Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Forums
Cattle Boards
Health & Nutrition
Herd Health Management
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Help Support CattleToday:
Message
<blockquote data-quote="SRBeef" data-source="post: 750767" data-attributes="member: 7509"><p>What you are asking could fill a book - and probably has filled several.</p><p></p><p>Briefly, as a fellow newcomer to cattle with lots of good teachers:</p><p></p><p>Rotational grazing is the key to pasture management, weed control and increasing your stocking rate, in my opinion. You might want to get familiar with the concept of a "cow-day" worth of grass. There was a discussion of "Cow-day" on these boards recently. I find that the ideal rotation is three days but because of my day job I usually end up giving them 7 days/1 week's worth of grass at a time. Lots of reasons to not go longer than 7 days.</p><p></p><p>I have found that right after I move my cattle out of a paddock it helps to drag the whole paddock. this spreads the manure patties so they dissolve in the first good rain reducing the grazing avoidance area, controlling the flies somewhat and spreading the grass fertilizer value of the manure. The grass comes back quicker and more uniform. Certain times of the year I will clip the pasture right after moving them out (and before dragging) if there are tall weeds that did not get eaten. If you rotate often enough, the cattle will eat smaller weeds and you have less weed problems. The key is to keep the weeds from going to seed.</p><p></p><p>As far as flies go, I am in Wisconsin, not Kansas, but the combination of dragging the pastures right after rotating the cattle out and the placement of a rub across the lane to the waterer and keeping the rub juiced up with a diesel/insecticide mix really works well for me. I hate to see cattle covered with flies. I think there is an economic cost to flies also....</p><p></p><p>Here is some information on the rubs: <a href="http://www.phwhite.com/" target="_blank">http://www.phwhite.com/</a></p><p></p><p>Here is the type drag I use: <a href="http://www.wingfields.com/" target="_blank">http://www.wingfields.com/</a> I use a 10 ft 3-point mounted drag for manueverability.</p><p></p><p>"Herd Health" is another book length question. One approach and what I do is to try to focus on preventative medicine. My vet and I have a standing schedule for 2 visits per year, one in mid May, one in mid Nov. In May he vaccinates all of the March/April calves for the first time, everyone else gets booster shots as my vet recommends. Spring bull calves get cut. All calves get tagged. Everyone gets pour-on. The only exceptions are animals to be harvested in the following 90 days or so (if any) who get nothing done.</p><p></p><p>During his November vet visit everyone gets pour-on again, any booster shots vet feels needed for our area, any heifers to be kept get bangs vac, tattoo and tag, and calves get sorted to the weaning pasture as they come out the chute. All females get a palp preg check. Any not pregnant get sold and not carried over the winter.</p><p></p><p>Vet gets a chance to look them all over and make suggestions twice a year. The key here is a good handling facility. My job is to get them all in the corral before the vet gets here and help as required. My vet can then do his job and usually is in and out in about an hour to 2 hours. Annual cost of these two visits averaged over the number of head through the chute is about $25./head per year including travel and all materials (supplied by my vet). I look at that as a good investment.</p><p></p><p>My bull gets a separate BSE in May by another vet since my primary vet doesn't do BSE's. I think that cost $65. or $75. last year but again seems to be a good investment compared to the cost of the bull shooting blanks due to a cold winter, etc. (Bull goes in about June 15 to 20th.)</p><p></p><p>I provide the ear tags. Every head is weighed during each of these two vet visits and several other times through the year. I am paying close attention to calf 205 day adj weaning weight to cow weight at weaning. There is a large variation between cows on this ratio. Getting late.</p><p></p><p>Good luck. Jim</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SRBeef, post: 750767, member: 7509"] What you are asking could fill a book - and probably has filled several. Briefly, as a fellow newcomer to cattle with lots of good teachers: Rotational grazing is the key to pasture management, weed control and increasing your stocking rate, in my opinion. You might want to get familiar with the concept of a "cow-day" worth of grass. There was a discussion of "Cow-day" on these boards recently. I find that the ideal rotation is three days but because of my day job I usually end up giving them 7 days/1 week's worth of grass at a time. Lots of reasons to not go longer than 7 days. I have found that right after I move my cattle out of a paddock it helps to drag the whole paddock. this spreads the manure patties so they dissolve in the first good rain reducing the grazing avoidance area, controlling the flies somewhat and spreading the grass fertilizer value of the manure. The grass comes back quicker and more uniform. Certain times of the year I will clip the pasture right after moving them out (and before dragging) if there are tall weeds that did not get eaten. If you rotate often enough, the cattle will eat smaller weeds and you have less weed problems. The key is to keep the weeds from going to seed. As far as flies go, I am in Wisconsin, not Kansas, but the combination of dragging the pastures right after rotating the cattle out and the placement of a rub across the lane to the waterer and keeping the rub juiced up with a diesel/insecticide mix really works well for me. I hate to see cattle covered with flies. I think there is an economic cost to flies also.... Here is some information on the rubs: [url]http://www.phwhite.com/[/url] Here is the type drag I use: [url]http://www.wingfields.com/[/url] I use a 10 ft 3-point mounted drag for manueverability. "Herd Health" is another book length question. One approach and what I do is to try to focus on preventative medicine. My vet and I have a standing schedule for 2 visits per year, one in mid May, one in mid Nov. In May he vaccinates all of the March/April calves for the first time, everyone else gets booster shots as my vet recommends. Spring bull calves get cut. All calves get tagged. Everyone gets pour-on. The only exceptions are animals to be harvested in the following 90 days or so (if any) who get nothing done. During his November vet visit everyone gets pour-on again, any booster shots vet feels needed for our area, any heifers to be kept get bangs vac, tattoo and tag, and calves get sorted to the weaning pasture as they come out the chute. All females get a palp preg check. Any not pregnant get sold and not carried over the winter. Vet gets a chance to look them all over and make suggestions twice a year. The key here is a good handling facility. My job is to get them all in the corral before the vet gets here and help as required. My vet can then do his job and usually is in and out in about an hour to 2 hours. Annual cost of these two visits averaged over the number of head through the chute is about $25./head per year including travel and all materials (supplied by my vet). I look at that as a good investment. My bull gets a separate BSE in May by another vet since my primary vet doesn't do BSE's. I think that cost $65. or $75. last year but again seems to be a good investment compared to the cost of the bull shooting blanks due to a cold winter, etc. (Bull goes in about June 15 to 20th.) I provide the ear tags. Every head is weighed during each of these two vet visits and several other times through the year. I am paying close attention to calf 205 day adj weaning weight to cow weight at weaning. There is a large variation between cows on this ratio. Getting late. Good luck. Jim [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Cattle Boards
Health & Nutrition
Herd Health Management
Top