[Maggie]

I have 2 heifers, 14 month old and a 15 month old. Sadie the younger one, has caused a few panics with her bulling, escaping into a neighbouring farm but fortunately only got in with his cows.

My question is, how soon can I put them to my bull?  I feel they're too small right now and can't find anything on the Shetland website.  I just need to plan my field arrangements this summer.  Thanks.   

[Rosemary]

Ours are March 2010 born and have just been AI'd, so your should be fine. We're using a Shetland bull. You woudl probably be wise to either use a Shetland, another small breed or an easy calving Angus.

[Maggie]

Thank you Rosemary!  That was fast!  Hubby & I were disagreeing because I thought I'd read somewhere that 15 months was the right age but don't remember where I saw that.  We have our own bull, we bought him, a 5 year old cow with bullcalf at foot and a steer last August.  Heifers from a keeper in Hampshire this year.

The bullcalf is intact and a year old now.  We're going to try and sell him on the Shetland website.  He's a wee pet so I'll miss him.

I'm really glad I joined the site.  Browsing through already has answered a lot of questions I had on other issues too.

Just off to tell hubby we can free up the four-acre field now. 

[SallyintNorth]

I have 2 heifers, 14 month old and a 15 month old. Sadie the younger one, has caused a few panics with her bulling, escaping into a neighbouring farm but fortunately only got in with his cows.

My question is, how soon can I put them to my bull?  I feel they're too small right now and can't find anything on the Shetland website.

The simple answer is, 9 months before you want them to calve!   

I have no knowledge of Shetlands so must bow to Rosemary's experience and sources, but BH has had a suckler herd all his life and aims to have them calve not younger than 2-and-a-half, 3 if they are a more native type (Blue-Grey for instance, and I was once told that Red Devons shouldn't be asked to calve before they are 3) but our Jersey had her first calf very comfortably at 27 months, so I plan similar for her calf when she grows up.  (Though see below.)  The big dairy breeders do have them calve at 24 months, but of course it's all about production for them and they can't afford to lose a month's milk for what they would see as no good reason - personally I wonder whether a heifer allowed to finish growing before having to give 20-30L of milk a day has a longer and ultimately more productive life than one who starts lactating when she's still a baby herself, but that's probably just my innate prejudice about intensification.

All of which said, if a bulling heifer is difficult to handle she is probably better bulled earlier to the right bull than getting out and finding someone altogether inappropriate...!  I may have to make such a decision regarding my Jersey heifer calf - she's been bulling very noisily every 21 days from her 6-month birthday, so if I don't intervene she may take matters into her own hands long before she reaches my target 18 months!   

[lachlanandmarcus]

The Shetland I had for a while had her first calf (long before I had her) at about 13-14 months old :-OO so going by that yours is plenty ready! As others have said, much better that you get to choose the size of the sire than she decides hello big boy to the nearest continental monster :-))))

[Maggie]

@Sally, yes she has been a wee bit difficult.  The man we bought her from had to delay the sale to us because she'd broken out before, and was in calf; they had to get the vet in to give one of those injections to abort. 

The first time she ran off we did manage to get her back next day, but minus one horn which is a great pity.  After second time, we put her into solitary confinement, sounds harsh but we had to repair the fencing where she'd broken through.  During this time I handled her a lot and she's not as skitty and nervous as when we got her.  Good luck with your wee heifer too <grin>. Sounds like you've exactly the same problem we have! 

@Lachlan... wow did you say *had a calf at 13/14 months*  Counting fingers....4 or 5 months old when mated? Yikes!  Anyway I'm glad she survived the birth.  I have a Shetland bull to put to her!  As you say rather him than my neighbour's great big beasties.  Forget the name of the breed, sounds like a mathematical term than a cattle one.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Yes the beastie accidentally apparently was 'got' (probably not separated yet as they thought it was safe). Apparently the calf produced was small and never grew huge even for a Shetland (someone in the Shetland soc saw it recently!) but the cow went on to have a number of calves successfully including the daughter that came with her when I had her, who was a lovely and quite strapping young lady. Amazing tho, eh?

[Rosemary]

It's not THAT unusual for Shetlands to calve at 18 months or so - usually by accident - but it doesn't seem to affect future fertility. Shetlands are a fertile breed and are ofeten easy to calve every 11 months if you want to do so. The SCBA secretary had one cow aged 19 that had had 15 calves. The advice I was given by the SCBA was to get them served to calve down at 24 months or so.

There seems to be a problem with the SCBA website and emails - I've been trying to contact the Secy about the AGM but the emails are bouncing back. I've emailed the SCHBS to see if they have another contact. The "stock for sale" page seems to be gubbed as well 

[princesspiggy]

i was told 15 mths for shetlands. are urs preggers rosemary? how much did AI cost , if u dont mind me asking? i expect its more than the £20 for pig AI 

[Rosemary]

Hope so! Will know next week.

£150 for the synchronisation; £10 per straw plus £6 for storage; £10.40 per insemination so £200

[Dan]

£150 for the synchronisation; £10 per straw plus £6 for storage; £10.40 per insemination so £200

Was that each or for the pair of them? 

[princesspiggy]

£150 for the synchronisation; £10 per straw plus £6 for storage; £10.40 per insemination so £200

Was that each or for the pair of them? 
[/quote]

did u not tell dan?...lol...

phew thats alot of money. i was told genus was about £60. i was offered a shetland bull for £15. fingers crossed then rosemary. which bull did u choose?

[Rosemary]

For the pair  

Not exactly  He was just clarifying for other forum users 

[Dan]

did u not tell dan?...lol...

LOL, so long as we get beef I don't care how much it cost. 

which bull did u choose?

Hengae Fearsome:

[Corrie Dhu]

One of my heifers calved at 20 months.  She was fine.  I have her half sister who has not had a calf yet and although the one with a calf is thinner as obviously, she is rearing the calf, she is not noticeably smaller so it apparently hasn't stunted her.  They received exactly the same care over the winter as they were not meant to be in calf, and I didn't actually know until a week before she calved, it turned out she had been bulled a week before we bought her  

Of course now I want them in calf we have struggled and after 3 rounds of AI I am getting a bull!

In future I will bull the heifers at 12 months because I'd rather know they were expecting a Shetland calf than them go looking for a man and end up with something totally unsuitable!  (Heifer which hasn't calved got in with a neighbours lim bull, we jagged her as we knew about it!).

Also I can really recommend electric stand offs on the fence to stop fence wrecking.  My older cow is a real fence breaker and a battery energiser on the electric stand offs has completely cured her!