First heat after calving

[lonecowhand]

Thanks Olga , I was thinking of it as a two-fer, rather than a risk. The freemartin thing is hard to grasp.

Sheri, are you splitting off the mamma/calf pairs from the main herd, or weaning the heifer calves  at 4 to 5 months?

[RedRidge]

I put weaning tabs in heifer calves between 4 and 5 months, leave calf with herd for 2 weeks or so, then remove calf from herd and leave momma. When I remove calves from the herd each spring they are rotationally grazed seperate to assure the most prime grazing goes to them the first year of life.

[lonecowhand]

Weaning Tabs?

[zephyrhillsusan]

Also called weaning rings or calf weaners (although said out loud that conjures up another image!)    These are my favorites.

[zephyrhillsusan]

lonecowhand, the heifers are sterile because of the high level of male hormones in utero, but often the bull calves (if twinned with heifers) have low fertility, too.  So no, not really something to wish for.     (Unless you could guarantee twin heifers or twin bulls!)

[lonecowhand]

Ah, I get it. So I assume that identical twins are not happens in Bovines. I get the tabs, too.

[zephyrhillsusan]

According to this, identical twins can happen or there can be two males or two females from two different eggs.  This article also talks about some of the problems with twins, both for the calves and the cows.  I would have to disagree with the statement 

It’s not worth keeping female freemartins

because a freemartin has become a very special cow in the life of one of my friends.  Of course, my friend is pretty special, too!     Just sayin' that what seems worthless to one man (woman) is a treasure to another!  

[RedRidge]

Oct 31, 2014 18:05:01 GMT -5 zephyrhillsusan said:

Also called weaning rings or calf weaners (although said out loud that conjures up another image!)    These are my favorites.

We prefer the smooth ones.
www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=e8d5f96c-4043-4f11-8566-1ba6469641cc&gas=weaner