Done for the season

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Finished breeding!!! Yeah. :banana: Have 5 to pass over to know if they are all bred. We started out with 50 head to breed - including 20 replacement heifers. Sold 10, so should have 40 to calve, starting 1-1-18. Had been AI breeding for 42 days then turn bull out for 21 days, but went back to all AI this year.

 

[Bright Raven]

Congratulations. That is a big burden lifted.

 

[Ol' 243]

You have indoor calving facilities? Pretty cold to be calving in January, isn't it?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yes it is cold. But, no bugs or mud to deal with. Knock on wood --- can't remember the last time we had a sick calf. Have lost some ears (and 1 tail!!!) All the calves have a 3-sided shed to get in out of the wind. Big area around the shed where cows are fenced out. All the calves are born inside - well, unless there is a "screw up". Close up cattle are kept right outside the house windows. Anything that "looks" close or is late, gets put in a pen at night. If they calve, they get to stay inside for 24-48 hours. Depending on how the calf is doing, weather and if I am desperate for an empty pen!!! If they don't calve, they go back outside for the day. I can put 10 - 12 in pretty comfortably at a time. Barns are as cold as the outdoors, but no wind to deal with.

 

[Bright Raven]

Jeanne,

Do you have a single calving season occurring over a short span of time? And does Phillip do your AI?

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I'll have to ask my bulls if they are finished with their work just yet.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I'm confused, a cow bred today will come due March 22, 2018. What am I missing here?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Ron - I have a "spring" and fall calving, but only calve 5-10 in the fall. Would like it to be 60 days, but will end up about 75. We bred 18 of the 20 heifers before our trip to Kauai and 15 of them stuck, so they will calve 1-1 thru 1-7. Then my cows will start about 1-20 thru 3-15? roughly.
TT - yes, I should be done by 3-22 if my last one calves late LOL.
Mid March thru April can be a muddy mess. Mud is much harder on the calves than the cold & snow. The wind is the only thing we have to worry about in the winter and the babies have sheds to get in. By the time we get into mud, most of the calves have been around long enough to know where to go to avoid most of the mud.
Like I have said in many posts, everyone needs to have a program that works for them, in their environment/management.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I got it now, you'll have calves dropping from Jan through March next year. I hope to have most of ours in Feb and March as well.