that didn't raise nearly that size of a calf last year. That in where I have a hard time believing EPD's some days

[Stocker Steve]

What were you feeding?

80/20 corn/ddg with a mineral pellet with rumension. Probably going to use less DDG this fall.[/quote]

How much did they get - - #/day or % of body wt..

[Till-Hill]

2-2.5# a day is all per head to the cows, calves probably stole a mouth full to I'd imagine.

[Stocker Steve]

So only 0.16% of BW for a 1400# cow.
I bet the rumension was a big benefit.

[Till-Hill]

I have no idea, but next year my first calf heifers are going on that pasture! (lady that owns it pail feeds them for me and watches over them like a hawk!)