First Calf

[Caustic Burno]

Well Ole Belle brought up the first heifer of the season looks to be a couple days old. I knew she had one stashed out in the woods somewhere.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Well Ole Belle brought up the first heifer of the season looks to be a couple days old. I knew she had one stashed out in the woods somewhere.

Its always a good thing when the first one seen is a live one!

Hopefully the rest will follow suit.

Katherine

 

[bigbull338]

congrats on the start of calving season.

 

[HOSS]

Caustic,

How do you like the later calving season? Right now I calve starting the 1st of March but have thought about pushing that out til about the end of April. I have a couple of cows scattered later this year and want to get everything in a tighter window and that will push me out til the end of April. When you calve at the end of April when do you usually sell? Nov. or Dec? How do you find the sale prices during this period?

Thanks.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I like to sell at the end Nov. last year I held till Jan. and prices rebounded a little. I normally don't have to start haying till the middle of Nov. I find the prices better in Nov/Dec than Sept/Oct as everyone is selling calves then. The draw back is you have to have enough hay to hold them one of the positives is our temps are cool enough to really put some pounds on in Oct/Nov.

 

[Jovid]

Caustic,

How do you like the later calving season? Right now I calve starting the 1st of March but have thought about pushing that out til about the end of April. I have a couple of cows scattered later this year and want to get everything in a tighter window and that will push me out til the end of April. When you calve at the end of April when do you usually sell? Nov. or Dec? How do you find the sale prices during this period?

Thanks.

I have my cows on a December-Feb calving window. Some will calve a little earlier and some just a tad later.

And you live where?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Seen some more new ones right before dark guess they were born in that storm last night. Guess I will saddle up the mule and ride around and do a count tomorrow.

 

[cypressfarms]

Caustic,

I would have thought you would have preferred your calving to co-incide with weaned calves bringing the most. I know you had posted before about running the bull with them year round.

I try to calve mid/late winter to give me the option to start selling in May/June if the price is good. Normally by October the price drops. Maybe you don't have the same trends, but I know your weather has to be close to mine. The only downfall to this is the added hay/ryegrass needed through the winter months when moma is lactating.

Just curious as to your approach - I know you have a plan, maybe I could learn something.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Caustic,

I would have thought you would have preferred your calving to co-incide with weaned calves bringing the most. I know you had posted before about running the bull with them year round.

I try to calve mid/late winter to give me the option to start selling in May/June if the price is good. Normally by October the price drops. Maybe you don't have the same trends, but I know your weather has to be close to mine. The only downfall to this is the added hay/ryegrass needed through the winter months when moma is lactating.

Just curious as to your approach - I know you have a plan, maybe I could learn something.

.
I went to a calving season last year, prices here are usually good late Oct to Feb, I went to this strategy as I can put more pounds on the calf's when the weather turns cooler. Drawback is you have to have enough pasture and hay to hold them as I did last year, I plant winter pasture also. I held the crop of calves until mid Jan and got an average of 1.06 a pound. In a bad hay year could get burned on selling light calves if you don't have hay stockpiled to hold them.
The thought process was to calf early enough before the real heat hits and milk production goes down and growth slows and to have the calfs old enough to put some real weight gain on them when the weather turns cooler without running wet cows in the winter.