Estimating forage usage by cows is an important part of the task of calculating winter feed needs. Hay or standing forage intake must be estimated in order to make the calculations.
Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist Glenn Selk announces he is handing over publication of future Cow-Calf Newsletters to other OSU beef specialists.
Cows are beginning to calve and some newborns are certain to be cold stressed. Getting those calves back to normal body temperatures as soon as possible will save some calves and increase the vigor of others.
Very low night time winter temperatures can have an adverse effect on vaccines that are stored in refrigerators that are located in unheated enclosures such as tack rooms in barns.
Despite our best efforts at bull selection and heifer development, cows or heifers occasionally need assistance at calving time. Here are recommendations on when to provide calving assistance for cows and heifers.
As the calving season approaches, an increased understanding of the parturition process is helpful. The more we understand about the physiology of the process, the more likely we are to make sound decisions.
Most of the causes that delay the return to cycling activity are centered around nutrition. However, one of the lesser-known causes of a delay to cycling activity is a prolonged, difficult process of calving.
The most likely candidates for “inadequate” passive immunity are calves born to first calf two-year-old heifers. Calves with inadequate passive immunity remain at higher risk to illness prior to weaning.
To expect large, heavy-milking cows to be in moderate body condition at calving and maintain condition through breeding, they must receive more feed than smaller lighter-milking cows.
Before the hustle and bustle of the spring calving season, now is a good time to put together the supplies and equipment that will be needed to assist heifers and cows that need help at calving time.
Have you ever wondered how Santa's reindeer can make that monumental journey on Christmas Eve? Here are some key facts that may help us understand how they get Ole St. Nick on his appointed rounds.
Resistance to disease is greatly dependent on antibodies or immunoglobulins. Passive immunity gives temporary protection by transfer of certain immune substances from resistant individuals.
It is not too soon to begin to prepare for spring calving season. Locating, obtaining, and storing several doses of colostrum or colostrum replacer will come in handy before the first heifers start to go into labor.
Someone once said “Success occurs when Opportunity meets with Preparation.” Planning and preparing ahead for next spring’s calving season can help increase your chances of success.
Better understanding of the relationships between body condition scores and rebreeding efficiency of beef cattle has added a powerful management tool to the cattleman’s arsenal.
Matching the number of cattle to your grass and feed resources on the ranch is a constant challenge for any cow-calf producer. Therefore, it is a constant struggle to determine the number of replacement heifers needed.
While some producers report unsatisfactory breeding performance for heifers on wheat pasture, research shows reproductive performance of to be similar to heifers consuming a corn-based growing diet.
Body condition score at calving is the single most important trait determining when a cow resumes heat cycles and therefore when she is likely to re-conceive for the next calf crop.
Some cow calf producers in the Midwest and Southwest are going into winter with very limited hay supplies and standing forage. While there are alternatives, many are often expensive.
Estimating forage usage by cows is an important part of the task of calculating winter feed needs. Hay or standing forage intake must be estimated in order to make the calculations.
Cull cows represent about 20% of the gross income in commercial cow calf operations, so understanding the major factors impacting cull cow prices is important to your bottom line.
Selecting against ill-tempered cattle has always made good sense. Wild cattle are hard on equipment, people, other cattle, and now we know that they are hard on the bottom line.
Providing assistance to cows or first calf heifers generally concentrates on the survival and health of the calf. However, calving difficulty resulting in prolonged labor can have adverse effects on the cow as well.
It is imperative that the newborn calf begins to breathe as soon as possible. To stimulate the initiation of the respiratory process, here are a few ideas that may help.
As we move closer to the first of September and the fall calving season begins, understanding what to expect during the normal delivery can help to determine when a cow needs assistance.
If you are targeting selling your calves during one of this fall's value-added or preconditioned sales, be mindful some of the required weaning dates are only days away.
Bred replacement heifers that will calve in late January and February need to continue to grow and maintain body condition as two-year-old heifers should be in a body condition score 6 at calving.
Forage analysis can be a useful tool to remove some of the mystery concerning the hay that producers will feed this winter. The out-of-pocket costs of protein and energy supplements are further fuel to this advice.
Cattle have an upper critical temperature 20 degrees cooler than humans. When humans are a little uncomfortable at 80 degrees and feel hot at 90 degrees, cattle may well be in the danger zone for extreme heat stress.
During hot summer months, the water needed for a cow herd often determines several other management decisions, but you should expect most spring calving cows need at least 24 gallons per day.
Producers should exercise caution and test forages before cutting or grazing shortly after a drought-easing shower. Some of the greatest concentrations of nitrate in forages will be recorded at this time.
If a small cow operation can market a sizeable number of calves together in one lot, it will realize a greater price per pound (on the average) than similar calves sold in singles or small lots.
Pinkeye has long been a costly nuisance with reduced beef production in the form of lower weight gain, milk production, body condition, and eventually even poorer reproduction can result from eye infections.
Weaning during very hot summer weather is stressful enough to the calves. Therefore, any management strategy that can reduce stress to the calves should be utilized.
As hay is being cut and put in large round bales, it is important to reduce hay storage losses. University of Tennessee scientists conducted a trial to compare different methods of storing round bales of grass hay.
Producers who want to improve the genetic makeup of their beef herds often turn to AI as a tool to accomplish that goal. Many times, these producers have very high expectations as they begin the first season of AI.
Making certain your cows, heifers, and bulls are receiving the minerals that they require is one of the chores that can be easily overlooked during the busy summer season.
Producers who synchronize and artificially inseminate replacement heifers or cows have already begun the process. If hot weather arrives during the AI season, some management and breeding alterations may be helpful.
Vaccines can cost more than $3.00 per dose, and if not stored properly they can be rendered ineffective. Producers cannot afford to overlook the importance of how they store vaccines and handle them prior to injection.
Before the breeding season begins a few simple management procedures involving your bulls can increase the likelihood of a high pregnancy percentage among your cows.
Ranch families that have a son or daughter home from school for an extended period due to COVID-19 isolation should take advantage of the younger generation's skills to update the ranch record keeping system.
Spring calving cow herd operations should schedule pre-breeding soundness exams for bulls. Evaluations should be conducted 30 to 60 days before the start of breeding.
Time is of the essence when a calving cow or heifer has a situation where the calf is coming backwards. If the umbilical cord is totally pinched by the pelvic rim, the calf can only survive about four minutes.
