Big Swede said:
Calving this time of year with this kind of storm is a friggin' nightmare. We're getting 25-30 calves a day now and there's so much slop if they don't calve in the barn they won't last long. I would guess we have well over an inch of moisture so far with the rain and then snow.
If I weaken this summer and think about turning the bulls out before August 1st somebody punch me in the nose, PLEASE!!
I understand your pain! I tried April calving, and couldn't switch back to March calving fast enough. It was the hardest calving ever! I was exhausted just by trying to move in the slop. Also, the cows were exhausted because they were very pregnant and couldn't find a dry place to lay down, let alone calve. I'd much rather calve on frozen ground than slop. Let's face it, there isn't a "perfect" time to calve, or else everybody would be doing it the same.
For this place, March has worked well. I understand why you'd like to switch to May calving though. With a forest allotment, it's good to have a full breeding cycle before going up, and honestly, I don't mind getting calving over with during the time of year I'm not busy doing other things.