100% calf crops?

[jasonleonard]

I am curious to know, what is the biggest 100% calf crop anyone has had??? How many calves on the ground
with no loss of calves(or cows).

 

[kenny thomas]

Not me. Lost 2 of the first 6. Good luck since then with no other problems.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I don't know how many calves I have had over the last 10 years, but it's over a thousand, and I have never pulled a calf, and I have never had a calf die on a cow, the only dead calf I have ever had out of one of my own cows was born dead.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Okay now that I understand the question, I have had 100% calf crops all but one year ever.

 

[jasonleonard]

I have 70 year old neighbor who keeps about 30 mamma cows on his place. Never keeps back heifers, buys salebarn cows for replacements every once in a while. No grain or tubs, just old round bales. Lets the bull run with the cows all year long, has no headgate, and those cows don't know what a needle is!
This oldtimer is headed for another perfect calving season while a purebred angus neighbor (who is a stickler about everything) is fighting every calf to get them to suck! Figure this one out??

 

[regolith]

It's going to depend on how you calculate that figure - if there's a standard definition you're going by I don't know it.

Do you mean 100% of cows mated to produce a live calf 9 months later? Or 100% of cows that are confirmed pregnant? For economic reasons, would you use calves weaned rather than calves born live as the more useful comparison?
The largest group of yearlings run with bull to get 100% pregnant I've had was 52, but I know they didn't all deliver live calves. One died a month before her due date and I recall at least one had a dead calf. With herd size ranging from 140 - 290 I've never had a year with no stillbirths or no open cows. Still dreaming...

 

[Isomade]

If you mean years where every cow was bread, and every cow calved, then every calf made it to sale or retention. Never. Welcome to undertaker farms.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

If you mean years where every cow was bread, and every cow calved, then every calf made it to sale or retention. Never. Welcome to undertaker farms.

Can I be the undertaker's assistant?

 

[denvermartinfarms]

If you mean years where every cow was bread, and every cow calved, then every calf made it to sale or retention. Never. Welcome to undertaker farms.

No, me either, i have never had all my cows breed and calve any year. I don't ever lose any that do calve, but that will change i know.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I have a good freind that is 75 years old and can barely walk with 2 canes, he has 1000 acres about a half hour away from where he lives with 70 cows on the whole place and not many cross fences and one junky corral, he never feeds any hay thru a winter, never gives a shot, and cuts all the bull calves by getting them in a pen and catching them behind a gate, he puts out blocks to worm them and thats it. and the guy don't have 100% crops every year, but he has sevarel, and always has the best calves at the sale.

 

[Isomade]

If you mean years where every cow was bread, and every cow calved, then every calf made it to sale or retention. Never. Welcome to undertaker farms.

Can I be the undertaker's assistant?

Hell yea. In the months of December and January just lack your bags. You can have the night shift on the heifers.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

If you mean years where every cow was bread, and every cow calved, then every calf made it to sale or retention. Never. Welcome to undertaker farms.

Can I be the undertaker's assistant?

be nice yea. In the months of December and January just lack your bags. You can have the night shift on the heifers.

Great i'll bring my shovel! :lol2:

 

[herofan]

I have 70 year old neighbor who keeps about 30 mamma cows on his place. Never keeps back heifers, buys salebarn cows for replacements every once in a while. No grain or tubs, just old round bales. Lets the bull run with the cows all year long, has no headgate, and those cows don't know what a needle is!
This oldtimer is headed for another perfect calving season while a purebred angus neighbor (who is a stickler about everything) is fighting every calf to get them to suck! Figure this one out??

I have a good freind that is 75 years old and can barely walk with 2 canes, he has 1000 acres about a half hour away from where he lives with 70 cows on the whole place and not many cross fences and one junky corral, he never feeds any hay thru a winter, never gives a shot, and cuts all the bull calves by getting them in a pen and catching them behind a gate, he puts out blocks to worm them and thats it. and the guy don't have 100% crops every year, but he has sevarel, and always has the best calves at the sale.

That's how a lot of people do it in my area, and it is certainly how the old timers of my youth did it, and they had good cattle. My grandparents have been gone a long time, but I don't recall them ever having to pull a calf or saying, "We lost a calf."

 

[cow pollinater]

The only time I've had 100% calf crop, I had a freakish number of twins and that was worse than having an average year. Now instead of having a few dinks to cull, I have a few REALLY GOOD cows that breed back late because of the extra energy they put out that year and are going to wind up getting culled for not breeding back one of these days.

 

[bandit80]

If you mean years where every cow was bread, and every cow calved, then every calf made it to sale or retention. Never. Welcome to undertaker farms.

I would think this would represent about 99.9% of cow/calf producers. There is always something that goes wrong. I didn't think there was 100% in anything when dealing with cattle, except a 100% chance something, somewhere along the lines will go wrong.

 

[hog987]

I have only done it once but had a 100% calf crop and than sold 100% of those calves a year later. Once in 15 years is not bad right.

 

[dps]

Last year is the only time we have every had this happen. 85 cows in with bulls, 85 cows calved, 85 cows raised (calves sold last fall or kept for replacements) 87 calves, lost none. Then this year lost the first 2 born, and 1 didnt breed back.

 

[NMVaquero]

I have a good freind that is 75 years old and can barely walk with 2 canes, he has 1000 acres about a half hour away from where he lives with 70 cows on the whole place and not many cross fences and one junky corral, he never feeds any hay thru a winter, never gives a shot, and cuts all the bull calves by getting them in a pen and catching them behind a gate, he puts out blocks to worm them and thats it. and the guy don't have 100% crops every year, but he has sevarel, and always has the best calves at the sale.

Survivalof the fittest.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I have a good freind that is 75 years old and can barely walk with 2 canes, he has 1000 acres about a half hour away from where he lives with 70 cows on the whole place and not many cross fences and one junky corral, he never feeds any hay thru a winter, never gives a shot, and cuts all the bull calves by getting them in a pen and catching them behind a gate, he puts out blocks to worm them and thats it. and the guy don't have 100% crops every year, but he has sevarel, and always has the best calves at the sale.

Survivalof the fittest.

He's kinda like you, up until 08 he leased several thousand acres of forest service land that borders him. And turned a bunch out in may and got them back in the end of September.

 

[NMVaquero]

I have a good freind that is 75 years old and can barely walk with 2 canes, he has 1000 acres about a half hour away from where he lives with 70 cows on the whole place and not many cross fences and one junky corral, he never feeds any hay thru a winter, never gives a shot, and cuts all the bull calves by getting them in a pen and catching them behind a gate, he puts out blocks to worm them and thats it. and the guy don't have 100% crops every year, but he has sevarel, and always has the best calves at the sale.

Survivalof the fittest.

He's kinda like you, up until 08 he leased several thousand acres of forest service land that borders him. And turned a bunch out in may and got them back in the end of September.

Sounds familiar.
We are with our cattle fixing fence and moving them from pasture to pasture.
Natural selection plays a role on the mountain as bears and lions want dinner. Hence the longhorn as it helps them protect themselves.
I assume the old timers are the same way, it gets sick or prone to injuries it won't stay in the herd.