Ideal Body score

[CattleAnnie]

I prefer a cow to have a BCS of 6. BCS of 7 if she's a heavy milker once she starts lactating.

Due to our lovely northern climate, it doesn't take long for a cow to get pulled down if she's nursing a vigorous calf in cold weather.

Once June and grasstime come, they pick up condition quickly, but it's easier to keep them in decent flesh if they're a little on the heavy side before calving.

Take care.

 

[cypressfarms]

For us down here 5 seems to be the magic number. If you want your cow to rebreed every year she better a 5 or better going into breeding season. And going up is always better than going down.

The percentage of first heat settlers increases as the BCS increases, but past 6 and you kind of have diminishing returns (the added cost of feed or supplement might not be worth it). Now if you have the grass to keep em at 7, more power to ya.

Just my opinion

 

[tapeworm]

"Now if you have the grass to keep em at 7, more power to ya. "

If i had the grass to keep em at a 7 year in and year out Id fix that by adding more cows...not keeping fat cows

 

[dun]

If i had the grass to keep em at a 7 year in and year out Id fix that by adding more cows...not keeping fat cows

That's what will jump up and bite you if you get a drought. Better to understock and maybe lease out some pasture or cut it and sell it for hay then to try carrying at the maximum capacity. Also, if you've selected for it over the years, cows can stay in that kind of condition and even get fat over the winter on poor forage.

dun

 

[DOC HARRIS]

If i had the grass to keep em at a 7 year in and year out Id fix that by adding more cows...not keeping fat cows

That's what will jump up and bite you if you get a drought. Better to understock and maybe lease out some pasture or cut it and sell it for hay then to try carrying at the maximum capacity. Also, if you've selected for it over the years, cows can stay in that kind of condition and even get fat over the winter on poor forage.

dun

Good thinking and planning, dun! This is the kind of forward thinking for the 'long-term' which will keep a rancher in balance with his herd and forage year in and year out, and still be able to obtain revenue in some manner every year, without a catastrophic crash resulting in having to reduce his herd, and then re-stocking in better years. As Soapweed says, "Moderation in all things!"

Frankly, I like the idea of leasing out the pasture - that will bring in revenue AND keep the fiber on the land and fertilize it with the manure of the cows.

DOC HARRIS

 

[Beef11]

I like that kind of thinking. We've got to think of drought as normal cause out here it is about half the time. I like the idea of renting off pasture or keeping it for out of season feed. which is handy when every one else is feeding. It pays to work smarter than harder.

 

[tapeworm]

Your sure right about planning for dry years Dun. Thats why I said YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT...if my cows were staying 2 scores fatter than I needed em YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT Id add some more cows to get em in the condition I wanted em YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT. I figure on about 10 year averages..usualy that includes some dry years and some good years. A man sure cant stock just for the good years..thats for sure..ive found that if you stock for a 10 year average and have a plan in mind for the bad years youll be okay...ALWAYS have a plan B. LOL
Haying extra grass in good years is a good plan..i sure woudnt lease my place tho..Id rather run some stocker calves or grazing cows in the good years when I have extra grass

 

[dun]

Your sure right about planning for dry years Dun. Thats why I said YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT...if my cows were staying 2 scores fatter than I needed em YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT Id add some more cows to get em in the condition I wanted em YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT. I figure on about 10 year averages..usualy that includes some dry years and some good years. A man sure cant stock just for the good years..thats for sure..ive found that if you stock for a 10 year average and have a plan in mind for the bad years youll be okay...ALWAYS have a plan B. LOL
Haying extra grass in good years is a good plan..i sure woudnt lease my place tho..Id rather run some stocker calves or grazing cows in the good years when I have extra grass

We ran stockers in the past, the dollars to get them each year just got to be too much at one bite. We lease our unused pasture to the vet for some of his beef cows. But in some way I figure even if we just leased it to jow shcwartz down the road there would be less chance of bringing in disease then buying stockers at the sale barn.
But like everything else, what works for us proably wouldn;t work for anyone else. Each place/climate/situation is different

dun