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Wives' Tale>

I've always been a morning feeder myself. What if you're not feeding the cows hay and they are out on grass at calving time? Last year I only fed hay during a couple stormy sessions that passed through. I was fortunate to have plenty of grazing unless the snow is too deep of course. I kept a small pasture in reserve where the grass held out for calving season.

A lot of folks are caking or corning March calving cows right now. I keep a couple lick barrels out but otherwise my April-May calving cows are just grazing. Christmas Eve day I turned them in to a pasture that wasn't used all year in 2005 and very little in 2004. It should last them until calving time.

If it works like last year with no deep snow I will just be feeding some lick barrels and cracked corn/DDG again. Does it make a difference what time of day a cow is fed grain? Doesn't take long, they can have it slicked up in 15 min! :P :lol:
 
(Not quite sure how to do this right)
HMW wrote : Unless you're fortunate enough to run a ranch where the owner tells you, "Whatever works for you..."
Keep thinking that one day we'll find that place ... if we live that long :!:
 
One thing no one has mentioned about later calving season is that you cheapen up your winter feed bill. Cattle need the least feed in the first tir- mester of pergnancy and more in the second and more in the third and the most when the calf is born. So if you move all those back, you save on feed.

My little bunch is supposed to calve towards the end of June. I've feed them hay twice so far and they are just grazing left overs from the stocker cattle that ate most of the grass this past season. I only fed hay when I did cuz it was below 0 and the wind was howling. I feel sorry for the ol' darlin's on days like that, so I feed them when it gets that way. I do have extruded soybean mixed with salt for a limiter, out for them. It runs about 40 % protien and 11 % fat.
 
Well, I'm going to dispute this "wives tale" just from experience. We feed in the morning, and most of our calves come between 6:00 in the morning and 9:30 at night. I know, because that's my schedule to check cows.... all day long! Hubby checks through the night, and we hardly get any in that time frame. Last year there was only three. I think they just want to share the experience with me because I'm a woman. :) Maybe they're trying to tell me something! :wink:
 
I have tried feeding in the morning and late in the evening and I dont see many births at night either way. Belive I only had 1 last year.
 
When we calved early(shivers at the memory) I had a Massey tractor if I was lucky it might start by 5'00 in the afternoon on cold days-that's when the cows usually got fed so we didn't have alot of calves at night. I'll have to pay more attention when the calves are born on pasture-they don't get checked much so hard to really tell. I can tell you one thing there's no better feeling than hearing nails popping at nite and knowing I can stay in bed. My worst winter calving ordeal was the year we had 45 calves on the ground and it hadn't got above -40 yet-that was more fun than I can stand. But back to the question feeding at night is a free management practice that seems to work.
 

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