First Calf Heifer

[EasTex]

Do you ever keep a heifer's first calf for a replacement? What are the downsides and upsides?

 

[BFE]

Yes.

 

[Ky hills]

Yes

 

[coachg]

Yes , an early calver; good pelvic measurement if you do that . Any trait that you look for in your replacements. I have kept several and they have done well !

 

[Brute 23]

Yes. If you are doing it right, their first should be just as good as caliber as any of their other calves.

 

[Travlr]

Do you ever keep a heifer's first calf for a replacement? What are the downsides and upsides?

I'm much more critical of calves from first calf heifers.

 

[gcreekrch]

Not often, they had better be very special.

 

[TCRanch]

I generally don't because I want to make sure the first calf heifer continues to breed back & calve within the first few weeks of calving. But I have made exceptions and have yet to be disappointed. If you know your herd & their lineage, it's easier to make exceptions.

 

[Buck Randall]

If you're making genetic progress in your herd, calves from heifers should be your best genetic animals.

 

[Walker's Ridge]

If the heifer is 24 months and the birth was unassisted then I might keep heifer calves to increase herd size or replace.

I work under the idea that I can buy a better bull tan I can breed. So bulls would be steer'd heifer or old cow.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

I do because I ai to top bulls (in my mind). Actually my wife has that problem of keeping them, I'd butcher them too!! Local vet gives me crap in public about butchering quality heifers. At the last mineral conference I told her why not, they won't taste like chicken

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Try not to keep any from first calf heifers. We wean replacement calves quite some time after we ship the regular crowd. Don't want the strain on first calf heifers to feed a calf going into winter, if that makes sense?!
But exceptions happen, for all kind of reasons. Planned and un-planned. =D

 

[Silver]

I keep what I think are my best heifers regardless of the age of the dam.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Do you ever keep a heifer's first calf for a replacement? What are the downsides and upsides?

Nope, I don't keep replacements.
No advantage in the terminal operation.

 

[Ebenezer]

If the heifers from first calf heifers are not worth keeping - you are the problem. You picked the wrong breeding stock.

 

[Travlr]

If the heifers from first calf heifers are not worth keeping - you are the problem. You picked the wrong breeding stock.

Not sure that follows...

 

[Caustic Burno]

If the heifers from first calf heifers are not worth keeping - you are the problem. You picked the wrong breeding stock.

No financial benefit in a terminal operation.
The dam returns no profit for two years and neither does the retained heifer.
You have four years worth of inputs into your next two calves, that has looser written all over it.
Secondly if the retained heifer dies she has no value to write off.
The purchased heifer has depreciation value and is ready for immediate production saving a years inputs over the retained. You never lost production of a dam retaining heifers.
There is a little more too this than a salebarn check.

 

[Ebenezer]

No financial benefit in a terminal operation.
The dam returns no profit for two years and neither does the retained heifer.
You have four years worth of inputs into your next two calves, that has looser written all over it.
Secondly if the retained heifer dies she has no value to write off.
The purchased heifer has depreciation value and is ready for immediate production saving a years inputs over the retained. You never lost production of a dam retaining heifers.
There is a little more too this than a salebarn check.

I agree on the terminal herds if you want to buy in heifers. This thread was discussing the potential to keep heifers by those who want to keep heifers.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I agree on the terminal herds if you want to buy in heifers. This thread was discussing the potential to keep heifers by those who want to keep heifers.

You would be surprised at those that think retained heifers are free.
Nothing wrong with retaining either just don't BS yourself about the cost.

 

[chaded]

I agree on the terminal herds if you want to buy in heifers. This thread was discussing the potential to keep heifers by those who want to keep heifers.

That's what I was thinking. The question was keeping heifers from heifers.

My neighbor told me the other day he never keeps heifers from heifers because they don't grow as good and the moms don't milk as well as they do when they are a 3 or 4 year old cow.

He said the genetics are there but they just don't do as good. I said "Really!?"