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Feeding time for calving cows

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caljane

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Most ranchers - as far as I know - feed their cows first thing in the morning. Now it was suggested that feeding calving cows in the late afternoon would keep them busy with full stomachs over night, pursuing them to calve during the day rather than at night.
Your opinions or thoughts?
 
I worked for Utah State University for 6 years in the late 80's. We kept track of every birth on the ranch for that time. We had control groups that were fed at different times of the day and each calf was recorded as it was born, weighed, sexed, ect. The conclusion was...........inconclusive. :D Some cattle did calve at night when fed in the am while others calved during the day when fed at night. And vice versa. I personally learned to get by on little to no sleep and still be able to chase girls in town 70 miles away. 8)
 
We tried it once and it didn't seem to make any diference. I do know that
some people swear by it. Our calves were usually born early in the morning.
We checked them about 10 pm and about 4-5 am. We had a night
calver that came at midnight and he checked heifers when he came on
and depending on weather, again at 3 and at 6. He never was very busy
at night. Glad to have there to check 'em though.
 
It always seems we get a rash of calves starting about an hour or so after feedings. We feed morning and night. For some reason we get few calves between 11 o'clock PM and 4 AM. But rules are made to be broken and stuff happens.
 
ya its one of those things, farmers either swear by it or they dont. I truely do believe in it. All my cows are fed in morning and 95% of the time calving at night. Every farmer has mixed thoughts on this though
 
We have been doing it for 20 years on heifers and it works well for us as we have very few calves between 11 pm to 6 am. Try to feed 1-2 hrs before dark as I don't like feeding in the dark. Absolutely nothing is 100% thats just life. I figure every calf that is born with sunshine on his back is a bonus.
 
I've seen a lot of outfits (where I've night-calved for) who switched feeding-times to late-afternoon/early evening...and (aside from during heavy incoming storms/snowfall) it definitely made a difference; otherwise I always dreaded the 'magic-hours' (as I termed them) between 11pm and 3am where they'd calve (snowstorm or not) as a result of feeding 'normal' (early morning) hours.
 
Thanks for all the replies - very interesting and not much unlike from what I expected - many different ways to look at it. I was wondering if feeding at night wouldn't screw up the cows natural feeding habit - grazing mostly during the day and resting at night?

Wilsonconsulting said:
ya its one of those things, farmers either swear by it or they dont. I truely do believe in it. All my cows are fed in morning and 95% of the time calving at night. Every farmer has mixed thoughts on this though
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@Wilsonconsulting - Why do you feed in the mornings if you think that this causes your cows to calve at night?
 
With cows grazing pasture I would say over 90% of our cows calve during the day time. So I would say cows natural system is set to calve during the day time. And the way hay is fed will negatively or positively affect the calving time
 
i've tried it a couple times, didn't notice any difference. i have a neighbor that swears by it. so i guess the answer depends on who you ask. :? :wink:
 
Justin said:
i've tried it a couple times, didn't notice any difference. i have a neighbor that swears by it. so i guess the answer depends on who you ask. :? :wink:
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About the same here....I have an uncle that swore by it- but I never saw much difference....
 
We started feeding in the evenings or late afternoons, years ago. I am pretty sure it helps, don't have too many in the mornings when I go check em..
 
Silver said:
It always seems we get a rash of calves starting about an hour or so after feedings. We feed morning and night. For some reason we get few calves between 11 o'clock PM and 4 AM. But rules are made to be broken and stuff happens.
Click to expand...

We do the same. Cows that haven't calved get fed hay twice a day, pairs just in the AM. We definitely get more calves during the daylight hours, but they still calve around the clock.
 
I feed in the late afternoon. Probably 80% born in the day time. For best results I have read that evening/night feeding be started at least 30 days before calving.
 
We feed about half a day one day per week starting in the morning and put out enough for a week. That is in the winter. Saves a pile of time and fuel. Our cows calve on stockpiled grass on their own starting about mid April and eat whenever they like. We check them about twice a day in our shirt sleeves as we go about other spring stuff.
 
My SWA observation would be that about 20-25% of calves are born during nighttime hours, regardless of what time of day they eat. This scenario would hold true whether they are fed hay at regimented hours, or are eating grass at their own leisure. As is often the case, perception tends to become reality, and sugar pills ward off all kinds of illnesses due to the power of positive thinking. :)
 
I've tried the evening feeding and think there is some difference between it and early morning feeding. The past 5 or 6 years I've fed just before noon. It gives the temps a while to warm up and makes it easier to start equipment. With that feeding regime... the cows start calving right after daylight and then a second wave an hour or two after feeding. I have not had any calve at night so far this year.

In consideration of different feeding times or practices, it seems that consistency of your program is probably the most important factor. IMHO
 
The biggest advantage I see to feeding in the evening is that it sorta bunches the cows up before they bed down, which makes checking a lot faster during the night. I roll out bales for them in a long line, so when I check I can just drive down the row rather than wandering all around the pasture hoping I didn't miss any.
 
LCP said:
The biggest advantage I see to feeding in the evening is that it sorta bunches the cows up before they bed down, which makes checking a lot faster during the night. I roll out bales for them in a long line, so when I check I can just drive down the row rather than wandering all around the pasture hoping I didn't miss any.
Click to expand...

I would agree with that. I tried it a couple times, with not a big difference. The one year it was just an aggravation as well because it was wet and would be froze in the morning and then thawed out at night, just made everything a mess. Also if you have a breakdown trying to feed right at dark, that's not to fun either. I don't really have anything major against it, just didn't make it worth the trouble for me. Also unless 100 percent are born during the day, I still get up to check them so that's something else I tell myself to stick with morning feeding.
 

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