By Tracy Rouse Howe, Mother
Howe's Little Cows (@SheMooShines) Eatonia, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Many thanks to Tracy for this fascinating gem from the past.
Our
girls are grass fed, enjoy many, many acres of pastures, hills and creeks
- living the life that a cow should. We raise calves from these cows as
future household milkers or as “freezer camp” beef. The calves
are left with their mothers, milk sharing with me, for a minimum of 4
months to allow for full rumen development. Our weaning goal is 6 months
for steer calves, 7-8 months for bull calves and up to 10 months for heifer
calves. I began using a Red Poll (the “original” dual purpose as they
are referred to) bull on my mid sized Dexter crossed cows in 2016 and
was pleasantly surprised by the birthweight, vigor and growth along with
the docility of the calves. I will continue to breed them Red Poll; helping
to increase the ever dwindling numbers of this Dual Purpose Heritage breed.
Sharing by request -
Using heat cycles to select sex.
This was something my grandfather learned and taught my father who in
turn taught me. Gramps used only natural service while dad used both natural
service and AI for breeding on specific heat cycles to either use a cow
to build the herd or to put a paycheque in the bank in the fall. With
a better than 85% success rate - which defies Biology and all we have
learned about spermatazoa determining the sex. Anyone I have discussed
this with agree with me that it must have something to do with Ph level;
we all know that male sperm are far more sensitive to alkalinity vs acidity
in their environment as well as their shorter than female sperm lifespan!
First step is heat detection after calving - knowing when she cycles and
her cycle frequency.
Second step is understanding HOW to get her to have the sex of calf you
REALLY want!
Here is the rule I was taught:
"Odd numbered heats change
the sex and even numbered heats keeps it the same"
Example 1: Cow has a heifer calf (as in the case of my
cow Kerry) and I want another heifer out of her. I know her first heat
came 3 weeks after calving and because 1 is an odd number, this means
that was a bull heat (odd numbers changes the sex). Her next heat should
be due around the 24 of May and as the second is an even number, meaning
heifer heat, I will breed her to my bull on this heat "to keep it the
same" and have a heifer calf around March 2 of 2019. So to KEEP her having
heifer calves, I would breed ONLY on heats #s 2, 4, 6 or 8.
Example 2: I decide Kerry needs to have a bull calf to
fill our freezer. She delivered a heifer calf, cycled 3 weeks later (bull
heat) but I did not breed her on the first heat - because February is
TOO EARLY on the prairies for calves! The odd numbered heats change the
sex, I would not breed on the second heat as it would produce a heifer,
so IF her heats are coming at REGULAR 21 day intervals, I can expect her
THIRD (odd number) heat to come on June 14 and because THIRD is odd and
because I want to CHANGE the sex, I would breed her June 14, on the odd
heat, for a bull calf.
This is something we have used in our family since 1932 (when my grandfather
moved from England to begin farming in Canada) -- for 86 years now --
to selectively "manipulate" the cow families we choose to build from or
"cash in on". I have no idea where the knowledge originated, I am only
sharing what has been passed down in my family. Remember, for 86 years,
my family has been using this method, with a better than 85% success rate
in getting heifers when we want them or bull calves when we want them;
which defies biology (and all we have learned about spermatazoa determining
the sex). Anyone I have discussed this with agree with me that it must
have something to do with pH level; we all know that male sperm are far
more sensitive to alkalinity vs acidity in their environment as well as
their shorter-than-female sperm lifespan!
"Odd numbered heats change the sex
and even numbered heats keeps it the same" - and counting the heat cycles
begins with the VERY FIRST heat post calving; no matter if your girl first
cycles 10 days or 65 days after calving!
©published online November 2018 by Vintage Press, LLC. |