I hope I'm doing things right!

[LisaW2222]

Hello!

I'm glad I found this forum. I live in Georgia and have been raising a very small herd of hereford cattle (one bull and carry two to three cows at a time).

My question is feeding and health.

I have 7 acres of pasture that is cross-fenced. I rotate through every few weeks. Fertilize and let the grass heal during the summer by rotation. During the winter, I place a round bale out every 2 to 3 weeks, feed each cow around 8 pounds of grain daily (12% protein all stock/sweet feed mix), and I have mineral blocks and salt blocks near each water trough. I worm them with pour on Ivermectin twice a year and give them vaccine shots once a year.

Am I missing anything?

They look fat and happy. I can walk the pastures with no problems, they eat out of a bucket and let me pet and brush them and most importantly, let me handle their babies!

But, I just question is there more I should be doing or perhaps doing something better or cheaper than what I'm doing? I currently spend around $250/month just for the 4 I have in feed and hay during the winter.

 

[Little Joe]

I would be buying bulk feed instead of bagged sweet feed. Check with your local co-op or feed stores on options. You can feed a bulk commodity feed much cheaper. I feed a mix that is 50% whole shell corn, 25% ddg, 25% corn gluten it’s around 16% protein, right now it’s $280/ton in a bulk bag. You shouldn’t have to feed them that much grain, me and most producers on this forum feed 0 grain to cows when the grass is producing and only supplement with it in the winter . If your hay is quality and your cows are not in milk during the winter you shouldn’t need to grain then. I feed my cows 5lbs each every other day because my hay is low in protein and I have some raising calves, when the grass gets green that will stop. I might also consider AI instead of keeping a bull or rent a bull. With just a few a neighbor might also let you turn yours in with theirs a few months. You could synch them for all of these scenarios so that they should breed same time.

 

[A.J.]

Welcome! It looks and sounds like your cattle are well taken care of and you have a nice setup for them. I’ve always had a soft spot for Herefords. I agree with what Little Joe said. In addition, most cows won’t need wormed twice a year. Do they look wormy when you worm them, or are you just doing that as a precaution? That’s good that you have a vaccination protocol in place for them.

 

[LisaW2222]

Thank you! I just looked, and there's a co-op feed store about an hour or more away, but if the feed is cheaper and better (higher protein), it may be worth the drive. That is a great idea about the bull swapping or AI. I'm on bull #3 right now. Bull #1 I didn't get around as much, and he got mean by the time he turned 15 months, so he had a meeting with the freezer. Bull#2 I trained to respect me and was like a puppy dog. I sold him for a pretty penny. Bull #3 is young, so the jury is still out on him.
So maybe financially, I'm not doing this right. I have been keeping the herd at a size of around 3 or 4 (including the bull) so that the 7 acres could accommodate grazing. The offspring I sell or eat. My game plan was to buy a bull calf, raise him up, then get rid of the bull after a couple of years and look for another one to cut down on inbreeding.
But it sounds like I'm probably putting too much money into keeping a bull around taking up pasture space?
As for worming, I just figured maybe I needed to give it to them twice a year. I wasn't 100% sure. Glad I found this forum. I'm getting answers to questions I never thought of!

 

[SBMF 2015]

Welcome to CT!
Sounds like you are doing things very well. Cows look good.
We feed our cows pretty hard in the winter. 8 pounds of grain is not too much. But definitely check with your local feed store. They may deliver. Our bag feed and bulk supplement is all delivered. The place I work with is about 85 miles away.

 

[kenny thomas]

Smith Farm Supply in Griffin advertises they have bulk livestock feed

 

[LisaW2222]

No way! I thought they only sold bags like tractor supply. That's closer than that feed store in Woodbury.

 

[Rafter S]

I agree about not keeping a bull with that few cows. If you can work it out to do AI then you could have one more cow, since you won't be feeding a bull. In addition to the economics, as they mature not many bulls will be satisfied with that few cows, and will start looking across the fence (and pushing through it).

 

[Ouachita]

"It's okay to look across the fence but don't you jump it!"- Mrs. Ouachita 1997

 

[Mrcopier]

I agree with everyone who has posted. Welcome to CT

 

[LisaW2222]

I agree about not keeping a bull with that few cows. If you can work it out to do AI then you could have one more cow, since you won't be feeding a bull. In addition to the economics, as they mature not many bulls will be satisfied with that few cows, and will start looking across the fence (and pushing through it).

That's partially why bull#2 was sold. He was a very good bull and respected fences. But he'd just stand in the pasture bellowing. I don't speak cow, but I assumed he was calling for any unpregnanted cow to come his way. The guy who bought him had 20 cows and was happy to buy him. He's done well. But I kept a heifer from him, and I needed a new gene pool. Now I'm looking up info on AI on the forum. You all are a wealth of knowledge. I feel like maybe I've had just dumb luck and have fumbled this far. There's always room to learn from others and do things smarter.

 

[Ouachita]

Oh, yes, welcome! (Rafter distracted me)

 

[Warren Allison]

Hello!

I'm glad I found this forum. I live in Georgia and have been raising a very small herd of hereford cattle (one bull and carry two to three cows at a time).

My question is feeding and health.

I have 7 acres of pasture that is cross-fenced. I rotate through every few weeks. Fertilize and let the grass heal during the summer by rotation. During the winter, I place a round bale out every 2 to 3 weeks, feed each cow around 8 pounds of grain daily (12% protein all stock/sweet feed mix), and I have mineral blocks and salt blocks near each water trough. I worm them with pour on Ivermectin twice a year and give them vaccine shots once a year.

Am I missing anything?

They look fat and happy. I can walk the pastures with no problems, they eat out of a bucket and let me pet and brush them and most importantly, let me handle their babies!

But, I just question is there more I should be doing or perhaps doing something better or cheaper than what I'm doing? I currently spend around $250/month just for the 4 I have in feed and hay during the winter.

Welcome, Lisa. Did y'all get a lot of snow down there this week? I am up north of Atlanta near White, GA. We didn't get any snow, but it has been in the teens all week!

 

[LisaW2222]

Welcome, Lisa. Did y'all get a lot of snow down there this week? I am up north of Atlanta near White, GA. We didn't get any snow, but it has been in the teens all week!

We've got way too much snow down this way for my taste! Still got snow on the ground.

 

[M.Magis]

As long as the hay is decent I'd skip the grain all together.

 

[LisaW2222]

Thank you all for your ideas!

So in a nutshell:
1. Cut out or reduce the grain (sounds like I may be letting them live large)
2. Buy grain in bulk to save
3. Don't carry a bull for two or three cows (borrow one or literally try my "hand" at AI)

That should help reduce costs while still keeping a small healthy herd.

Too bad there's not a 1-800-rent-a-bull

 

[Warren Allison]

We've got way too much snow down this way for my taste! Still got snow on the ground.

I know! It is crazy! I have a place down around Unadilla and Cordele, and we measured nearly 9 inches down there! On your OP, I agree with everyone who said they don't need any feed. Just good hay free choice. I also agree about the bull. Sell him and use the money to AI those cows every year, and you can hire someone to do that for you. Or borrow/rent a bull from a neighbor. Is there anyone with cattle close to you?

 

[kenny thomas]

Thank you all for your ideas!

So in a nutshell:
1. Cut out or reduce the grain (sounds like I may be letting them live large)
2. Buy grain in bulk to save
3. Don't carry a bull for two or three cows (borrow one or literally try my "hand" at AI)

That should help reduce costs while still keeping a small healthy herd.

Too bad there's not a 1-800-rent-a-bull

I never remember my grandfather owning a bull. The manager of the local stockyard would bring him a young bull, im guessing from the sale, each spring and my grandfather would keep it until fall and the manager would come get it. Grandfather didnt pay anything but the profit was in the growth i guess.

 

[LisaW2222]

I know! It is crazy! I have a place down around Unadilla and Cordele, and we measured nearly 9 inches down there! On your OP, I agree with everyone who said they don't need any feed. Just good hay free choice. I also agree about the bull. Sell him and use the money to AI those cows every year, and you can hire someone to do that for you. Or borrow/rent a bull from a neighbor. Is there anyone with cattle close to you?

I don't really know of anyone with a bull I can borrow or rent, but maybe I can start checking the local feed stores. I'm a nurse, so if I could transfer some of the human anatomy knowledge to bovine, I may just try AI at some point here. It sounds like there's better options out there than buying bull calves and raising them up to do the job of reproduction.

 

[LisaW2222]

I never remember my grandfather owning a bull. The manager of the local stockyard would bring him a young bull, im guessing from the sale, each spring and my grandfather would keep it until fall and the manager would come get it. Grandfather didnt pay anything but the profit was in the growth i guess.

This is when I wish my Dad and Grandpa were still around to ask questions. There's so much knowledge buried 6 feet down. This world has lost a lot of good ones. Google and Siri don't know half of what the previous generation knew about common sense and survival that they did. It sounds like your grandfather had a good relationship with the manager and it was all probably done with a handshake.