Deciding when to breed red angus heifers...

[4Hmomwyo]

We have two red angus heifers, born July 2006, so that makes them 14 months old. We would like to get as much growth as possible out of them before breeding them, any recommendations? What signs should we look for to assure maximum growth of the heifers and easiest birthing? Thanks in advance!

Well, age wise, 14 months is about when we breed our heifers. But, without knowing what they weigh I couldn't tell you if yours are ready to breed. We like ours to be about 800 lbs when we turn them out with the bull. Generally they will weigh around 1000 lbs by fall and we will more or less hold them at that until they calve. They may gain to 1100 or so but not much more.

The thing is, that you don't want them overfat at calving any more than you want them to be really thin. Over fat can cause as many problems as underweight can. You want them to be at a BCS of about 6. Calving ease depends a lot on the bull. You want to look for a moderate BW (under 85 lb) and a long, smooth bull. You don't want one with a big head, bulgy shoulders or hips, as those cause as many problems as BW does. It also depends on your heifers and their pelvic size, which you can have measured. We don't but if you are really concerned you can have it done, and it will give you a better idea of how big/small a calf they can handle.

[Cheribelle]

When I bred my heifer I was told that she needs to calve by 24 - 27 months before certain pelvic bones fuse. This makes futeure calvings easier. She calved at about 25 months with no problems at all.