I was wondering how most people manage their fall calving cows. They sure are tough to keep in good condition. What do you feed? What time of year do you start feeding and stop feeding? What type of mineral do you use? I am sure it is different in each area, but I was just wondering. I would like to know the brand the protein and fat levels of feed (cake) or other feed. What does your mineral program consist of? I have a small herd of fall calvers and just need a few ideas to boost my ai and et conception rates.
Fall Calving Cows
- Thread starter herf96
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kobo_ranch
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herf96 said:
We graze ours on rye/ryegrass and suppliment peanut hay which is a by-product of our farming. We use high mag mineral for a few weeks before we start them on the grazing. Really don't use any feed mix at all - we live in the south where the winters are not too harsh so this program works pretty well for us. We breed usually the first week or so in Dec.to calve in Sept. So the heat isn't so bad on the calves. Hope this helps.
Not sure where you are located, but in KY the fall calving herd has the opposite problem. Cows are dry during the late spring and summer months when pasture is ample and the cows almost get too fat. The calf on them during the winter months though will pull their BCS down quite a bit though, but they have time to recover before the following year. I can honestly say that AI conception rates are normally 10% higher for fall calving cows that spring calving cows here. Majority of this difference is due to the cool weather in December compared to May. Calving death loss goes down a good 5% as well and calves will weigh on average 10lbs. less in the fall calving herd. Its not for everyone, but sure does fit the bill for our herd.
Like KYsteer said, your cows highest nutritional needs are when there is not the ample grass of summer. The key to a productive fall calving program is to make sure you provide plenty of supplemental feed to both the cow and calf thru breeding time. Creep feeding is a must to reduce the pressure on a cow to provide all the nutrients for her calf. We typically early wean our fall calves, anywhere from 120-150 days old. I am a long time believer in not feeding calves through the cow. That being said, once the calf is weaned, you have the rest of the winter to just cruise the cows along with minimal expense. And yes, the cows do get greasy fat on summer grass with no calf on them. So it is ok to go into summertime with your fall cows being a lower body condition score that you would like.
Spend the money for feed in the fall, and save the money the other 8 months of the year! Good Luck
Spend the money for feed in the fall, and save the money the other 8 months of the year! Good Luck
The conditions in my area during the fall time of year is dormant grass with cold that can stay around the freezing point. This winter was a little different with temperatures a little higher than normal. We will see about eighteen inches of snow throughtout the winter and some winters like two years ago we broke ice on our tanks 90% of the time. I am really looking for how much protein a cow needs during this time along with fat. What type of mineral works best to keep cows in condition while milking and having timely heats (45 days after calving)? We do creep feed and feed 5lbs of 28% Hi Pro cake that is 4.5%fat. They also get hay when the ground is covered in snow. We have been using Evergreen mineral. Thanks for your responses and I hope to get some more.
