Blythe Heifer Development Program
For nearly 20 years, we have been able to purchase commercial Angus and Angus crossbred heifers from our bull customers, raise them the same way we raise our own replacement females, and offer them to the market in the fall. This spring, I will again be breeding about 275 heifers to offer for you in the fall. Stay in touch and plan to visit to take a look!
In addition, we have 100 Fall Bred Heifers available! They will be available for sale this spring, preg checked, vaccinated and poured--just in time for you to take to grass. They are a great set of ladies and we would love to talk with you about them. Duane has the updated information and you can give him a call at 785.466.1883.
If you are interested in more information, feel free to call or email [email protected]. If you have calves you are selling and would like to let us know, please contact us soon!
Managed like our registered Angus heifers
Duane has been very selective in the heifers he purchases, in both quality as well as health of the calves. After purchase, they are immediately vaccinated with our herd's vaccine protocols and fed a silage and ground hay ration and free choice hay. They are moved to winter grass and grown through the winter until 45 days prior to breeding season.
Before being bred, they are vaccinated again with the recommended vaccine and put on an increasing plane of nutrition, to insure high pregnancy rates. We synchronize the heifers and AI breed them based on observed heats. Over the past 40 years, Debbie has bred thousands of cattle, first for her family's herd, then for Kansas State University, and now for our herd. She took the class as a sophomore in high school and it has been the best investment she ever made! (Do not be doing the math to find out Deb's age--let's just say she has LOTS of experience with AI. Ha!) A few years ago, our kids Trent, Eric and Meghan have all completed the training for AI and are excellent technicians today!
The bulls we breed to are selected first for high calving ease and low birth weight, next for weaning and yearling growth, keeping in mind that commercial cow-calf producers must have a live calf first then be able to market the calf either at weaning or slaughter. Carcass value has always been foundational to our herd and it is our plan that the calves these heifers produce will do well on the grid when slaughtered. We choose well-balanced sires that are proven easy calvers.
The heifers are then run on native grass pasture, given free choice high quality mineral (the same mineral that we feed our registered cowherd) and run with clean up bulls that meet the same selection criteria for about 60 days. In the late summer or early fall, we pregnancy check the heifers to determine approximate calving dates (AI vs. herd sire) and offer them for sale as they come off grass (October-November in the Flint Hills of Kansas).
Through the years, we have many satisfied customers and look forward to offering this program again! Be sure to call us for more information on commercial as well as registered Angus bred heifers.
Before being bred, they are vaccinated again with the recommended vaccine and put on an increasing plane of nutrition, to insure high pregnancy rates. We synchronize the heifers and AI breed them based on observed heats. Over the past 40 years, Debbie has bred thousands of cattle, first for her family's herd, then for Kansas State University, and now for our herd. She took the class as a sophomore in high school and it has been the best investment she ever made! (Do not be doing the math to find out Deb's age--let's just say she has LOTS of experience with AI. Ha!) A few years ago, our kids Trent, Eric and Meghan have all completed the training for AI and are excellent technicians today!
The bulls we breed to are selected first for high calving ease and low birth weight, next for weaning and yearling growth, keeping in mind that commercial cow-calf producers must have a live calf first then be able to market the calf either at weaning or slaughter. Carcass value has always been foundational to our herd and it is our plan that the calves these heifers produce will do well on the grid when slaughtered. We choose well-balanced sires that are proven easy calvers.
The heifers are then run on native grass pasture, given free choice high quality mineral (the same mineral that we feed our registered cowherd) and run with clean up bulls that meet the same selection criteria for about 60 days. In the late summer or early fall, we pregnancy check the heifers to determine approximate calving dates (AI vs. herd sire) and offer them for sale as they come off grass (October-November in the Flint Hills of Kansas).
Through the years, we have many satisfied customers and look forward to offering this program again! Be sure to call us for more information on commercial as well as registered Angus bred heifers.