Stocker Steve wrote:Till-Hill wrote: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 ?
Ideal Nurse Cows ?
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
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.........
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.........
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
Till-Hill wrote: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.

Stocker Steve
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
Stocker Steve wrote:Till-Hill wrote: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.
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
"Pushing 900#" WW... I thought Simi was a dual purpose breed. Maybe I should sort of some easy Simi heifers for nurse cows ? 

Stocker Steve
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
Stocker Steve wrote:"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.
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
Till-Hill wrote: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?
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
Stocker Steve wrote:Till-Hill wrote: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.
What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
80/20 corn/ddg with a mineral pellet with rumension. Probably going to use less DDG this fall.Stocker Steve wrote:Till-Hill wrote: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?
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
Nesikep wrote:Stocker Steve wrote:Till-Hill wrote: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
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
80/20 corn/ddg with a mineral pellet with rumension. Probably going to use less DDG this fall.[/quote]Till-Hill wrote:What were you feeding?
How much did they get - - #/day or % of body wt..
Stocker Steve
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
2-2.5# a day is all per head to the cows, calves probably stole a mouth full to I'd imagine.
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
So only 0.16% of BW for a 1400# cow.
I bet the rumension was a big benefit.
I bet the rumension was a big benefit.
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Re: Ideal Nurse Cows ?
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!)