Are my cows too fat ?

[Stocker Steve]

Sold most of my big cows. Sold a couple hard keepers. Moved my calving season back a couple weeks. Remaining cows are slick. Had a retired farmer comment after his weekly pasture drive buy inspection that my "cows are too fat." What should I do?

 

[MurraysMutts]

Make sure they receive only "diet" hay and supplement.
In addition to withholding mineral for a while. And be sure to limit the fresh green grass intake. :cboy:

Mine have taken to shopping at walmart recently.
They prefer bud light, red bull, and root beer. In addition to that, my only mama w a calf at the moment, has purchased sneakers for her lil man. No wonder he runs so fast! The only reason I even knew was by all the evidence they left behind in the small pasture (cow party headquarters) I just brush hogged.

 

[farmerjan]

Are they bred? Have calves on them? Leave em alone... they might need that extra come a cold winter....
If they don't have gobby fat around the tailhead, they are not too fat unless you are trying to breed them and they won't settle. Then dry lot and hay only....

 

[farmerjan]

Tell him to MYOB?????? :secret: :lol2: :bs:

 

[TCRanch]

Are they over a BCS 8? Maybe his cows were too thin.

 

[Dave]

What do the calves look like? Fat cows with small calves have fattened themselves up for a ride to town. Fat cows with good or great calves are the kind to have. They are able to raise a calf while taking care of themselves.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have one poor milking cow that is going to town. Otherwise the calves look great. Many here have short golf green like pastures, including the retired ranching expert's son.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Sold most of my big cows. Sold a couple hard keepers. Moved my calving season back a couple weeks. Remaining cows are slick. Had a retired farmer comment after his weekly pasture drive buy inspection that my "cows are too fat." What should I do?

I suppose the next thing to do, would be to post some pics of said fatties... lol

I got a few that are over 1500. I prefer a lil smaller, efficient cows. 1100 or so. One that eats less, provides well. But none of mine are what I would call fat. Just bigger cows...

 

[BC]

Keep in body condition score 5 to 7. If fatter than that, they are overconditioned.

 

[Katpau]

If your cows are just on grass and their condition score is high, maybe you can afford to run a few more cows. If you are supplementing with grain, you can save your money and stop. They don't need it. In most environments, except in winter, cows should be able to maintain a 5 to 7 condition score just on forage. That is my opinion. We don't supplement with grain even in winter and my cows stay in that range of condition. Now if I lived somewhere where corn was cheap I might think different. Perhaps some can supplement with corn or DDGs and reduce hay consumption for less total expense? Of course that would be in winter. I don't believe most cows need grain in summer unless your raising then in a drylot.

 

[Nesikep]

Here's my kind of cow.. not too fat, not skinny, big fat calf


Just noticed the one in the background.. one of my ugliest cows.. raising a decent calf but looks like a can of smashed arseholes doing it.. she's headed to town this fall

 

[Stocker Steve]

We don't feed well in the winter. Mostly July cut low meadow grasses. No supplement is provided to cows unless we need a little DDG with really poor hay.

Our cows put on flesh during the summer because we rotate thru a lot of quality grass/legume pastures. :hat: Forage is ankle to shin high when they leave the paddock.

 

[TCRanch]

Sold most of my big cows. Sold a couple hard keepers. Moved my calving season back a couple weeks. Remaining cows are slick. Had a retired farmer comment after his weekly pasture drive buy inspection that my "cows are too fat." What should I do?

I suppose the next thing to do, would be to post some pics of said fatties... lol

I got a few that are over 1500. I prefer a lil smaller, efficient cows. 1100 or so. One that eats less, provides well. But none of mine are what I would call fat. Just bigger cows...

I'll see your 1500 & raise you 2300 heavy bred. Steamroller came by her name honestly but that fat girl calved like clockwork & raised huge calves (still have 3 of her heifers). That said, I've gotten rid of most of my Godzilla's but still have a couple tipping the scales at 1800.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Here's my kind of cow.. not too fat, not skinny, big fat calf


Just noticed the one in the background.. one of my ugliest cows.. raising a decent calf but looks like a can of smashed arseholes doing it.. she's headed to town this fall

BAH hahahahahha!
Smashed arseholes. Hey, if she's doing a good job, good for her. Dont discount her cuz shes ugly. Uggers need loving too!

 

[MurraysMutts]

Sold most of my big cows. Sold a couple hard keepers. Moved my calving season back a couple weeks. Remaining cows are slick. Had a retired farmer comment after his weekly pasture drive buy inspection that my "cows are too fat." What should I do?

I suppose the next thing to do, would be to post some pics of said fatties... lol

I got a few that are over 1500. I prefer a lil smaller, efficient cows. 1100 or so. One that eats less, provides well. But none of mine are what I would call fat. Just bigger cows...

I'll see your 1500 & raise you 2300 heavy bred. Steamroller came by her name honestly but that fat girl calved like clockwork & raised huge calves (still have 3 of her heifers). That said, I've gotten rid of most of my Godzilla's but still have a couple tipping the scales at 1800.

My goodness! U have GOT to put a pic up of her next to an 1100 pound cow.

 

[TCRanch]

I suppose the next thing to do, would be to post some pics of said fatties... lol

I got a few that are over 1500. I prefer a lil smaller, efficient cows. 1100 or so. One that eats less, provides well. But none of mine are what I would call fat. Just bigger cows...

I'll see your 1500 & raise you 2300 heavy bred. Steamroller came by her name honestly but that fat girl calved like clockwork & raised huge calves (still have 3 of her heifers). That said, I've gotten rid of most of my Godzilla's but still have a couple tipping the scales at 1800.

My goodness! U have GOT to put a pic up of her next to an 1100 pound cow.

Can't find any next to smaller cows where you can actually see how big she was (R.I.P., Roller) but this was in 2011


And her first daughter last year that's a solid 1800+ (she's now 10).

 

[MurraysMutts]

Nice! Shes bigger than the ute! Dont wanna make her grumpy!

Couple of mine remind me of hippos when they sprawl out.

 

[Nesikep]

I suppose the next thing to do, would be to post some pics of said fatties... lol

I got a few that are over 1500. I prefer a lil smaller, efficient cows. 1100 or so. One that eats less, provides well. But none of mine are what I would call fat. Just bigger cows...

I'll see your 1500 & raise you 2300 heavy bred. Steamroller came by her name honestly but that fat girl calved like clockwork & raised huge calves (still have 3 of her heifers). That said, I've gotten rid of most of my Godzilla's but still have a couple tipping the scales at 1800.

My goodness! U have GOT to put a pic up of her next to an 1100 pound cow.

Here's one of my last monsters.. she's probably 2K when she's in full shape, shown here with one of her twins (75 lbs)

 

[Nesikep]

And her first daughter last year that's a solid 1800+ (she's now 10).

I like her, she looks like a black version of Tizia
This is the day before a 140 lb calf.. just plopped out

 

[MurraysMutts]

I'll see your 1500 & raise you 2300 heavy bred. Steamroller came by her name honestly but that fat girl calved like clockwork & raised huge calves (still have 3 of her heifers). That said, I've gotten rid of most of my Godzilla's but still have a couple tipping the scales at 1800.

My goodness! U have GOT to put a pic up of her next to an 1100 pound cow.

Here's one of my last monsters.. she's probably 2K when she's in full shape, shown here with one of her twins (75 lbs)

That calf! Looks so minuscule! Lolz!
Nice picture