Looking for information

[Jessie]

Hello all
Do cattle start to breed at a certain age as in the mature at a certain age?
The reason why I ask is that 5 heifers have calved over the past 3 months. These ladies were born in late feb and march put to pasture in spring still lil ones and now are dropping babies. DH first thought maybe a young male was not done right but it can't be as the 5 are from 4 different pastures?
Can you make any sense of my post..... :? Still having my coffee.
I am thinking how can a bull breed a very young cow.
4 of the 5 are doing great but the 5th was a big sucker and it was lost.
Vet had to take it out. Stuck pretty good from the pushing and swelling.

Any idea's.

 

[Shelly]

I'm assuming your talking about last years calves? Some heifer calves will start coming into heat as young as five to six months of age. We've had our share of yearling heifers calving too over the years. Best solution is to pull your bulls early. Those big bulls are not too choosy over what to breed, if it's in heat, they'll do their job! Those calves are pretty much flattened in the process and are hurting for a few days but they always bounce back.

 

[Jessie]

Thanks Shelly, I really found it strange that there were 5 to date. Guess it's not so strange then. Just has not happened here before.
Thanks again for the imput.

 

[Murgen]

A neighbor of mine had a heifer calve at 13 months of age, so he thought he'd put her with the fall group, to give her a rest. Well, guess what? his neighbors bull must have jumped the fence, the heifer calved again at 24 months of age.

 

[Jessie]

holy cow..........bawaaaahhhaaaa....sorry, had to.
at 13 and again at 24. No rest for that one then.

 

[Denny]

I bought some march born heifers about 10 years ago and one of those calved at 13 months we named her "FERTILE MYRTLE"

 

[Jeannie]

As it was explained to me, it depends on the size of the calves. Bigger calves mature faster. We had two nursing calves that started cycling way before they were weaned, and both of them dropped calves at 13-14 months of age. They both cycled again 30 days later and were re-bred. One of them lost her calf this year. Not sure what the problem was, we found the calf dead in the pasture.

 

[Soapweed]

Maybe this pertains. Loretta Lynn was a mother at age 14, and a grandmother at 28.

 

[Faster horses]

I never knew that.

Fertility must run in that family.

 

[Clarence]

Yep that is right. It is tough on those 13-14 month old heifers and on those 14-15 year old girls. Mother Nature rules the roost, it is up to us to intervene.