Rags2Riches4cows
EX91
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Registered: 05-2007
Posts: 245
Karma: 3 (+3/-0)
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Bull Calves
What was your ratio last year, maybe you were 2:1 heifers to bulls and this is karma coming around and kicking you in the ass.
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28/3/2009, 10:16
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Dogglercowman
GP82
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Registered: 03-2009
Posts: 29
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Bull Calves
I wish it was....but last season was 18 heifers and 28 bulls!!!
Like i say there has got to be a reason for this
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28/3/2009, 14:15
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redrobin
VG87
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Registered: 04-2008
Posts: 94
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Re: Bull Calves
I doubt there is any reason you could probably pinpoint, it could be timing of service,the batch of semen,a nutritional factor or maybe none of these just the luck of the draw kinda thing. This year for some reason or other i have had almost 60% heifers from various different bulls but generally i would say bulls usually outnumber heifers,i shall never forget some years ago when we used to breed the lower end to beef serving all of them to one particular hereford and ending up with 27 heifers and only 5 bulls 
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28/3/2009, 20:05
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synergy1
EX91
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Registered: 08-2006
Posts: 206
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Bull Calves
A few years back when we were still in the tie stall barn our % of heifer calves was terrible. Heat detection was tough so we needled (estrumate) alot of cows. When we moved into the free stall heat detection became much easier and we hardly ever needle a cow, so the cows are bred on natural heats. The % of heifer calves increased dramatically. Is it possilble that ovulation is a bit delayed on these manufactered heats compared to natural heats? If that were the case the longer living male sperm would outlast the female sperm and increse the odds of having a bull calf.
So do you people that are having alot of bull calves needle alot of cows?
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29/3/2009, 13:30
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Dogglercowman
GP82
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Posts: 29
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Bull Calves
Don`t needle any cows at all!
I have been advised that adding selenium in the diet is supposed to help anybody had any results?
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29/3/2009, 19:30
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rossymons
EX91
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Registered: 07-2008
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 211
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Bull Calves
In the end, i'm sure it evens itself out.
We went through a period where we had bull calves everywhere and not many heifers. A little while back I posted we kept having bulls from Comestar Export. Other times we have lots of heifers - not 10 minutes we had another Zelati heifer born.
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30/3/2009, 22:04
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Big Bird
Cowtalk Staff
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Re: Bull Calves
Been calving main part of herd for almost a month now. Currently at nearly 85% bull calves.
Last edited by Big Bird, 14/9/2009, 19:01
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14/9/2009, 19:01
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Moneyquin
VG85
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Registered: 06-2003
Posts: 50
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Re: Bull Calves
100% bulls in the past month! Only starting to calf but still 10 out of 9.
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14/9/2009, 20:06
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Dogglercowman1
GP81
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Registered: 09-2009
Posts: 11
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Bull Calves
Change of fortune this season....5 bulls and 9 heifers...80%of herd to dairy normally 50/50 so hopeing for bumper crop
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14/9/2009, 20:23
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I went back through my calving records for the last 8 years. For what it is worth, over any 12 month period we rarely move away from 50/50. 