Breeding Cattle

[grimleybob]

At what age would the local Hiefers be mated for the first time. I know of certain breeds that mature as early as 14months but I know nothing of the local breeds. Can anyone shed some light pleasebob

[oldgeezer]

Lets see who's first!

[tim armstrong]

I presume your cattle are Brahman or another local type. A lot depends on what physical condition they are in, but 14 months seems reasonable. But also think about the seasons and the best time for calving. Western breeds, actually mature more slowly, but they have a lot better nutrition. I've rarely seen any cattle in Thailand that look really healthy,because of the lack of good grass and fodder,and maybe a parasite problem or two, except some that look a bit like Santa Gertrudis, or a few that are housed most of the time

[grimleybob]

if you were to breed with a batch of 20 hiefers what would be the best time of year to aim to produce the calves. The idea would be spread the births over a 6 week period.<BR>The cattle will be in open sided barns 24/7. In uk you would choose either spring or autumn is it the same in Thailand

[tim armstrong]

if you were to breed with a batch of 20 hiefers what would be the best time of year to aim to produce the calves. The idea would be spread the births over a 6 week period.<BR>The cattle will be in open sided barns 24/7. In uk you would choose either spring or autumn is it the same in Thailand

Bob, if your herd is mainly being housed, calve in the cooler drier conditions towards the end of the year, as there are too many parasites, flies around at other times. Unless you have an established niche market for your beef, it sounds expensive to feed your herd well, in this way. But for sure, beef could be improved in Thailand. I know of several assistance programs from other other countries that have tried to make the beef industry more viable, but old habits, costs, and the weather make it difficult. But like pigs and chickens, housing your cattle and feeding them well, will improve your chances. Regards.

[slapout]

First calf, as a good rule of thumb will drop when the mother is about 2 1/2 years old. Brahma are considered a easy birthing breed due to bone structure and the size of the calf when dropped. Some wait to breed the heifer at 2 years of age. The bull being used should be considered as well as the breed and size of heifers. Some ranchers will go with a Angus bull (throws a smaller calf) for first calves so they can get a early start on the cows productive life.

What you need to consider, that you will have trouble with heifers calving no matter what breed. If you have facilities to hold them and then watch and help if/when needed, you increase your live births. Do not feed heavy and get them fat prior to birth, makes it harder . Just feed to maintain. Personally, I would say a early rainy season calving target, as there will plenty of grazing for the mother, thus more milk, and the calf will do better. This way you are weaning during the dry season and the concern will be feed, whereas weather conditions should be a minor concern.

good luck

[grimleybob]

First calf, as a good rule of thumb will drop when the mother is about 2 1/2 years old. Brahma are considered a easy birthing breed due to bone structure and the size of the calf when dropped. Some wait to breed the heifer at 2 years of age. The bull being used should be considered as well as the breed and size of heifers. Some ranchers will go with a Angus bull (throws a smaller calf) for first calves so they can get a early start on the cows productive life.

What you need to consider, that you will have trouble with heifers calving no matter what breed. If you have facilities to hold them and then watch and help if/when needed, you increase your live births. Do not feed heavy and get them fat prior to birth, makes it harder . Just feed to maintain. Personally, I would say a early rainy season calving target, as there will plenty of grazing for the mother, thus more milk, and the calf will do better. This way you are weaning during the dry season and the concern will be feed, whereas weather conditions should be a minor concern.

good luck

the first 20 hiefers will not in fact be traditionally mated but will have ET treatment performed by a vet. hopefully we will be able to accuratley predict the arrival dates and sex of the calves.This first crop of calves will go on to form the nucleus of the future herd. It will be 100% beef producing suckler herd with calves naturally weaned at about 9 months. For first 4 years most of the females will be retained only surplus bulls, underperforming stock and the native barren cows will be sold. the 5th year should see a reasonable crop of good quality beef for the market

Edited September 30, 2010 by grimleybob

[slapout]

Grimleybob; sounds like you have your plan in place.. Back to the time of year to calve. We had people who calved in the fall, but they were the minority, due to cold winters and the feed required to carry thru the winter months. Since Thailand does not have much real climate change, wet to hot/dry, the calving time may be more dependent on your area and the grazing, feed supplement, facilities, rai/acres, etc you will be forced to provide.

I will be interested in following you progress. What breed will your finished beef cow herd be comprised of? How many head is you ultimate goal? How many rai will you have access to? Is irrigation planned? Will you grow your supplement feed for the poor grazing period? Where are you located.

I have considered what you are doing but our land does not adjoin so 30 rai in 3 parcels, part fruit trees, I just could not be bothered. We spend most of the time 150 kilometer away from farm land due to kids school, so I considered that the biggest negative.

[grimleybob]

Grimleybob; sounds like you have your plan in place.. Back to the time of year to calve. We had people who calved in the fall, but they were the minority, due to cold winters and the feed required to carry thru the winter months. Since Thailand does not have much real climate change, wet to hot/dry, the calving time may be more dependent on your area and the grazing, feed supplement, facilities, rai/acres, etc you will be forced to provide.

I will be interested in following you progress. What breed will your finished beef cow herd be comprised of? How many head is you ultimate goal? How many rai will you have access to? Is irrigation planned? Will you grow your supplement feed for the poor grazing period? Where are you located.

I have considered what you are doing but our land does not adjoin so 30 rai in 3 parcels, part fruit trees, I just could not be bothered. We spend most of the time 150 kilometer away from farm land due to kids school, so I considered that the biggest negative.

I don't think we can start building the housing until next summer. I don't want to say too much about the breed at the moment because they are new to thailand. One thing I can say is that the breed survives and thrives on poor pasture. We have land in the sisaket area not far from the 24 highway. Once started, this is not a project to be left for the Thai family to run.This has got to be 100% committment on my part. I would hope to produce 100 head PA by year 5/6 The breed produce small 35kilo calves at birth and the females should reach 400kilo at 14 months.I'm sorry to be a bit secretive but I will fill you in with more details at a later date

Bob