Bonnie...my yearling angus/jersey heifer

allenslabs · #1 01/10/12, 01:04 PM

Here is Bonnie. She is out of a jersey cow and an angus bull. She will be a year old about the first part of march. I bought her when she was just a couple of weeks old and bottle raised her on goats milk. Hence...I really think she is under the impression she is a goat! LOL!

I raised her right with the herd and she would rather be with them than anywhere despite our efforts to get her to think she's really a cow. However, she won't blend with the herd. She'd rather be where we are and most often is separate from the other heifers.
I weight taped her today and it said about 54" and for the moderate fleshy about 460-470. I won't be breeding her until July or so. Do you think she'll be big enough? I didn't know if she was growing like an average jersey cause she sure isn't as big as the angus cross beef heifers we have that are about the same age. Thanks all!!

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Bonnie...my yearling angus/jersey heifer - Cattle

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Karin L · #2 01/10/12, 01:40 PM

It is really hard to tell in the picture if she's big enough or not. We need her to be standing beside something to get a bit more of a sense of how big she is. How old is she, btw?

6e · #3 01/10/12, 01:54 PM

She looks like she's growing more like a Jersey. She sure doesn't look like a yearling size beef calf. Kind of leggy and lanky. Looks more like a Jersey calf. If you breed in July, then she won't have a calf till she's 2 and that's usually when most people breed them.

allenslabs · #4 01/10/12, 01:58 PM

She is 10 months. I thought if I bred her at 16 months that would be about June or July. I will try to get a better pic. This one was a miracle as she kept wanting to eat the weight tape in my hand and play. Without her standing next to me, I know she is higher than my waist and would guess her between 40 and 42" at her back but can try to measure her again next time I am down there. Like I said though, hard to do when all she wants to do is play with you! LOL!

haypoint · #5 01/10/12, 02:42 PM

Would help to know what you are breeding her to.

allenslabs · #6 01/10/12, 05:21 PM

Oh. I will be AIing her to a jersey bull. I am wanting to use sexed semen to get a heifer.

DJ in WA · #7 01/12/12, 10:35 PM

I used to think it was risky breeding before 15 months of age, until I had a British White heifer CALVE this spring at 15 months! She had been bred by a herd bull and ended up having a 73 pound calf without a c-section, but a hard pull.

Anyway, I have a similar heifer to yours - a jersey/hereford cross. I plan to breed her at 12 or 13 months to a smaller, easy calving, red angus, Colorado High, from Pharo Cattle Company.

Jerseys have a reputation for being easy calvers - add to that an easy calving bull like a Jersey or smaller angus, and I don't think you need to worry.

I just don't like them spending so much time being unproductive. May need a little extra feed to support growth and milking. At least a half beefer won't milk herself to death.

But do whatever makes you feel good.

allenslabs · #8 01/12/12, 10:55 PM

Yes, it was YOUR British white that made me want one!! LOL! She was so beautiful! I assume her and baby are doing good?
I am hoping that by breeding her to a jersey bull it will help keep the calf small.....ooooo...wonder what a Bonnie/ British White baby would look like? LOL!

farmgirl6 · #9 01/14/12, 09:35 AM

Annabelle looks just like this, I had th same question, she is almost exactly the same age but she just reaches a bit over my waist (I am 5.8)where are you getting the a.i. sexed semen? very interested, seems like our girls will be on the same schedule

allenslabs · #10 01/14/12, 10:22 AM

Yep! Bonnie is sure a firecracker. Is Annabelle? LOL! I laugh at her a lot and then at myself for thinking it would be fun to milk her one day. LOL!

farmgirl6 · #11 01/15/12, 09:09 AM

Oh Lord bless her yes, nearly took in a trailer to the blessing of the animals last year she seems to have a bit of the devil in her

She has quite a stubborn streak, you can't grab her halter and lead her, but if you put a but of baling twine through her halter ring she leads just fine. She won't go into the stall unless I go in first. Annabelle seems so small for her age to me...but I think she is the same cross

allenslabs · #12 01/15/12, 09:23 AM

Bonnie is VERY stubborn. LOL! If you want her to go through a gate, you have to go first and hope she follows cause if you try to push her through she will plant her feet, push against you so that you have all your weight in her and then just spin out from under you before you know what is happening. LOL! Finally bought a halter for her a week or two ago but the weather hasn't been good enough to train her to it. She was an accidental find and I am so very happy I did. She's sure a lot of fun. LOL! She loves to play....whether you want to and are ready to or not. I think raising her with the goats warped her sense of humor or something. LOL!