7 calves in 6 years? Think about this one...

[VanC]

I know it's hard, but you folks up north have to shut down the part of your brain that's screaming "uniform size!".

Why?

in my area and the way I sell calves I get more money for having Like cattle and being able to fill pots with like cattle
when I ship calves there needs to be no more than 50lbs difference in them from top to bottom so that I can sell an average wt and load the pots so these cattle will finish at the same time at the feedlot

AC and others have said why they feel having a defined breeding season nets them more money in the end. Others have said why they feel leaving the bull in year round works best for them. As has been said many times, what's best for one isn't always best for the next guy. To each his own. If you think leaving the bull in year round is the way to go then by all means knock yourself out. Good luck.

 

[donnaIL]

What works for one person does not always work for another. Since we are a small producer--every calf counts. I see posts about people who sell by the "groups" and I'm sure that the 60 day window is important. Truth is we only have 15 cows..and they tend to calf in groups, so I do have small groups too.

Like Cypress Farms said, around here every animal is put through the sale ring seperately...it is rare that there is a group of more than 5--if buyers see a big difference in one, they pull it out and seperate the group anyway. This year I sold our feeder calves private treaty (didn't matter--he gave me my price) and we feed out the rest for harvest...still feeding a couple and with prices rising in the store have had more people asking about it.

Living in the cornbelt where most of the available land is use for crops, most people do not have large tracts of land devoted to pasture. Also I do not have another area to keep my bull (that he wouldn't tear down fences) and leasing a bull is very hard to find (did that once). I know 15 cows hardly justify's a bull, but I could not find an AI Tech to come here and at 20-30 dollars it costs when I was having cows AI, feeding a bull and getting them bred made sense to me.

Oh, and there are a few others that operate around us with bulls year round, and some of them are bigger operations too (100's).

 

[mwj]

The cow in the first picture we bought at a sale barn for a cow that had lost twins 05/18/04, she was a baby and the unbilical cord was dried but still attached. She has has had 6 calves in 4.5 years -- no twins--single births 5/19/06, 4/27/07, 3/29/08, 1/26/09, 12/17/09 and the picture is with her 6th calf born on 10/26/10. She only has had 1 bull calf which we butchered last month. We have retained her first heifers..and don't know about this one.

The second picture is of her first 2 heifer calves I retained..The red white faced cow (5/19/06) seems to be keeping up the good work--she has had 4 calves in 2 years 6.5 months-- 5/27/08, 3/28/09, 2/17/10 and 12/18/10. So far she has had all heifers! We have sold 2 of her heifers at the sale barn as yearlings and made $80-$85 cwt.. we sold last one after weaning and she weighted est 630..This cows calves have been super.

The chocolate WF (4/27/07) is also showing the trend, with her 3rd calf in the picture, calving 2/22/09, 2/1/10 and 12/19/10. 2 bull calves and this one a heifer.

Our cows calf every year..but these seem to be producing a little better. I wonder how many she will have in 7 years!

It sounds like you have some good genetics there. Must have some calving ease there as well. It seems if a cow can have a calf easily she will recover to rebreed much quicker. If we all calved year round it is likely we would find at least a few in every herd that would move up just like you are seeing. It sounds great getting 6 calves in the span of 54 months. I still see a problem with marketing those cattle though. I think it would be nearly impossible to get a group of calves that would be consistent enough to sell as a group. I would be interested in seeing some solid numbers that would make these 6 calves worth more than 4 calves in a set calving season. I just have to think that you will be taking significantly less money per head by selling in small group or even individually. If you retain them for any amount of time to make a group you would have added expense in feed,etc. Just my thoughts. Maybe some of you can make it work.

I would like some figures to show that 4 650# blk steer calves sold in a pot load would bring as much as 6 650# blk steer calves sold one at a time!!!!!!!!!

 

[Angus Cowman]

I would like some figures to show that 4 650# blk steer calves sold in a pot load would bring as much as 6 650# blk steer calves sold one at a time!!!!!!!!!

I would like to see the #s on that also
but around here by the lb a set of 10 uniform calves will bring more pr lb than a comparable single going thru the ring

as for pot loads all the ones on the pot bring the same money as they are weighed and sold on average wt
the last few yrs they have been bought sight unseen and off my scale weights and the price is set 45-90 days before they are weighed and shipped

 

[agmantoo]

cypressfarms
I have not done anything any different than your are suggesting for roughly 12 years. In the beginning on grass and hay and later nothing but grass. I need 1.4 acres to carry the cow and her offspring (reared and marketed calf and unborn calf) year round. Before that, I tried the conventional approach and could not follow the big boys and make any money of any consequence. I now have calves to sell most any month. I do not get the highs nor the lows of the two times a year selling pattern. Instead I figure I get an average of the years price. My cows are only moderate milkers and small frame size. I want the calves eating grass as quickly as possible and growing off forage. The cows need to be maintaining condition for the next cycle. Since you have given this approach a lot of thought why have you not tried it yourself?
Yesterday, 24 month old heifer with new calf on grass.

 

[cypressfarms]

Since you have given this approach a lot of thought why have you not tried it yourself?

I am now, but my hand is being forced because I supply 2 nursing homes with beef - so I need to have calves ready all year round. I have a rough idea when the nursing homes need calves, but sometimes I still get the unexpected call "We need ground meat", can you get us a calf? (translation - i hope you have a calf ready, because we need it now)

Previously I followed the conventional approach of having a specific breeding season
and calved late winter. That approach won't work with the situation I have now.

By the way, nice heifer (or cow).

 

[plumber_greg]

Wow, agmantoo I know it's difference in areas, but if my heifers went into mid Jan. in that condition, they would never breed back. I'm jealous that your fescue is that green. My brown fescue is buried under a foot of snow. Didn't mean to sound critical of your cows condition. gs

 

[backhoeboogie]

What works for one person does not always work for another.

You're exactly right. This is the reason we all need to agree to disagree on some issues.

 

[fitz]

Wow, agmantoo I know it's difference in areas, but if my heifers went into mid Jan. in that condition, they would never breed back. I'm jealous that your fescue is that green. My brown fescue is buried under a foot of snow. Didn't mean to sound critical of your cows condition. gs

I don't see that? She looks pretty good to me.

fitz

 

[agmantoo]

plumber_greg

I am not offended by your thoughts regarding my heifer pictured above that just gave birth . What body condition score would you give her? IMO she will breed back within 6 to 8 weeks. I certainly will be disappointed if she doesn't. By the end of Feb. I expect to be on 2011 new growth forage and I expect the calf and it momma to be grazing and gaining. If it makes you feel better my neighbors fescue, though not buried in snow at this time, is brown also. I will never have the top animals but I know how to grow forage in my area!

 

[novaman]

I would like some figures to show that 4 650# blk steer calves sold in a pot load would bring as much as 6 650# blk steer calves sold one at a time!!!!!!!!!

I'm not saying you won't make more on your 6 than I will on my 4. I was genuinely curious as to whether the numbers prove the claim. I guess I was assuming you wouldn't be pulling 650 pounders off those cows on a regular basis. I would think if the cow is weaning off that big of a calf each and every time she would be losing condition with the shortened dry period where she would normally be replenishing body fat reserves. Again this was an assumption and maybe I'm wrong. If indeed you can kick out 650 pounders (or at least a respectable weaning weight and not some runts) consistently you probably would be further ahead calving year round.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I think a lot of it also is the management you get used to. It would drive me nuts trying to decide when to do our next "work-up" of cows and/or calves. When to catch & sort heifers for Calfhood Vaccinations. I have enough trouble keeping up with my few oddball fall calvers.
I think if someone is supplying meat year round, then it would probably be worth it to calving year round.
But, if you AI at all, I can see that would also be a nightmare.
Life would be boring if we all did it the same!

 

[plumber_greg]

agmantoo
Don't really know about official numbers. Just know what I need a heifer or cow to look like at certian times of the year. If you're 6 weeks from turnout, she's probably ok. I always hope for May 1 turnout, so that's the difference, if she was mine she'd never have a chance to get the weight back on sucking a calf all winter with out some grain to help her out. I calve Feb 1st., so they're trying to grow, feed a calf, and maintain enough weight not to get too far down, all while wading in mud to get to the hay feeder. gs

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

agmantoo
Don't really know about official numbers. Just know what I need a heifer or cow to look like at certian times of the year. If you're 6 weeks from turnout, she's probably ok. I always hope for May 1 turnout, so that's the difference, if she was mine she'd never have a chance to get the weight back on sucking a calf all winter with out some grain to help her out. I calve Feb 1st., so they're trying to grow, feed a calf, and maintain enough weight not to get too far down, all while wading in mud to get to the hay feeder. gs

Greg - I'm in the same situation. I want/need my cattle to be in great shape at the time of calving. My normal calving starts mid-late Jan. We don't usually have the mud to contend with, but they have to go thru some pretty deep snow on & off. And, we don't turn out to grass til late April.
I have a few that calve late fall, and they are usually FAT, because they've had all summer of lush grazing without a calf nursing. They are kept seperate from the main herd thru the winter so that they don't have to compete and I don't let them run out of feed - where I will let my dry cows run out usually 1 day a week so that they "clean up" their wasted hay.