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BEEFMASTER ALLIANCE
BREEDING PROGRAMME DESIGNED FOR HEIFERS TO CALF AT
24
MONTHS
At weaning heifers are visually judged and those with a weaning
index below 90 or any other genetic defects are culled. They are
then vaccinated with RB51 against brucellosis, and once again on
about 20 September.
Mass is recorded in August when all heifers with an index below 90
are culled.
In October the heifers are divided into two groups. Those born in
August and September go into one group, and those born in October
and November in the other group. With the assistance of Dr Piet
van Zyl of Heilbron, the pelvises in the different groups are then
measured. The average pelvis index of each of the age groups is
determined and, based on the pelvis index, the lowest 10% are then
culled.
The heifers remain in their age bracket and are then synchronised
and inseminated. The August-September group is synchronised for
insemination on about 11 November, and the October-November group
will be due to be inseminated on about 11 December. Not a single
heifer is fed with a view to reaching a specific weight before
synchronisation. They are inseminated as a group, irrespective of
individual weights. Fifteen days after insemination, follow-up
bulls are added. This results in about 65% conception from
artificial
insemination, rising to 85-90% after the arrival of the bulls. The
mating season lasts 63 days.
As most farmers will know, it is quite an art to get the heifers
in calf again. We give them preference grazing when they start
calving and keep this up throughout the breeding season.
First-calf heifers are not synchronised but are naturally covered
by multiple sires at the rate of about 30 heifers per bull. |
BEEFMASTER
ALLIANCE-TEELPR0GRAM VIR VERSE OM OP 24 MAANDE TE KALF
Verse word by speen met visuele beoordeling en speenindeks benede
90 geselekteer of enige genetiese defek word uitgeskot. Verse word
by speen met RB51 teen Brucellose ingeënt en dan weer rondom 20
September.
Gedurende Augustus word jaaroudgewigte geneem en alle verse met ’n
indeks benede 90 word uitgeskot.
Gedurende Oktober word verse in twee groepe ingedeel: dié wat in
Augustus en September gebore is, in een groep en dié wat in
Oktober en November gebore is, in ’n ander groep. Met behulp van
dr Piet van Zyl van Heilbron word die pelvisse in die onderskeie
ouderdomsgroepe dan gemeet. Nadat die gemiddelde pelvisindeks in
die ouderdomsgroepe bepaal is, word die onderste 10% volgens
pelvisindeks uitgeskot.
Die verse bly in hul onderskeie ouderdomsgroepe en ook so
gesinkroniseer en geïnsemineer. Die Augustus/September-groep word
gesinkroniseer om op ongeveer 11 November geïnsemineer te word en
die Oktober/Novembergroep op ongeveer 11 Desember. Geen verse word
ooit gevoer om ’n sekere gewig te behaal voordat hulle
gesinkroniseer word nie; hulle word ongeag hul gewig as ’n groep
gesinkroniseer. Vyftien dae ná inseminasie word opvangsbulle
bygesit.
Konsepsie is gewoonlik sowat 65% met kunsmatige inseminasie en
skuif dan op na 85–90% ná die opvangsbulle bygesit is. Die
algehele dekseisoen is 63 dae.
Soos enige boer egter weet, lê die kuns daarin om die verse weer
met hul tweede kalf dragtig te kry. Ons gee voorkeurweiding
wanneer ‘n vers begin kalf en hou regdeur die teelseisoen daarmee
vol. Eerstekalf-verse word nie gesinkroniseer nie maar deur middel
van veelvuldige vaars natuurlik gedek, sowat 30 verse per bul. |
