How much is enough?

[Andy]

I calve both spring and fall and around here if you calve before april 15th you will most likely have a cold rainy spell. I would always have to run a couple cows into the calving shed at night during those times. I have now moved 90% of my cows to fall calving. I have never helped a baby calf in the fall herd and I have calved over 750 in the fall.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

George not hard to have a 30 day calving period. Just pull the bulls.

 

[George]

I guess that would work but I feel the cull rate in the fall would be higher than I could live with. I had to cull two out of 32 this fall with leaving the bull in 60 days.

Right now I feel I can better afford to keep a cow just a little behind rather than grow out an additional hiefer. But I do cull cows that calve past May 15th

 

[Hanta Yo]

I calve both spring and fall and around here if you calve before april 15th you will most likely have a cold rainy spell. I would always have to run a couple cows into the calving shed at night during those times. I have now moved 90% of my cows to fall calving. I have never helped a baby calf in the fall herd and I have calved over 750 in the fall.

Ya just can't beat that fall calving, huh Andy! 8)

 

[PureCountry]

I read some real wise words of wisdom - from experience I assume - on Kit Pharo's website. He said that the more pressure you put on your cows to excel at what they do, the easier they'll make it to cull them.

Cream always rises to the top - so skim off the cream for replacements, and flush the rest down the Cargill kill floor drain.

 

[Andy]

I calve both spring and fall and around here if you calve before april 15th you will most likely have a cold rainy spell. I would always have to run a couple cows into the calving shed at night during those times. I have now moved 90% of my cows to fall calving. I have never helped a baby calf in the fall herd and I have calved over 750 in the fall.

Ya just can't beat that fall calving, huh Andy! 8)

You got that right. When i first started fall calving people told me i was crazy and it wouldn't work, but it works awsome. The only problem is that i have a $25,000 calving shed that i don't use much, but it still works good for storage.

 

[Mike]

I calve both spring and fall and around here if you calve before april 15th you will most likely have a cold rainy spell. I would always have to run a couple cows into the calving shed at night during those times. I have now moved 90% of my cows to fall calving. I have never helped a baby calf in the fall herd and I have calved over 750 in the fall.

Ya just can't beat that fall calving, huh Andy! 8)

You got that right. When i first started fall calving people told me i was crazy and it wouldn't work, but it works awsome. The only problem is that i have a $25,000 calving shed that i don't use much, but it still works good for storage.

Andy, Do you figure it costs more to winter those fall calvers?

 

[Aztumbleweed]

We are mostly like other ranchers. We calve outside in riding if we see a problem we help but mostly we see a cow and calf and if no calf or bred by works she goes.

 

[Hanta Yo]

I calve both spring and fall and around here if you calve before april 15th you will most likely have a cold rainy spell. I would always have to run a couple cows into the calving shed at night during those times. I have now moved 90% of my cows to fall calving. I have never helped a baby calf in the fall herd and I have calved over 750 in the fall.

Ya just can't beat that fall calving, huh Andy! 8)

You got that right. When i first started fall calving people told me i was crazy and it wouldn't work, but it works awsome. The only problem is that i have a $25,000 calving shed that i don't use much, but it still works good for storage.

I hear you, we hardly use our calving facilities unless we have an abnormal presentation. The "hot box" is cobwebby for lack of use. We are getting ready to wean our young cows' calves next month, kick the cows out on pasture and feed the "good stuff" to the calves. Prolly wait till the dust settles before we wean calves off the older cows, but everything will be weaned by the end of Feb.

 

[Denny]

I useally just run the cow into the chute and leave her stand there and let the calf nurse than put them in a stall a few day's and their matched up.Last year I grafted 1 calf on a cow that lost one I will not buy outside calves did that before lost more due to scours I brought home. If it's a young cow and was my fault she lost her calf I will keep and rebreed but you alway's need some walking cash so I just let those that lose their calves flesh up and ship them.If i had a cow that kept throwing 150 lb. calves I would ship her not the bull I would bet it's in the cow's genetic's.

 

[WB]

I agree Denny. Grafting calves is not that hard if the cow wants a calf. Usually if they nurse once in the headgate its a done deal if the calf is hungry at all.


My own personal philsophy on cows is: Do your cows work for you or do you work for them? You can make them as labor intensive as you want.

 

[Anonymous]

When you can sell those day old calves for $250 - $300+ its hard to get the incentive to want to put much work into getting them grafted...I do the same as FH with the hide- and if it doesn't work right away I'll sell them...They've been worth more than I got a few years ago for one at weaning time...

I'm like Denny- if its a good young cow and not her fault she lost the calf I may run her thru the summer and rebreed her...

 

[DOC HARRIS]

George, I once put newborn pigs on a cookie sheet in the oven. They were as good as dead. I kinda forgot about them and when I remembered, they were toasty warm and they all survived.

Did you have "Pig's Feet" and "Head Cheese"? That is really Yucky stuff!

DOC HARRIS

 

[feeder]

Heck no on the pigs feet and head cheese!!! Never have eaten that stuff and never will. I'll stick to beef and the other good cuts of pork. Thinking back to those pigs, I sure did somethings pretty dumb. Back then a dollar was a rare commodity and we did everything we could to make one!!!! LOL

 

[Andy]

Ya just can't beat that fall calving, huh Andy! 8)

You got that right. When i first started fall calving people told me i was crazy and it wouldn't work, but it works awsome. The only problem is that i have a $25,000 calving shed that i don't use much, but it still works good for storage.

Andy, Do you figure it costs more to winter those fall calvers?

Yes it cost more to winter the fall calvers, but we wean in Jan or Feb so that helps. We run on a lot of corn stlaks. My feed bill for Noveber was about 15bucks a pair for stalks and supplement. We had a storm the end of November and had to bring the cows hame and now the feed cost are kinda high. It cost less to summer them than a spring born pair. And the fall calves are ready for market in Oct. to Dec. which is a very good time to sell fats.

 

[Anonymous]

George, I once put newborn pigs on a cookie sheet in the oven. They were as good as dead. I kinda forgot about them and when I remembered, they were toasty warm and they all survived.

Did you have "Pig's Feet" and "Head Cheese"? That is really Yucky stuff!

DOC HARRIS

Never was much of a Head Cheese fan but love Pigs feet-- That was back in the days that when you butchered you used everything on the hog but the squeal :lol:

We have a German community up here that puts on a Schmeckfest yearly where you can still eat headcheese, blood sausege, and all those good old delicacies......

 

[Rowdy Ranch]

Andy-agree with you on the fall calvers.We run 1/3 falls and remainder spring calvers. We figure you have to feed the cows no matter when they calf. Also spreads out the marketing options. Last Aug and Sept the way the market was we went direct from grass to market with the Oct -Dec born-the steers weighted 725-825lb. The heifers were mostly OCVH and the ones that were not the buyer calf hooded them. If the lighter calf market stays like it is may wean the fall ones and not even take to grass.I do know that all climates are not for fall calves,but it works for some of us.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

Heck no on the pigs feet and head cheese!!! Never have eaten that stuff and never will. I'll stick to beef and the other good cuts of pork. Thinking back to those pigs, I sure did somethings pretty dumb. Back then a dollar was a rare commodity and we did everything we could to make one!!!! LOL

feeder - you may think that some things were pretty dumb, however you survived some pretty tough times - and those times taught valuable lessons that were ingrained into your thinking and acting habit patterns! Dumb is as dumb does - and you did - and you are still here! I respect survivors! :wink:

DOC HARRIS

 

[DOC HARRIS]

DELETE

 

[DOC HARRIS]

George, I once put newborn pigs on a cookie sheet in the oven. They were as good as dead. I kinda forgot about them and when I remembered, they were toasty warm and they all survived.

George- Was the oven standard or Micro-wave?? :shock: :shock: Micro-wave is a real NO-NO!

Doc