Does breeding a dairy heifer to a beef bull (1st breeding) result in lowered milk production?

Question

If a Holstein heifer is bred to a Hereford bull (resulting in a beef-cross calf to be sold for meat) will the dam (Holstein cow) have lowered milk production. If yes does the lowered production last her whole life (assuming all the following breedings are to a Holstein bull). Thanks, I just spent an hour on google scholar and couldn't find anything. Please cite your references... I'd prefer a cited journal article.

Answer 1

The quality of the bull your cow was bred to will have no effect on the quality or quantity of milk that she will produce after the first calf or any other time in her life. The bull good or bad, beef or dairy bull will affect the quality of the calf. I doubt that you will find information about this on line, it's pretty much common knowledge with any cattle raisers.

Answer 2

As a former dairy farmer, No. Sometimes farmers will breed a heifer to a beef bull, so that you get a smaller calf. But you really need to look at your beef bull statistics and see if they are actually "throwing" smaller calves. A heifer will generally produce less milk her first cycle, than when she comes in, in subsequent freshenings. If you breed artificially ask your inseminator to suggest bulls that "throw" a smaller calf, but that has good form, feet etc. Don't waste a calf. She might come from excellent producers or proves out over time to be a top producer and if she gives you a heifer, you don't want to have wasted that heifer by being half beef. (We had some of our best cows never give us a heifer, so don't waste the opportunity, especially if this is your lively hood.) What you breed her to will not affect her production, that is determined by her genetics and what you feed her and how you care for her. I am sorry I don't have a journal to cite, just life experience.

Answer 3

Yes, I have heard this.

It is the hormones of the placenta that affects the milk. And the placenta is created by the calf.

Answer 4

The cow would produce the same amount of milk regardless of what she was bred to. But the offspring would probably produce less milk, however it would be higher than that of a full beef cow. I have had cows that were half Holstein and half beef, like Charlois, and the cows did produce alot of milk but not as much as a full Holstein. But it was still alot and very good to drink.

Answer 5

Breeding heifers to an unproven dairy or

beef bull retards genetic improvements and reduces the number of herd replacements available.

Answer 6

No. Why would a cow have lower milk production if she had a half and half calf.

Answer 7

I don't know of any research that would back this up. The only that I can think of that would be giving this impression is that farmers will breed their top producing cows to purebred dairy bulls for the purpose of getting the best replacement heifers possible. Lesser producing dairy cows may be bred to beef bulls to produce a more valuable calf for the feed lot because they are not interested in using replacement heifers from these cows.

If you took a look at the production records of these herds you would find the cows bred to beef bulls would be producing less milk. This might give the impression that being bred to beef bulls causes less milk production, but that would not be the case.

Answer 8

I have both dairy cows and dairy goats. I make a living from the cheese I make from their milk...production is important ot me.

I think that fetally produced hormones play only a small part in the over all amount of milk the dam produces. I have bred the same high producing dairy cows to purebred bulls and also out-crossed them with Angus bulls. The cows showed no noticeable difference in milk production in the lactations with the different breed sires...perhaps there was some difference...but it was not significant.

However, the length of time the cow was dry prior to freshening, and the amount and quality of feed stuff available for the cows to eat while in milk, and during the dry period prior to freshening, DID, significantly effect, both the quantity and quality of milk, that the cows produced. That is: the degree good management practices were applied to the general health and feeding practices of the cows had the greatest effect on the amount and quality of milk the cows produced.

If you concentrate on good management practices, you will get the most out of your dairy animals. I would not hesitate to breed my dairy goats to boar goats if I had a good market for meat kids.