advice needed on young bred heifers please

dbarjacres · #1 11/08/13, 07:04 PM

Bought a 3 yo cow w/ calf and a January 2012 and May 2012 heifer this past late May. They are all registered Dexters. We could tell very easily when the cow was in heat and got her AI'd to semen I shipped in back in August. The two heifers have never been in heat. Finally got disgusted this week and had the vet come out today to tell me if they are bred (you know one of those immaculate conception things as the guy had sold his bull last Sept, but I now know for sure he left his bull calves in longer than he said) or if they were freemartins. Both are bred, probably about 6-7 months. Yay. Not. That means my girls will be having babies in January-February and calves most likely not registered, as sires need to be DNA'd and I think all his bull calves went to the butcher.

So, as one will be calving right around 24 mos and is a nice fleshed animal and the other will calve around 20-21 months (early, ugh!) and is bottom of pecking order and not friendly so I cant pen her up or anything, and good fleshed, but once she calves, I'm sure she'll get thin, how should I feed them? We are in WI. They are getting brome hay, free choice and right now all of them split about 3 lbs of 12% feed.

G. Seddon · #2 11/08/13, 07:21 PM

My guess is they'll do okay. I'd keep them close at hand where you can watch them, get them familiar with the barn if you have one so they can get out of the weather if need be (or so that YOU can get them in because surely they'll calve in the middle of a snowstorm).

You have some time, so if you can manage it, get the two younger ones used to some grain to keep their condition up because they're still growing as well as nurturing their unborn calves. A daily regimen of bringing them in to eat will get them used to you and make things easier when they calve. With the Wisconsin climate, I imagine you can bribe them to come to a pen with hay too.

If they need additional supplement when they calve, you could add some 16% dairy pellets to their feed at that time. Have they access to good free choice minerals?

I'd surely get in touch with the person you got them from to let him know what happened. I would be hoping for bull calves myself; but there is a market for unregistered heifers so don't despair. It's unfortunate when this happens but now that you know, you can take steps to make the best of it for them.

dbarjacres · #3 11/08/13, 07:30 PM

Thanks, I have contacted the breeder. I'm not thrilled with the situation as I have $300 invested in semen and now have two grade calves that will be born and I probably won't breed those girls until late 2014 so they can have some growing time yet.

They have a 3 sided 15x50 barn with a 10x15 stall in each end and we leave the hay ring inside for less waste. I guess I'll start using my "extra stash" of small square bales out of the one stall and put what I can of it in the other stall which is half full of other stuff.

Should I start upping their grain now? Right now they get maybe 1/2 lb ea of all stock, the cow eats a good share of what I dump out and her calf eats too (I think it's about 3 lbs max that I dump in the trough).

The black, older heifer is a big pet, she's a super wonderful, gentle animal. The dun one, not so much. She belongs in a bigger herd or with someone that doesn't want to handle them every day. My cow and her calf are super sweet too.

G. Seddon · #4 11/08/13, 08:04 PM

I think I'd use buckets to feed the grain; it may take several days or so to switch them to this, but you can train them to go into a stall to eat. It may take a bit longer to get the shy one to figure it out. You may have to work her gradually to go into the stall (i.e., if she hesitates, don't argue or frighten her, just place her bucket near the gate to the stall and move it into the stall gradually over several days. Once they know that you'll let them out of the stall as soon as they're done eating, they'll go in willingly. The dun one might surprise you once she gets accustomed to the special treatment.

Three lbs. isn't much between 4 animals. Without seeing them, I'd probably give the thin one a bit more. Have they been dewormed?

Wish I had a large covered area to keep the hay ring in....everything stays nice and dry that way! If you had to, you could create another stall with some corral panels.

dbarjacres · #5 11/08/13, 08:13 PM

I dewormed them when I got them and was waiting for two hard freezes to do again, which is this weekend. ;-)

G. Seddon · #6 11/09/13, 07:35 AM

dbarjacres, I sent you a private message!

tinknal · #7 11/09/13, 09:16 AM

As far as the time of year for calving, it is a good news bad news situation. The bad news is that you will have to watch them very closely and make sure they get dried off and milk in their bellies ASAP. The good news is after that they will never look back. Bacteria and viruses are dormant, no mud, no flies, and by the time the grass turns green they rill be ready to eat it.

MO_cows · #8 11/11/13, 08:54 AM

You are walking a fine line on feeding them. You want them to stay in good condition, but not overfeed them to where they have a honking big calf.

What Tinknal said about calving. Lots of people start calving before winter is over, you just have to make sure the calf gets dried off and nurses before the cold overcomes it and then it should be off and running.

Too bad the sire is unknown since there are genetic defects within the breed.

FarmerDavid · #9 11/11/13, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MO_cows

You are walking a fine line on feeding them. You want them to stay in good condition, but not overfeed them to where they have a honking big calf.

I probably would not grain them, I'd be more concerned with getting them the required minerals. As far as age that's really not overly young, I'd keep a close eye on them. They are cows which makes them stupid and heifers at that which makes them dumber yet.

oregon woodsmok · #10 11/11/13, 04:05 PM

Cattle are deliberately bred to calve in January and February in my area. The ground is frozen, no mud, no flies.

Calves normally do fine with no help, but it doesn't matter what time of year, you should be supervising anyway and ready to step in and help if needed.

Calves born in winter are ready to start in on solid food about the time the grass is coming in. They are a nice size to butcher when the grass is gone in the fall and they are about 20 months old.

If you want to sell them as feeders the spring after they are born, they are the right size to go out on someone else's grass.

You're OK, dbarjacres. Just keep tabs on them and be prepared to act if there is a problem.

dbarjacres · #11 11/11/13, 06:47 PM

Thanks.

So some say grain, some say no. Sigh...... This is what they are eating....free choice headed out brome hay cut in mid June (probably 2 weeks past prime) and I upped their grain to 6 lbs between all of them (the cow, her 6 m.o. calf and the two heifers), which I mix loose mineral in (otherwise they won't eat it) and a Redmond salt lick.

That's the other thing, the lack of testing on the sire. His whole herd is long legged, so no Chondro problems, but who knows on PHA. And the lack of registration is very annoying as my calf is worth half as much then. If boys no big deal, we have steers, but a heifer will be disappointing.

Jennifer L. · #12 11/12/13, 03:14 PM

If they are thin, go ahead and grain them. Fat cows get into problems, not thin ones or regular weight ones. You probably couldn't make the smaller one fat in the time left before she calves even if you tried. I'd personally rather have to help pull a calf than to have a malnourished cow that is weak herself and has a weak calf. Weak calf in the middle of winter probably means a dead calf.

Not that I would pop the grain to her, I'd just give her enough so that she didn't go down hill anymore, and also if she's eating some grain she'll be able to handle more grain that she'll need after she freshens and is milking. You won't be upsetting her rumen by increasing grain then if she's eating it already.