Jeanne - Simme Valley wrote:I, for one, do NOT promote thin cows. You are losing performance if your cows are thin. Do they work for the producer, sure, I bet they do. Could they do a better job with better nutrition, I would bet money on it. But, if your environment meant you had to supplement your cattle in order to keep them in a BCS of 5 - 6, then you have to look at bottom dollar profit. Where is that "fine line" between your cattle working for you and you working for your cattle.
I do not have to supplement my cows. They eat grass when I have it and good hay in the winter. NY land grows grass well. With the invention of baleage, I can have great winter hay - feed 6 months.
BH - your cattle that you post are definitely over-conditioned. SIZE of your cattle have nothing to do with it. BCS, natural thickness, volume and frame size are different issues. You have great pastures, and I'm assuming you put up great hay. The thing "we" don't agree with is the grain being given to the cows. It is unnecessary with your pastures, and it's like flaunting. I am NOT trying to give you a hard time. Just kinda trying to explain why you get sooooo much flack about your "FAT" cows. Are they good cows? Probably top notch. I don't think anyone thinks they are not.
My replacement heifers are weaned and put on 5# whole shell corn + baleage + free choice mineral and the best health program possible. When my heifers are bred in the spring, they get turned out on grass with the mature cows and never see grain again. Do my cows come when I call? You bet your bippy they do. They ALL know what grain is - or what an opened gate is for rotational grazing.
The SAV cows appear to be dry cows, in BCS of probably 6.5 - perfect. They have super capacity and great natural width. Will be in perfect condition to calve - IMHO.
Jeanne, when good pasture is available, our gals get just a little token treat, a pound per head. What we give them is not just straight corn. It is has a lot of other things in it that promotes top health. I can get you the tag. As Ron said earlier, the hay is terrible this year and our pastures are nothing but mud just days after they are rotated. If I pulled everything back I would wonder what they are eating because this weather has made conditions terrible. Right now it’s freezing rain, and the ground is like a sponge from weeks of rain. Not ideal conditions.
I like for the cows to be in top condition, I’ve noticed over many years doing this that the calves are very healthy when born, I rarely ever pull calves or have calving issues and they breed back well. I think a cow or heifer that has poor nutrition will rarely become a high performing animal, which I’m sure you would agree with.