Though the light birth weight - high growth bulls are available, they do tend to be higher priced.

The operator that must use the same bull on first calf heifers as is used on the mature cowherd will likely be forced to give up some genetic potential for growth in his bull as he must also select for light birth weights. Unless a commitment to using artificial insemination on the first calf heifers is made, the herd owner is coerced into using breeds with relatively light birth weights to minimize calving difficulty in the heifers. In fact, the one bull unit generating its own replacement heifers is pushed in the direction of using British genetics almost exclusively. With a one bull unit it is extremely difficult to implement any crossbreeding program to take advantage of heterosis. Maintaining this small group of heifers separately so that they are managed appropriately can be a difficult problem on some farms. To start with, a herd of 30 cows or less may only need to keep back 4 to 6 heifers per year. Owners of one bull breeding units (the most common herd size in Virginia) have a more difficult time in effectively generating their own replacements. Relative costs of heifer calves, bred heifers, bred cows, and cow/calf pairs Below is a list of some of the factors to be addressed in deciding upon the replacement female route.įactors Influencing the Source of Replacement Females (raised, purchased bred heifers, bred cows, or cow/calf pairs) Even the option of purchased replacements has at least three alternatives: bred heifers, bred cows, or cow/calf pairs. The question does have some economic consequences, but many of the factors in the answer to whether to raise or buy replacements are not purely economic. The question often arises, 'Should I buy my beef replacement females instead of raising my own?' The question does not have a simple answer and is dependent upon a number of issues.

McKinnon, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech To see our latest newsletters and current information, visit our website at (through April/May 2009), and are provided for historical purposes only.Īs such, they may contain out-of-date references and broken links.

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Raising a bull calf