Another Calf

[MudHog]

OK, so the cow that I had the trouble calf with last year dropped a calf over night last night. :banana: Given gestation is ~285 days, this would have put her being bred July 6, 2014 though. What is confusing me is her trouble calf was born in May of last year and this calf stayed on her until I sold it in February. Would a cow breed 3 months after birthing while the calf is still nursing on her?

 

[M.Magis]

Absolutely.

 

[Bigfoot]

Read your question a couple times, and couldn't quit understand it. Sorry.

 

[Rafter S]

OK, so the cow that I had the trouble calf with last year dropped a calf over night last night. :banana: Given gestation is ~285 days, this would have put her being bred July 6, 2014 though. What is confusing me is her trouble calf was born in May of last year and this calf stayed on her until I sold it in February. Would a cow breed 3 months after birthing while the calf is still nursing on her?

They not only can, but I (and many other people) will sell one that doesn't. I typically leave a calf on the cow until it's about 8 months old, but I expect my cows to have a calf every 12 months.

 

[MudHog]

Thanks folks. :tiphat:

I surely didn't expect a cow to rebreed while a calf was still nursing on her. I always thought that people would wean calves not only to wean them from the milk, but to also allow the momma to come back into cycle for rebreeding.




BF - sorry to confuse you. My question was can a cow rebreed 3 months after birthing a calf while the 3 month old calf is still nursing on her.

 

[Bigfoot]

Thanks folks. :tiphat:

I surely didn't expect a cow to rebreed while a calf was still nursing on her. I always thought that people would wean calves not only to wean them from the milk, but to also allow the momma to come back into cycle for rebreeding.




BF - sorry to confuse you. My question was can a cow rebreed 3 months after birthing a calf while the 3 month old calf is still nursing on her.

I had noticed in earlier post, how early you wean calves. This year, is kind of an anomoly on the value of small calves. Normal years, it's best to let them grow all they possibly can. Weaning early leaves too much money on the table. Cows will breed back while nursing. Especially on a good mineral program, with ample nutrition.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Thanks folks. :tiphat:

I surely didn't expect a cow to rebreed while a calf was still nursing on her. I always thought that people would wean calves not only to wean them from the milk, but to also allow the momma to come back into cycle for rebreeding.




BF - sorry to confuse you. My question was can a cow rebreed 3 months after birthing a calf while the 3 month old calf is still nursing on her.

Most of our girls start cycling around 45 days post calving. We breed them at that time. We EXPECT them to conceive PRIOR to 90 days post calving, or they leave our place. And they wean off calves at7 months typically. That is industry standard out here.

 

[Big Cheese]

Ours start breeding back at 1 month after calving. We run bulls year round. If they don't have a calf within 12 months of calving then they are more then likely gone.

 

[MudHog]

I had noticed in earlier post, how early you wean calves. This year, is kind of an anomoly on the value of small calves. Normal years, it's best to let them grow all they possibly can. Weaning early leaves too much money on the table. Cows will breed back while nursing. Especially on a good mineral program, with ample nutrition.

Yes sir, I would wean around 6 months, but that was based on the thought that I needed to for rebreeding and following how my grandfather always did it. So this opens a whole new learning window for me and also makes having a handling facility that much more important. Talking about a mineral program, I think may play a part as well. My grandfather always used mineral blocks, but late last year I started buying loose mineral. I hung me a barrel from a Pecan limb and free choice mineral from the barrel.

Most of our girls start cycling around 45 days post calving. We breed them at that time. We EXPECT them to conceive PRIOR to 90 days post calving, or they leave our place. And they wean off calves at7 months typically. That is industry standard out here.

That's helpful info to know, thanks!

 

[Big Cheese]

A good mineral source is very important. We bought a lot of our cows last year (older cows from the sale barn) and most of them bred back in 3 months so they had a calf a year from when they had their last calf. A year being on our mineral system most of them are breeding back in 4-6 weeks this time around. Makes a difference difference when they have their mineral.

 

[ddrennan0]

Big Cheese What kind of mineral are you feeding in SW Arkansas. Dad always used a trace mineral block but we never fed loose mineral. Just wondering if there are different types or mixtures.

 

[Big Cheese]

Its Sunbelt brand i believe but we have also used Purina...I'm not sure EVERYTHING that's in it but we put emphasis on iodine and selenium and the Sunbelt is a good source of both of those minerals and we also add extra iodine and selenium to it just to make sure they get it in their system. Also it's the only place that our cows can get their salt so they have to eat it for their salt needs so they get it going good in their system. That's the best way to get it in their system to make it their only source for salt. Don't use Salt blocks at all is what our mentor told us.

 

[Big Cheese]

Any loose mineral is better then none in my opinion however.

 

[MudHog]

My grandfather always used mineral blocks and he told me there were years when he didn't have calves. I started using loose mineral (lonestar 12-8) and he didn't believe me when I explained how fast the cows were breeding back. I was shocked too as it went against everything I saw here as a kid. I'm a believer in good loose mineral over blocks.

 

[Gators Rule]

I feed both loose mineral and trace mineral blocks. The loose is Wind and Rain w/fly control by Purina.

 

[Big Cheese]

I feed both loose mineral and trace mineral blocks. The loose is Wind and Rain w/fly control by Purina.

How is that mineral? I've heard good and bad about it.

 

[TexasBred]

I feed both loose mineral and trace mineral blocks. The loose is Wind and Rain w/fly control by Purina.

How is that mineral? I've heard good and bad about it.

What have you heard bad about it??

 

[Big Cheese]

That cows don't eat it and it doesn't get flies.

 

[kucala5]

Big Cheese wrote:

Gators Rule wrote:I feed both loose mineral and trace mineral blocks. The loose is Wind and Rain w/fly control by Purina.



How is that mineral? I've heard good and bad about it.

We've fed Purina w/fly control for three years now with great success. Our rate of conception was 95% year 1 and 100% year 2 plus no other fly control has been needed. I have confidence this year will be equally good.

 

[cowgirl8]

I feed both loose mineral and trace mineral blocks. The loose is Wind and Rain w/fly control by Purina.

How is that mineral? I've heard good and bad about it.

What have you heard bad about it??

We've been feeding it since Feb. I would guess this would be a terrible fly year since its been wet. Flies are almost nonexistent. Last year it looked like a black cloud was flying over them.
We had problems with them eating it too fast. Its expensive so we were shucking out the bucks faster than i wanted to. So i started mixing some salt in with it to slow them down. I put half a bag of plain salt in and a herd of 50ish will eat a bag in around 4 days where without it they'd eat it over night..