Selecting Our First Heifer

DenMacII · #1 03/08/10, 11:43 PM

Hello All,

We will be meeting up this weekend with a trusted local cattle breeder. He has maintained his own stock in our area for 20 + years and co-ops with several other ranches. We are looking to buy a Heifer with calf with the intention of butchering the calf - once it achieves weight.

What are some of the things we should look for - especially to avoid - in the selection we choose?

One option he offered to us is a combination of heifer with standing calf with the heifer recently impregnated.

He also has breed options of mostly herfords and angus, plus some mixed breeds.

Our plan is to pasture raise our stock - is one breed better on pasture than another?

Thanks as always for your information and insight.

Dennis

linn · #2 03/09/10, 08:01 AM

What breed is the heifer and her calf? That makes a big difference in the beef/bone percentage of a carcass. With a bred heifer -- calf at side you are getting three for the price of one. The price will be higher than for a feeder calf, but if you have the pasture or hay for the heifer and her calf, that is the way I would go. IMO

agmantoo · #3 03/09/10, 08:23 AM

DenMacII

Do some research on frame size and use that to help in your selection of your brood stock. For pasture cattle the largest frame size that I would consider is frame 4. This is a known fact, not perceived. Smaller frame cattle are easier kept on forage alone and I would opt for a frame 3. I remain partial to the Angus as they will come closer to marbling off pasture and no grain. A cow that gives a modest amount of milk will raise a good calf yet remain efficient consuming forage alone. I suggest that you read the lengthy sticky above on rotational grazing as an introduction into cattle raising and forage production.

tinknal · #4 03/09/10, 08:24 AM

Yes, get a heifer with a calf at her side and bred back. This way you won't have to worry about breeding for another year. Breed-back is make or break time for heifers. If a first calf heifer breeds back quickly after her first calf it is a good sign that you will get many good years out of her.

DenMacII · #5 03/09/10, 11:06 AM

Thanks for the quick responses.

One combination that the breeder wants to show us is a registered herford that currently has a herford/angus calf at side. He told us he could impregnate with a registered herford if we wanted to register the next calf. This heifer is about 6 years old and has been sucessfully bred several times without a problem. He is recommending her as an option since this will be our first on pasture and he believes she is quite docile and has behaved well alone from the herd. He is asking about $1,600 for the package of three, which in the grand scheme of things seems a bit of a bargain.

I will certainly address frame size with him, and do more research before meeting with him. I have been reading through the rotational grazing sticky (which is awesome!).

Is there an optimum age for the heifer? 6 years seems like just past optimum, but with many good years a head of her. Kind of like buying a two year old truck - big reduction off the 'new' sticker price with many good years on the odometer.

Dennis

linn · #6 03/09/10, 12:05 PM

Six years is not old for a cow. Many cows produce into their teens. As long as the cow keeps her teeth she will probably keep her condition.

65284 · #7 03/09/10, 12:07 PM

If he's telling you that's a heifer I would certainly question his trustworthiness. A six year old that has calved several times is well past being a heifer, that's a cow.

He believes she is quite docile???? For the kind of money he is wanting I would make darn sure she is very docile. Sixteen hundred may be a bit of a bargain there but sure isn't in my part Missouri.

agmantoo · #8 03/09/10, 03:00 PM

That package is worth between $775 and $875, $925 tops, IMO.

DenMacII · #9 03/09/10, 11:35 PM

65284 - that's probably my error. As our conversaton unfolded he probably did refer to her as a cow and I didn't pick it up. We were covering alot of ground pretty quickly, and I was just trying to keep up.

Agmantoo - Thanks for the cost analysis. We are sort of in the same neck of the woods, so your market insight on value helps a lot. And, your valuation made me realize that there must be some level of haggling that goes. What's appropriate when it comes to haggling? Especially for a newby...I don't want to insult anyone out of my ignorance of the process, nor do I want to pay a 'we saw him coming' price by accepting the first thing he offers up.

Linn & Tinknal, thanks for your insight too. I value this site so much and your insight helps me a great deal!!!

Thank you so much for all your help - please keep the info coming!!!