Fall calving vs. Spring calving

[HDRider]

I am sure this has been discussed before. Please allow me to raise it again.

Fall calving vs. Spring calving

I know some of the basics and I know some folks calf at both times. Correct me where I might have it wrong, but more importantly, I'd like to hear your strategy and why you think it is best for you.

Fall Calving Advantage
1. Fall calves are ready for higher spring prices.

Spring Calving Advantage
1. Dropping calves in harmony with nature
2. Good pasture to regain cow condition
3. Good grass for calf
4. Wean prior to winter


Help me out here. I see Spring calving have more advantages, but I understand the profit motive of fall calving. What am I missing?

Thanks

 

[Aaron]

I am sure this has been discussed before. Please allow me to raise it again.

Fall calving vs. Spring calving

I know some of the basics and I know some folks calf at both times. Correct me where I might have it wrong, but more importantly, I'd like to hear your strategy and why you think it is best for you.

Fall Calving Advantage
1. Fall calves are ready for higher spring prices.

Spring Calving Advantage
1. Dropping calves in harmony with nature
2. Good pasture to regain cow condition
3. Good grass for calf
4. Wean prior to winter


Help me out here. I see Spring calving have more advantages, but I understand the profit motive of fall calving. What am I missing?

Thanks

Fall calves have less sickness, born smaller, calve easier. Cows have tremendous flesh coming through summer and cycle back very quickly. Usually hot demand for calves in the spring or as a short yearling in the following fall.

Fall calves don't have the rate of gain that spring ones do, but would do just as well or better if supplemented.

But I don't care to have all my eggs in one financial basket, so I do both seasons. But fall is much easier, on me anyways.

 

[Jake]

I am sure this has been discussed before. Please allow me to raise it again.

Fall calving vs. Spring calving

I know some of the basics and I know some folks calf at both times. Correct me where I might have it wrong, but more importantly, I'd like to hear your strategy and why you think it is best for you.

Fall Calving Advantage
1. Fall calves are ready for higher spring prices.

Spring Calving Advantage
1. Dropping calves in harmony with nature
2. Good pasture to regain cow condition
3. Good grass for calf
4. Wean prior to winter


Help me out here. I see Spring calving have more advantages, but I understand the profit motive of fall calving. What am I missing?

Thanks

The better market in the spring very rarely equates to more profit as it take more dollars to produce a pound of beef with fall calvers.

I am openly a staunch anti fall calving person at least for our environment. It can work other places, but there is a reason that most ruminants birth in the spring.

In fact all of our fall pairs are for sale if somebody wants them.

 

[Nesikep]

I think in climates where you have grass that grows pretty much through the winter, (and perhaps maybe better than summer grass), you're just as well off with fall calving, otherwise spring calving certainly requires less inputs per pound. My cows don't eat much through the winter when they're dry, and the couple late calvers that milk through the winter need far more feed (and higher quality feed) and don't produce as well.

 

[JWBrahman]

I think in climates where you have grass that grows pretty much through the winter, (and perhaps maybe better than summer grass), you're just as well off with fall calving, otherwise spring calving certainly requires less inputs per pound. My cows don't eat much through the winter when they're dry, and the couple late calvers that milk through the winter need far more feed (and higher quality feed) and don't produce as well.

That is exactly what happens with my pasture. Late October thru early November the white clover and rye grass start growing and everything is thick and green by January 1. We have more consistent precipitation in the fall and winter, also.

There is some data that says a pure Brahman fall calf will not grow as well as a spring calf. But with the late maturity issues there isn't really a problem with Brahman conceiving before they reach an ideal weight. Brahman are not going to get pregnant before 20 months. Some of the heavy milking Gyr bloodlines will not reach sexual maturity until they are almost 3 years old.

 

[angus9259]

I switched from spring to fall and agree with what Aaron said. I would also add it costs a lot more to feed wet cows over the winter - I buy much better hay than I did for dry cows. That said, I have a day job and can't watch over all the calving and my calving issues are almost non-existent in September. Can't remember how many dead calves I found in February and March that momma calved squirting them out under the fence to have em freeze to death. If I had a barn set up for calving, maybe my mind would change. You can buy some nice hay for a few frozen dead calves.

 

[Green Creek]

We used to do both spring and fall calving but as we got older, we decided to go to fall calving because of the weather advantage. In addition, the heat and humidity of our summers was hard on breeding. There are definite advantages for each and it's true, fall calving means a smaller calf in the spring without supplementing. However, it beats snow and ice for the senior set.

 

[Aaron]

I'll add that in terms of feed, the fall cows eat about 30% more than the dry spring cows, which takes in what their calf eats as well, which can be a fair bit. As far as quality is concerned, I don't put out any higher quality to the fall cows. The good and the bad is split equally amongst the two groups. With bale grazing, the fall calves go under the wires and seek out the highest quality bales to eat before the fall cows get to them. Twenty 4-month-old calves can finish off a 1500 lb bale in about 5 days.

 

[lucky7chief]

We calve about 60% of our cows in the fall. Our two biggest reasons are calving in dry weather and better conception rates on our fescue pastures. We only give our fall cows good quality fescue/brome hay with no supplementation other than mineral. The cows do look a little rougher at weaning than spring cows but they gain condition quickly on spring pasture. We also like to maintain 2 seasons because bulls are spread over more cows and bulls always have dry cows to run with. We don't need a place to bulls by themselves.

 

[fitz]

We calve about 60% of our cows in the fall. Our two biggest reasons are calving in dry weather and better conception rates on our fescue pastures. We only give our fall cows good quality fescue/brome hay with no supplementation other than mineral. The cows do look a little rougher at weaning than spring cows but they gain condition quickly on spring pasture. We also like to maintain 2 seasons because bulls are spread over more cows and bulls always have dry cows to run with. We don't need a place to bulls by themselves.

Same here. I only have to have the bull isolated for about 60 days. So much easier in that regard. Most years there is ample hay to feed the wet cows during winter and their calves are eating right beside them. I also worry about stressing the pastures if I calf everything in the spring.

fitz

 

[Nesikep]

I usually have a late cow or two that the bulls can be with.. I banish them to a gully somewhere.
When I had 23 cows, 23 calves (6 months old), a steer and a bull, they'd eat off a nice 3 acre pasture in about a week.. It got me real worried about how my fall pasture was going to hold out.. So I weaned most of the calves and shipped them in september.. I was really surprised when a lesser 3 acre pasture lasted darned close to twice as long.
Someone here said the math of if it is 1+1 = 3 when you have a calf on the cow.

As for my weaned calves, I try and have them eat about 15-20 lbs/day of the best alfalfa hay I have.

 

[Phil A.]

Fall,
Free bull power as I have them for spring herd any way.
Better use pastures we graze many small lots and would need way more bull power to keep everyone going on spring.
Much better weather to calve
Fall takes much more feed.
Must creep feed fall calves.
Seems we are always breeding or calving so work never ends.
2 pay checks per year.


We calve 2/3 our cows in Spring and 1/3 in fall. If we have all big pastures and easy to manage we probably would only Spring calve. However our situation makes it really hard to do that. I can find plenty of benefits and negatives to both. Right now we are in the middle of synching for fall embryo placement.

Phil A.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Summer :nod:

 

[Taurus]

Summer :nod:

High mortality rate in summer calves.....especially when they are calving at grazing pastures in wolf country.

 

[Aaron]

Summer :nod:

High mortality rate in summer calves.....especially when they are calving at grazing pastures in wolf country.

Not to mention flys, maggots, heat stress. Always say that calves born here in July have a 90% mortality rate.

 

[AllForage]

I think spring needs to be defined here. I call spring up north here May and June. Some think it is Feb. March or April. I calve May/June mostly because I don't trust mother nature and my clay soil. If I have sandy high ground with natural cover I would maybe start in April. But that is about as early as I would ever go.

 

[Stocker Steve]

In fact all of our fall pairs are for sale if somebody wants them.

I moved mine up. Have you considered this ?

 

[Jake]

In fact all of our fall pairs are for sale if somebody wants them.

I moved mine up. Have you considered this ?

Not worth holding them over when I have bred heifers that can replace them with. The only thing of I can think that would actually make them as profitable as a spring cow is using them as recips for somebody else.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I turned the bull in early for a couple years and then culled anything with a small calf in the fall. Amazing how much better the calf crop looked.

Now some of the sharp pencils are writing articles about breeding opens for fall, or overwintering culls. Desperate times...

 

[Jake]

I turned the bull in early for a couple years and then culled anything with a small calf in the fall. Amazing how much better the calf crop looked.

Now some of the sharp pencils are writing articles about breeding opens for fall, or overwintering culls. Desperate times...

That would be how our fall herd started years ago and how it replenishes itself. I refuse to breed a heifer to calf in the fall but that is just my effort to eradicate them