heat & humidity ?

[tncattle]

My heifers graze from sunrise for about 3 hours and then for about another three hours in evening until complete dark. In the heat & humidity of the day they lounge in the shade with occasional trips to get water from the trough. Could they still gain as good as in cooler weather because they are so much less active?

 

[HOSS]

It has been my experience that they will lose weight in the high heat and humidity. Sure they stand around in the shade but at the same time they are not eating. Grazing is what puts weight on them. Even when grazing they don't really exercise that much in this part of the country as they do not have to travel far for grass like in places out west. The bad part about this type of weather that we are having is it doesn't cool down much at night. Cows are still very uncomfortable and never get a chance to cool off in 75 degree temperatures. While I would not expect your heifers to "melt" away to skin and bones rest assured that they will lose a little weight. They will gain it back when cooler weather hits. This heat is really hard on nursing momma cows who have to produce milk.

 

[TexasBred]

My heifers graze from sunrise for about 3 hours and then for about another three hours in evening until complete dark. In the heat & humidity of the day they lounge in the shade with occasional trips to get water from the trough. Could they still gain as good as in cooler weather because they are so much less active?

Mine are pretty much doing the same thing but while they're laying around they are ruminating. If they lose weight it will probably have as much to do with lower quality forage at this time of the year as it will the heat.

 

[tncattle]

Good responses, thanks. I'll be more specific: 14 black heifers (two baldies), avg. 550 lbs. with as much grass as they can consume. The grass has had good decent rain and is still in good shape. I was just going to get them to maybe around 600lbs. and sell. Should I feed them also to put lbs. on quicker and get them to the salebarn before prices start dropping?

 

[alacattleman]

their grazing longer than you think during the late evenin'' but how many could work in this heat and eat a big meal.... 100 degrees.. 110 heat index i swear this past winter i was wishing summer to get here .....well here it is yesterday evening when i got too the barn i could hear the cattle panting like hound dogs

 

[tncattle]

their grazing longer than you think during the late evenin'' but how many could work in this heat and eat a big meal.... 100 degrees.. 110 heat index i swear this past winter i was wishing summer to get here .....well here it is yesterday evening when i got too the barn i could hear the cattle panting like hound dogs

I think your right on the grazing longer in the evening. They don't seem to be losing weight to my eye and when they are grazing they seem to really be packing it in. Still wondering if I should feed them?

 

[alacattleman]

their grazing longer than you think during the late evenin'' but how many could work in this heat and eat a big meal.... 100 degrees.. 110 heat index i swear this past winter i was wishing summer to get here .....well here it is yesterday evening when i got too the barn i could hear the cattle panting like hound dogs

I think your right on the grazing longer in the evening. They don't seem to be losing weight to my eye and when they are grazing they seem to really be packing it in. Still wondering if I should feed them?

i would'nt no way. man here thought the same thing awhile back lost 3 shortly after feeding was it the feed :?: i dont think they need that extra energy in this heat

 

[GMN]

Normal temp that cows do well in is 70 degrees, anything over they are gonna suffer in some way. They won't eat as much because they don't feel like it, every step in 100 degree weather consumes energy, and thats what they don't have right now. I'm not sure grain would give them extra energy right now, just cost you more $$$

GMN

 

[tncattle]

Normal temp that cows do well in is 70 degrees, anything over they are gonna suffer in some way. They won't eat as much because they don't feel like it, every step in 100 degree weather consumes energy, and thats what they don't have right now. I'm not sure grain would give them extra energy right now, just cost you more $$$

GMN

You are right about the costing more money part which I never like to do if I can help it.

 

[Cowdirt]

Good responses, thanks. I'll be more specific: 14 black heifers (two baldies), avg. 550 lbs. with as much grass as they can consume. The grass has had good decent rain and is still in good shape. I was just going to get them to maybe around 600lbs. and sell. Should I feed them also to put lbs. on quicker and get them to the salebarn before prices start dropping?

tncattle, your cattle's grazing habits are typical for this time of yr. in Tn. You didn't ask us to critique your operating plan but likely you paid more per lb than you'll sell for from here until next spring. Plus you have the sale fee, meds, minerals, trucking, etc. Now that you have them, go for more cheap gain this fall. No way would I put bag feed in them. JMHO.

 

[dun]

If you check on them during the night you will probably find that they are grazing during the night.

 

[tncattle]

Good responses, thanks. I'll be more specific: 14 black heifers (two baldies), avg. 550 lbs. with as much grass as they can consume. The grass has had good decent rain and is still in good shape. I was just going to get them to maybe around 600lbs. and sell. Should I feed them also to put lbs. on quicker and get them to the salebarn before prices start dropping?

tncattle, your cattle's grazing habits are typical for this time of yr. in Tn. You didn't ask us to critique your operating plan but likely you paid more per lb than you'll sell for from here until next spring. Plus you have the sale fee, meds, minerals, trucking, etc. Now that you have them, go for more cheap gain this fall. No way would I put bag feed in them. JMHO.

That's the beauty of this particular group, I could have took them straight to the salebarn the day I bought them and made money but I thought why not hold them awhile and try to make a little more.

 

[bigbull338]

the only cattle that i know will graze longer in the heat are brahama beefmaster an other infulanced breeds.

 

[andybob]

the only cattle that i know will graze longer in the heat are brahama beefmaster an other infulanced breeds.

The Sanga breeds and composites are the only os Taurus that will graze throughout the heat of the southern summers. The breeds and composites available in the USA, are the Mashona, Tuli, Senepol and Bonsmara, the Barzona is and American breed with Afrikana as the base breed.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Normal temp that cows do well in is 70 degrees, anything over they are gonna suffer in some way.
GMN

We haven't seen 70 degrees since May and this is not a bad summer. No records broken here yet. Nothing dead. No drought. No issues.

 

[GMN]

Normal temp that cows do well in is 70 degrees, anything over they are gonna suffer in some way.
GMN

We haven't seen 70 degrees since May and this is not a bad summer. No records broken here yet. Nothing dead. No drought. No issues.

Lucky you, today they say will break a heat record, 110 with the heat index-can't wait to sweat, my cows will be in comas by tonite

 

[dun]

We recorded 106 yesterday but we got rain. Almost a 1/10th of an inch

 

[marksmu]

Heat index of 105-110 is a pretty standard day for us here around Houston with the humidity settled nicely around 85% it feels like a pressure cooker outside....my cattle are Black Brangus, with a couple Brafords mixed in, and as far as I can tell without spotlighting them at night, they are eating when I get up and continue until around 10:30 or so in the morning, when they goto the trees around the pond...they will stay there or in the water until around 4 or so when they eat until its too dark to see them anymore.

Thats a pretty standard day for us, and 2/3 of ours are nursing calves, and still gaining on unfertilized bahia. The other 1/3 have weaned calves and look fat. The only animal who is showing any signs of decline is the bull, but he just met 18 new heifers that he has taken quite an interest in. I need to find another bull, but I cant seem to find any at that moment that I like.