DiamondSCattleCo
Well-known member
Caustic Burno":3agx283r said:You just described our winter 35 to 40 degrees and rain all the time when it is not raining it's drizzle. We go through some hay as the cows never dry out takes a lot to stay warm. I have always thought it be easier on them if it was below freezing at least they could dry out.
Yep, I think perfect calving conditions are about 10F - 20F days, with the sun shining warm. I cull very heavily around here, so on a 10F day, I expect that cow to have her calves ears licked dry so I don't even have to bother moving him. Our cool wet season only lasts a couple months, but I've calved out in those kind of conditions with other people I've worked for, and I swore I'd never do it again. Even those ranches where they ensured the livestock was healthy, vaccinated against everything including the kitchen sink, you always seemed to have a few pneumonia cases show up or a few scours cases. And it never seemed to be the calm animals who got sick. It was always some wild little beggar, or an over-protective mother's calf. Stuffing a scours bolus down a calf's throat while its mother is trying to grind you into the ground doesn't rate real high on my list of favorite things to do on a Sunday afternoon.
Rod