Calving on grass BW effect?

[Stocker Steve]

I have always been told that cows calve better on grass because they are "looser"? I am not totally sure what a loose cow is, and the bull is not talking.

I have noticed that cows don't gain on washy early season grass, and the average calf born 4 to 6 weeks after turnout seems to be smaller than the ones dropped next to a hay ring in the wintering area.

Do you think calving on grass is an effective way to reduce BW and/or calving issues?

 

[hillsdown]

My vet said it is because the cows have to walk around more, as well as the temps usually are warmer than those that confine calve in are . So the cattle consume less feed in the last trimester ,which is when they put the most weight on the calves.

 

[Stocker Steve]

So are there any folks in Canada calving on grass and taking the calves through the winter and then back out to grass, or is it just too tough in your area?

 

[hillsdown]

Steve there are alot of ranchers, especially older ones, that have decided to summer calve. The main problem is that you need alot of hay for winter. If you have more hay fields than pasture it sure makes sense.

I can certainly see the benefits , as winter calving is a nightmare at times .

 

[Stocker Steve]

I thought I was safe with calving in May, but we had a late spring and some rainy days with high temps in the 30s.
We have our second wet year in a row so there is plenty of hay available here. I bought some last week.
If you get a dry summer and feed was short - - you could always wean early and sell light calves.

 

[hillsdown]

I thought I was safe with calving in May, but we had a late spring and some rainy days with high temps in the 30s.
We have our second wet year in a row so there is plenty of hay available here. I bought some last week.
If you get a dry summer and feed was short - - you could always wean early and sell light calves.

If I have a winter like the last one I am either switching to summer calving or throwing in the towel. It is just too much for one person to handle and am finding it harder each year. If I do summer calve we will be breaking up some pasture and reseeding it to hay. We have had plenty of rain the last 2 years after coming off of the worst drought in our area in 50 years ,but temps have not been warm. So hay ,although plenty, is not that great and people are hording hay (rightfully so). Bales are still selling for 50-65 a bale which is outrageous when you have to feed it 7 months out of the year. This year alot ran out of hay as most had no pasture to go to until June, and they had used their reserves back in '09/1o to survive the drought so they didn't have to sell cattle for 20 cents a pound.

It is a kinda dammed if you do, dammed if you don't situation. :roll:

 

[Stocker Steve]

Most folks here calve March/April. In a bad spring they lose > 15% of the calves to the weather.
I looked into building a loafing/calving barn. I think it would save one or two April/May calves per year, but that may not pay for the interest and the taxes, much less the principle. I know I could find things to store in it the rest of the year but that is not always a good thing.
I am buying hay and considering late May/June calving instead of keeping calves in the pick up cab. I think you should calve a couple weeks after the walleyes spawn in your area...

 

[Lucky_P]

Best reason to calve on grass is less disease pressure on neonates.
Worst calf losses I see(we don't have the bone-crushing cold or snowdrifts you folks up north have to deal with) are folks calving out during the latter part of winter feeding - cows crowded around hay feeders, slogging through mud up to their hocks(or deeper) with the little fellers having to slog through mud and manure and suck from muck-caked teats. Concentrations of potential pathogens are high, and environmental stress (cold, wet weather conditions), cows often on inadequate plane of nutrition to provide top-quality colostrum, etc., set the stage for lots of joint/navel ill, scours, etc.

Can't comment on BWs lower on grass(we calve in Mar/Apr, Sept/Oct) - other than the physiologic fact that if the third trimester of pregnancy is during exceptionally cold weather, blood vessels in the skin and extremities are constricted in order to conserve body heat - shunting more blood to internal organs, like the uterus, resulting in a larger calf than, say, one with the same genetics, born in May.

 

[pdfangus]

Here in gods country I always calved in the fall.

breed Thanksgiving day to target a Labor Day calf.

I once got into an exchange with the angus association over birthweight epds.

My home raised bulls got penalized because when used as cleanup the cows calved a few weeks later and on better grass and the calves were heavier.

we have many hot dry summers and rains don't start until sept and grass comes back out for the fall.

I graphed my birth weights for ten years to show the trend and the only year I had a flat line was a year we had a wet cool summer and good grass. All weights were up that year.
typically AI sires were benefitting from calves being born to cows on dry grass and my bulls were penalized for later calves being born on good grass.

 

[vclavin]

Here in gods country I always calved in the fall.

breed Thanksgiving day to target a Labor Day calf.

I once got into an exchange with the angus association over birthweight epds.

My home raised bulls got penalized because when used as cleanup the cows calved a few weeks later and on better grass and the calves were heavier.

we have many hot dry summers and rains don't start until sept and grass comes back out for the fall.

I graphed my birth weights for ten years to show the trend and the only year I had a flat line was a year we had a wet cool summer and good grass. All weights were up that year.
typically AI sires were benefitting from calves being born to cows on dry grass and my bulls were penalized for later calves being born on good grass.

How can that be? EPD's are based on differences not actual per animal weights? Our ultrasound tech has females with +3 and higher BW EPD's and his calves are born extremely small - around 50lbs or less.
Valerie