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.
After calving, a normally healthy cow needs 52% more protein and a substantial increase in energy as she begins the lactation phase. Meeting those nutrition requirements will positively impact rebreeding.
Despite our best efforts at bull selection and heifer development, cows or heifers occasionally need assistance at calving time. Every baby calf has a certain degree of respiratory acidosis.
Calves born after a prolonged, difficult birth are at a high risk of failing to receive adequate colostrum by natural suckling because of greatly decreased colostrum intake.
Many spring calving herds will begin calving around the first of February, if not before, so an increased understanding of the “calving” or parturition process is helpful.
Cull beef cows represent 10% of the beef consumed in the U.S. and they represent 20% of the gross income of commercial ranches, making proper cull cow management important.
Christmas Eve day on our Platte Valley farm was cloudy and cool. Evening chores were to be completed earlier than usual so that the family could attend Christmas Eve services at the small Presbyterian church in town.
The easiest and most practical method of inhibiting nighttime calving at present is by feeding cows at night. Several studies have confirmed what one Canadian rancher observed in the 1970s.
Southern plains ranchers often use wheat pasture as much of the winter feed supply, but some may wonder about unsatisfactory breeding performance of heifers when grazing wheat pasture.
It is not too soon to begin to prepare for the 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.
Preparing ahead for next spring’s calving season can help increase the chances of success and there are several key steps that would be good to conduct in November or December.
Body condition changes from the time the cow calves until she begins the breeding season and can play a significant role in the rebreeding success story.
Cull cows represent about 20% of the gross income in commercial cow calf operations. Understanding the major factors impacting cull cow prices is important to your bottom line.
Body condition is categorized by a scoring system based on “1” being very emaciated and “9” is extremely obese. Most commercial range cows will be in the middle three scores of 4, 5, and 6.
Fall-calving herds will be breeding replacement heifers in late November. Now is the time to make certain that those heifers are ready for the upcoming breeding season.
Fall-born replacement heifers are at a critical nutrition point—they need to gain about 1.5 lb. per day from weaning until breeding. But warm-season pastures are starting to decline. Adding supplemental protein is key.
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.
Now we have another good excuse to cull cows due to bad temperament. Producers that routinely breed cows artificially realize that cows that are unruly and nervous are less likely to conceive by AI.
Only 1 to 2 months ago the spring calving cows were calving, the temperatures were colder and the calving pastures were already covered with muck and manure.
The onslaught of a wet, cold winter, several blizzards, and unbelievable flooding has caused some Midwest cattle producers to re-examine the timing of future calving seasons.
Every year at "preg" checking time, ranchers evaluate cows and make decisions as which to remove from the herd. One criteria that should be examined to cull cows is udder quality.
As we get closer to April and the breeding season for replacement heifers that are destined for a spring calving herd, proper nutritional management is more important than ever.
The process of “calving” or parturition in beef cattle is defined by three stages. Stage I occurs about 4 to 24 hours prior to calving. The major event during stage I is the dilation of the cervix.
