Calves do look good. Next time, rather than early weaning, have you considered creep feeding for a month? I am not a big proponent of creep feeding. BUT, with first calf heifers, I do offer some feed to calves in a catch pen that has a creep gate that they can fit through and mommas can't. Surprising how quick they learn to go in when they see me as they are getting a treat. It gets them used to being around me some, and then when I want to catch them up, it is easy to get them in & caught up. Plus by supplementing them, they don't seem to pull the heifers down as much, maybe because they are not requiring them to supply all their nutritional needs?
The creep feeding also gets them used to some feed so that they don't go "off feed" when they are finally weaned. In the process of creep feeding them, and I am talking about 1-2 lbs of feed per head 3 or 4 times a week, not kept in front of them as a true creep feeder, I also give the heifers a couple of 5 gal buckets of feed which ups their protein and gives them a little boost. This is usually about the 3-5 month stage....if they are looking thin. Mostly I don't grain much. But it keeps them coming to call when I want them and it gives me a chance to look them over real good. We usually calve out 10-15 heifers at a time.
I have found that by waiting to calve them a little older, 28-32 months, the heifers are much better able to handle the calving and raising of their calf without alot of extra input. We want grass genetic cattle, not supplemental feed genetic cattle. Also, by the time the calves are 4-6 months, the heifers are bred back, and the calves are eating good and weaning seems to go smooth.
When we calve in say March, the bulls go in at 60 days or mid-May. The grass is growing good, the calves are looking good. They get bred before the calf really starts to pull on them and are weaned in Sept-Oct. The heifers still have 4-6 months of dry period before calving again and in all but a very few odd cases, have gained back their condition and getting in good shape to calve again.
The fall calving heifers do seem to lose more condition, but that is when I will give them a little feed a couple of times a week. And even though many feel they are expensive, we do keep a protein supplement tub in with the fall calving heifers, so they can supplement themselves as their body requires. Aug-Sept calving heifers again get 60 days, bulls in by mid Nov. and calves come off in March-April and they still have at least 4 months dry time. Only once in awhile will one not gain back and they usually are always ones that don't keep weight on or are slow breeders. We are slowly thinning/culling them all out. I want girls that stay "fat and sassy" without alot of extras.
This is just what works for us. We go many seminars, pasture walks, meetings and try to listen to what others are doing and adapt it to our operation if we feel it might help. Tried alot of stuff, some works, some doesn't.
