We calve for 90 days starting February 7th. This year 60% of the cattle have calved in the first 3 weeks. Best we've done before is maybe 40% in the first month. Wondering how fast you guys are calving out and what number represents good herd health. I'm really happy this year considering how many bull problems we had.
2024 Calving
- Thread starter Lucky
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Silver
Well-known member
We usually get 2/3 or more in the first cycle. Might have to be better this year as I've shortened the season down to 45 days.
I have always felt that 2/3 in the first cycle is reasonable and represents good herd health and condition. Anything over that is gravy but still worth shooting for.
Twinning at a fair clip right now, 4 sets out of the first 21 cows. Just extracted a set first calf breach, second one backwards out of a heifer. This should slow down as the season progresses.
I have always felt that 2/3 in the first cycle is reasonable and represents good herd health and condition. Anything over that is gravy but still worth shooting for.
Twinning at a fair clip right now, 4 sets out of the first 21 cows. Just extracted a set first calf breach, second one backwards out of a heifer. This should slow down as the season progresses.
Dave
Well-known member
I have been at it for a little less than 60 days and I am 41% done. But I have to trust sale yard vets about when the calf will be born.
If you live through a few years of 20% and keep your vaccination and mineral protocols up you will eventually sort those shy breeders off. We did part of it by calving later, bulls go out 2 weeks after best flush of grass happens here.The guys trying 45 days here end up with about 20% open cows. We do good to only have 10% opens in 90 days. Not sure how y'all do so good up North. Maybe it's the heat down South
Until we sold out last year, our 100-120 cow Corriente herd calved in February. We'd put 5-6 bulls in...enough so each bull had no more than 20 cows to cover. We'd put them in mid-to late April...usually Easter weekend, and pull them Memorial day weekend. We'd put our Corriente bull in from then til July 4th, for cleanup. I think the most March calves we ever had was 10 Corriente calves, which we'd use for replacement or for our practice steers, depending on sex. Some years we got none...some 2, 3,or 4.
Not gonna do this with the ones I just bought back. It wasn't neccessary for us to have 100 calves all the same age to start with. No such thing as buyers buying truckloads around here. In fact, it probably hurt us carrying them all at once, Main reason we did this was Scott and I were both very busy, and we had it to where we'd spend one Saturday cutting and banding calves, and one Saturday hauling them to the sale. But, the dude I bought them back from, had one bull...a sale barn "angus".... and these cows are calving from February til June. Three of them had calves on them when I got them last month, born in late January. We gonna tighten it up just a little. I have 1 bull I got at the Brangus sale a couple of weeks ago in there now, and at the end of this month, I am going to put 1 or 2 more in with them. We gonna start in July carrying the ones that turned 6 mos to the sale once a month. We put white ear tags in those 3 January calves, yellow in the Feb calves this weekend, gonna do green for March, blue for April, and orange for May. I think those 5 colors are all the colors tags come in. June calves just won't have a tag.
I think the reasons we had a 30-40 day calving season in the past are three: 1) we used a lot of bulls. 2) these cows stay in top condition. Feb to November they are on 25% protein kudzu forage, and in Nov- Feb, on 400 acres of row crop residue: cotton, corn, beans and peanuts. The only inputs we have with them, are minerals and salt. And 3) Corrientes are just breeding machines. They don't come in heat late, they don't lose calves, they calve trouble free...even the heifers. In 30 something years, though, I can't recall ever having any twins. Maybe it is something Corrs just don't do....I dunno.
It will tighten up to about 100-120 day calving window, this next time and that will be ok....just fooling with 30 a month to sell. Might even get it to a 90- day the next time after that, and that is as tight as we want it these days.
If we had regular beef cows, and lived in an area where it would be beneficial to carry 100-120 uniform calves to market, we probably wouldn't ever be able to get a 30-40 day calving window if we put 50 bulls in with the 100 cows!
Lucky
Well-known member
We turn the bulls in May 1st for 90 days. We tried turning them in earlier on April 15th for a couple years but this gave us more open cows. Never thought about turning them out later. Just hate to loose the growth. It's definitely a thought though. We run a bull to 20-25 cows. Most guys I know just calve year round. I honestly couldn't believe the difference in work load, calf quality, and money by going to a 90 day calving season. As of yesterday we are at 63% in 3 weeks. I'm sure they'll start slowing down though.
60 to 70% is about average for first cycle.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
I don't have a place to run that many cows!
My bull would breed 12 to 14 cows in a 30 day window real easy! Most within 3 weeks.
I'd put him in Christmas and have em all on the ground end of September first couple weeks of October. Then he would come to my place end of May. Those cows would all calve reasonably tight as well. Tho I had a few that were off from the beginning and I never tried to really tighten them up. They always calved about the same time as before. I did have one or two that kept moving up tho! I think putting the bull in around 2 months after they calve gets em cycling well as long as they got something to eat.
My bull would breed 12 to 14 cows in a 30 day window real easy! Most within 3 weeks.
I'd put him in Christmas and have em all on the ground end of September first couple weeks of October. Then he would come to my place end of May. Those cows would all calve reasonably tight as well. Tho I had a few that were off from the beginning and I never tried to really tighten them up. They always calved about the same time as before. I did have one or two that kept moving up tho! I think putting the bull in around 2 months after they calve gets em cycling well as long as they got something to eat.
