Selecting your Replacement Heifers to Meet Long-term Herd Goals

Feb 23, 2023

By Carolyn Ihde

Selecting replacement heifers using production records, herd goals, and available resources can ensure the correct females are staying in the herd.

beef

As the seasons come and go, the production cycle of the beef herd also changes. Cows calve, calves grow, and replacement heifers are selected. Selecting replacement heifers using production records, herd goals, and available resources can ensure the correct females are staying in the production system.

Just as purchasing a new herd bull can directly impact genetic improvement, selecting replacement heifers that match your production goals and available resources can impact the bottom line. Production records are one tool in the selection process. Maintaining herd records on cow productivity could include; calving date, birth weights, weaning weights, calving assistance, calf survivability, cow BCS, cow characteristics, calving intervals, and temperament. Heifers born from dams needing assistance with calving and nursing because of teat or udder defects or poor temperaments should not be retained. Knowing 50% of a replacement heifer’s genetics come from the dam, analyzing the dam’s collective data before you head out to . . .

Source : osu.edu

Video: How We Pick Sheep For Use As Breeding Stock

In this episode of our sheep farming vlog at Ewetopia Farms, we’re diving deeper into one of the most important parts of raising purebred sheep — selecting our breeding stock. ?? This episode is a direct follow-up to our popular video “You Be The Judge,” where we invited viewers to help evaluate our rams. We read through your comments, shared your insights, and now we’re responding! Arnie and I go over what we agreed with, where our opinions differed, and what we look for when choosing both rams and ewes to carry on our genetics. Breeding decisions at Ewetopia Farms aren’t just about looks — they’re about structure, performance, temperament, and the future of the flock. Whether you’re building your own breeding program or just curious how we make these decisions, today’s discussion offers a rare look inside the thought process behind improving a flock year after year.