Post by rd200 on Apr 24, 2017 17:46:04 GMT -5
So, 2 beef heifers may have fallen in my lap and I'm unsure about them because they are older and unbred. Long story short, they were tail enders born in July. My father in law didn't breed them last year because he felt they were too small yet to go in with the bull in August. So he kept them to breed this summer. But he had a lot of heifer calves tbis year and last. So now he doesn't have enough pasture to keep everyone.
He heard about my recent cow loss. And offered me these 2 heifers. Or he is going to take them to the sale barn because someone's gotta go. By the time they would bred by me for spring calving 2018, they would be almost 3 when calving for the first time. What's the negatives about this aspect?? They aren't fat. Id say okay condition coming out of winter here.
Catch is, he wants a weaned calf back from each of them the first or second year. So, I'll basically be feeding them for 2 years before getting any calf for my own from them. Which I know cows have many, many productive lactations, but I also know Sh*t happens. My cow was only 2nd Lactation and I'm grateful I got 2 heifer calves from her, but she's gone already!
I'm just not sure what to do. I'm not overly excited about their ages, I'm not sure I have enough stamina right now to care for 2 more large beef heifers that aren't tame. Plus I'll be almost doubling my hay bill from what it is now. But, hubby and I were talking about breeding up to beef cows from my dairy girls just a few weeks ago also.
I'm just emotionally not interested right now in them since the loss of my cow but I also don't want to be ungrateful that my father in law is offering me 2 heifers either. I need to answer him by Saturday or they go to the sale. I'm about 50/50.
Oh, they are Hereford/simmetal crosses. They look like a tan Hereford basically. Confirmation wise I haven't seen them,(they live 3 hrs away) he sent me pictures, they "look" good but again, it's hard to tell from a picture.
Thoughts???
He heard about my recent cow loss. And offered me these 2 heifers. Or he is going to take them to the sale barn because someone's gotta go. By the time they would bred by me for spring calving 2018, they would be almost 3 when calving for the first time. What's the negatives about this aspect?? They aren't fat. Id say okay condition coming out of winter here.
Catch is, he wants a weaned calf back from each of them the first or second year. So, I'll basically be feeding them for 2 years before getting any calf for my own from them. Which I know cows have many, many productive lactations, but I also know Sh*t happens. My cow was only 2nd Lactation and I'm grateful I got 2 heifer calves from her, but she's gone already!
I'm just not sure what to do. I'm not overly excited about their ages, I'm not sure I have enough stamina right now to care for 2 more large beef heifers that aren't tame. Plus I'll be almost doubling my hay bill from what it is now. But, hubby and I were talking about breeding up to beef cows from my dairy girls just a few weeks ago also.
I'm just emotionally not interested right now in them since the loss of my cow but I also don't want to be ungrateful that my father in law is offering me 2 heifers either. I need to answer him by Saturday or they go to the sale. I'm about 50/50.
Oh, they are Hereford/simmetal crosses. They look like a tan Hereford basically. Confirmation wise I haven't seen them,(they live 3 hrs away) he sent me pictures, they "look" good but again, it's hard to tell from a picture.
Thoughts???