I'm back with even more dumb questions!

[IGotMyWings]

Well, I haven't been on in a while, but that just means that I've been busy. I haven't gotten much accomplished, but I'm still plugging away. My tiny herd has now tripled in size. I added two cow/calf pairs this past week. Both cows are about 4 years old, the red cow has a freshly weened heifer calf at her side, the black one has a teat dragging steer with her. The red cow may have been bred as she was in with the bull where we got her that day. They are all in together, and now my questions are piling up!

The cows aren't taking to well to the steer and bull calf I already had. They guard the round bale and shove them out of the way whenever the mood strikes them. I know that they are going to be leery of the new digs and strange pasture pals, but I was wondering if being (for lack of a better term) bullied by the cow(s) now would have any effect on my bull when he's mature and it's time to do his thing? Will he remember being pushed around and have a fear of those cows?!

Given the possibility that the red cow is bred, how long before I should have her checked to see?

Next is my pasture. I posted a potential design for my pasture a long time ago, and with the feedback I got, I'm still trying to figure out the best way to manage it! By the time we got the beans combined, it was getting late to drill grass, so my seed guy recommended drilling wheat and having the cattle graze that over the winter then plant a pasture mix in the spring. Another neighbor says that I should leave them off the wheat, cut it and bale it for hay, plant the grass THEN turn them in on it. Any ideas?

 

[angus9259]

my vet says 35 days bred is the minimum for accurately determining a pregnancy by palpation - she prefers 45 days

I can't imagine the bull won't breed because the cows push him around now. Things will change with age, weight, and testicles.

don't know the answers to the pasture situation

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Next is my pasture. I posted a potential design for my pasture a long time ago, and with the feedback I got, I'm still trying to figure out the best way to manage it! By the time we got the beans combined, it was getting late to drill grass, so my seed guy recommended drilling wheat and having the cattle graze that over the winter then plant a pasture mix in the spring. Another neighbor says that I should leave them off the wheat, cut it and bale it for hay, plant the grass THEN turn them in on it. Any ideas?

I guess it depends on how much hay or other feed stock you have on hand. If you have plenty of feed to hold them over through the Winter then I wouldn't worry too much about forage for the cattle during the cold months. If, on the other hand, you need the Winter forage then plant the winter wheat and turn the cattle in but it's getting a little late for planting anything. Baling the wheat won't help you this Winter but it will for next Winter.

The bull WILL establish his dominance. Don't worry about him.

JMO

 

[Dusty Roads]

No such thing as a "dumb question", your questions are legit. Don't worry about your cows getting pushted off of the hay ring, they won't starve. The cows can't stay on it forever. I have 2 new cows that are at the bottom of the food chain and they get in while the others are laying down chewing there cud. They will even get in at night.
As your cows grow the pecking order will change. Don't worry about the bull, when the cows are ready he will get better looking :nod:
Good luck D.R.

 

[dun]

my vet says 35 days bred is the minimum for accurately determining a pregnancy by palpation - she prefers 45 days

I can't imagine the bull won't breed because the cows push him around now. Things will change with age, weight, and testicles.

And heat hormones in the cow

 

[dun]

Graze the wheat over the winter, in the spring hit it with some nitrogen then cut and bale it. The only real problem with that scenerio is that unless you're going to plant native WSG by the time you harvest the stuff for hay it's too late to plant the CSG

 

[IGotMyWings]

Graze the wheat over the winter, in the spring hit it with some nitrogen then cut and bale it. The only real problem with that scenerio is that unless you're going to plant native WSG by the time you harvest the stuff for hay it's too late to plant the CSG

I was hoping to get a decent mix when it comes to the grass, alflafa, ryegrass, etc. Has anyone used any of the premixed pasture seed, or would I be better off to ponder it out and try to come up with my own?

 

[IGotMyWings]

No such thing as a "dumb question", your questions are legit. Don't worry about your cows getting pushted off of the hay ring, they won't starve. The cows can't stay on it forever. I have 2 new cows that are at the bottom of the food chain and they get in while the others are laying down chewing there cud. They will even get in at night.
As your cows grow the pecking order will change. Don't worry about the bull, when the cows are ready he will get better looking :nod:
Good luck D.R.

I sat and watched them for a while after I put the round bale in. The cows wouldn't let the original two near it. I came back home and loaded up with water and when I got back, they had camped out next to the bale, still guarding it like it was the last hay on Earth. When I went back up the next morning with water, they were still guarding. I came back to the barn, got a square bale and some grain. I spaced piles of grain and flakes of hay out so that the bigger cows couldn't keep the others away, and everybody got some. I don't know if they were guarding because they were new to the place, or what. When I went back up this evening with water, they had stopped guarding and were laying around chewing the cud. I'm hoping that the whole guarding thing is over! The black cow nearly shoved the little bull through the fence when he tried to get to the bale.

 

[dun]

No such thing as a "dumb question", your questions are legit. Don't worry about your cows getting pushted off of the hay ring, they won't starve. The cows can't stay on it forever. I have 2 new cows that are at the bottom of the food chain and they get in while the others are laying down chewing there cud. They will even get in at night.
As your cows grow the pecking order will change. Don't worry about the bull, when the cows are ready he will get better looking :nod:
Good luck D.R.

I sat and watched them for a while after I put the round bale in. The cows wouldn't let the original two near it. I came back home and loaded up with water and when I got back, they had camped out next to the bale, still guarding it like it was the last hay on Earth. When I went back up the next morning with water, they were still guarding. I came back to the barn, got a square bale and some grain. I spaced piles of grain and flakes of hay out so that the bigger cows couldn't keep the others away, and everybody got some. I don't know if they were guarding because they were new to the place, or what. When I went back up this evening with water, they had stopped guarding and were laying around chewing the cud. I'm hoping that the whole guarding thing is over! The black cow nearly shoved the little bull through the fence when he tried to get to the bale.

PecKing order and the herd mentality

 

[grannysoo]

Just takes a little time for them to get it sorted out. Everything will be fine.

 

[KMacGinley]

Charming as ever Baxter!

Can you separate them? Make an area for the calves, you will need one eventually to wean.

While Baxter's picture is in the dictionary next to uncouth, he is probably right about your bull calf. You may want to borrow a bull from someone... in the off season when they are not using it, a neighbor etc. or rent a bull from someone. Make sure that there is adequate feed available so the bull doesn't get thin or you will never be allowed to do this again.

Or use AI.