Influencing Calving Times?

[randiliana]

On another forum, it was suggested feeding later in the day will influence calving times. Which got me thinking, and, since I record like basically EVERYTHING, including TIME OF CALVING and the fact that I am messing around with a spreadsheet to help me see how the herd has/is changing over the years, I plugged the time of calving numbers into the spreadsheet, and looked at the averages for the last 11 years....

I am not a believer in feeding at night to make them calve during the day.... and IMO my spreadsheet proved that it really doesn't change much....

A British study involving 162 cattle from 4 different farms compared the percentages of calves born from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with cows being fed in the morning versus feeding in the evening. 57% of the calves born during the day were from cattle fed at 9:00 am versus 79% born during the day when cows were fed at 10:00 p.m. A study done in Iowa with 1331 cows from 15 farms showed that 85% of the calves were born between 6:00 am and 6:00 p.m. when fed once daily at dusk.

So, here is MY data,

I set it up to coincide with the British study of the cows calving from 5 AM to 10 PM.... We feed in the morning, usually around 9 am, and almost NEVER later than 11 AM. My numbers from the past 11 years (and 1577 head) show that 78.3% of the cows calve from 5 AM to 10 PM. The lowest year was 68.8% and the highest was 86%...

 

[Faster horses]

Interesting. I must say I agree with you. We tried it and saw no difference and Mr.FH likes to get feeding out of the way in the morning so the day is open for other things. He goes out early to check and then comes back for breakfast and then goes to feed. We had a night calver for 10 years and he hardly had any cows calve on his watch ( from midnight to 6 am.) He could count on one hand what calves he pulled in those 10 years and that was counting first calf heifers. Helped us sleep better tho, so it was worth it.

 

[George]

I have round bales out 24/7 so I do not have a real feeding time - - - I do put out one square bale every morning ( with 18 cows not much nutrition but it brings them to me )

If a cow seems close I might pen her but mostly I have few problems as I cull if a problem develops and I am very cautious when I keep a replacement.

 

[4Diamond]

I like to make my rounds starting at daylight that way if I find a problem I have the rest of the day to solve the issue.

 

[gcreekrch]

We prefer to feed on the frost in the AM rather than let feed be tromped into the mud later in the day. The majority of our calves seem to be born from 4 AM to noon.

 

[randiliana]

Another post I'm not getting notifications on...

Ive been recording time of calving forever, but it is something I've never used before. So it was kinda neat to finally have a use for it. And interesting to see how the data worked out.

 

[Joe]

A rancher I worked for told me once "the longer I calve heifers, the less I know about calving heifers" this is pretty much how I feel about it. But my research shows that heifers generally calve when it's least convenient. Seriously though, I've heard that feeding them in the evening does influence calving times and I found the data interesting, thanks for posting it.

 

[randiliana]

Thanks!

 

[Denny]

Best thing I ever did was keep the bulls locked up until July 1st but thats for me and my situation.

 

[Traveler]

If they're fed late, in nice long windrows, it does at least make it easier to check at night.

 

[3 M L & C]

If they're fed late, in nice long windrows, it does at least make it easier to check at night.

I do agree with that. I tried it for a couple years after I went to a meeting and people swor 65-70% day calving with feeding at night and I didn't see any difference at all. The last year I did it was one of those wet years here when it would be froze in the morning then thaw out good just in time to go make ruts to feed. I gave up the trial after second go of it and seeing no marked improvement.

 

[porkchop]

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. (And that is what it is worth!)
I have been calving my heifers and only my heifers this way for 6 years now. In six years I can only think of 3 that did not respect my daytime calving program. I'm not a large farm but in six years it has been over 250 head of heifers calved. I always feed them just about dark, grain mix, and free choice hay in a bale ring. In the morning usually around 8:30 I close them out of the hay pen and they just get water. This is a dry lot and there is no other source of feed until night. I have found that if I start this program 2 weeks before first calving date it flat works.

 

[rightwinger82]

Well I have been watching this post since it was started, my 2 cents worth. I feed at 5:30 pm all winter and have 80% of my calves in the day. Never have fed in the morning, this has just always worked for me.

 

[randiliana]

And, thats the important thing, whatever works in your operation. You will notice, that, 6am-11pm, is approx 80% of the day..... So it isn't surprising that approx 80% calve then...

 

[gcreekrch]

Haven't tried it yet but someone suggested a few years ago to lock the bulls up at night and on the weekends........................

 

[J.Johnson]

Haven't tried it yet but someone suggested a few years ago to lock the bulls up at night and on the weekends........................

If only it was that easy, if only!

 

[rightwinger82]

And, thats the important thing, whatever works in your operation. You will notice, that, 6am-11pm, is approx 80% of the day..... So it isn't surprising that approx 80% calve then...

6 AM to 11PM is 100% of my day, I guess I should have specified 80% are born in the Daylight hours or around half the day.