Inducing Cows to Calve Early

[Silver]

I’m not trying to sell the dink story. I understand there comes a point where frame score negatively affects the price of calves sold. But I believe I don’t need 6-7 (or bigger) frame cattle to realize good prices for my steer and heifer calves. I’m not in the least bit offended when I see huge, open cows at the sale barn or in my neighbors pastures for that matter. I just don’t see how the financial numbers work out well. 50 to 100 years ago when cattle paid for ranches and when huge wealth was realized, smaller framed critters is where the money was.

I think that for the extra $450 that my steers got over the price of the 500 lb steer calves in the same sale this year will more than pay for any extra costs my big cows incur.

 

[Lucky]

Why not sacrifice a bit of birth weight for a bull you don’t need to worry about? With me working full time and not having time (nor wanting to check cows/heifer every 4-6 hours) it pays me to use a bull that produces smaller calves. I’m financially ahead and my overall enjoyment of life is higher. I don’t believe weaning weights is where my profit is made anyway…

We always use low birth weight bulls when breeding heifers. The problem I've found with EPDs is that they are a best guess at what the bull will do and provide no data on the cow or heifer side. We have very few problems calving out heifers but it does happen. Several years ago we bred and calved out 20 of them. The first two both had problems. 1 one morning and 1 the next morning. 1 calf lived one didn’t. The other 18 did just fine. All were bred to a proven LBW Angus bull but, not all had 60 # calves. I'd guess the calf weight of the 20 heifers ranged from 55-80#.

 

[Silver]

I’ve heard it said and I believe it to be true that 60% of calving ease comes from the cow.

 

[GoWyo]

I’m not trying to sell the dink story. I understand there comes a point where frame score negatively affects the price of calves sold. But I believe I don’t need 6-7 (or bigger) frame cattle to realize good prices for my steer and heifer calves. I’m not in the least bit offended when I see huge, open cows at the sale barn or in my neighbors pastures for that matter. I just don’t see how the financial numbers work out well. 50 to 100 years ago when cattle paid for ranches and when huge wealth was realized, smaller framed critters is where the money was.

Different ways to go about it. But, first you have to decide how much inputs and management you want to put into your cattle. If you keep them grazing through good times (green growing forage) and bad (dormant fill em up type forage or hay) and a little protein through the dry times, with the qualifier that they always need enough dry matter, then that is what they need to be able to live on. Then select for the ones that raise the highest value calves and so it year after year. The cows will sort themselves as to frame size, efficiency, performance, fertility, etc. in your specific management and environment. Maybe they might be Warren Allison bush cattle or they might be Jeanne - Simme Valley show/performance cattle, but most likely somewhere in between. Main thing is to drop preconceived notions and let the cows show you how and whether they fit what you provide for their living conditions.

 

[TCRanch]

I’ve heard it said and I believe it to be true that 60% of calving ease comes from the cow.

Bingo!

 

[TCRanch]

We always use low birth weight bulls when breeding heifers. The problem I've found with EPDs is that they are a best guess at what the bull will do and provide no data on the cow or heifer side. We have very few problems calving out heifers but it does happen. Several years ago we bred and calved out 20 of them. The first two both had problems. 1 one morning and 1 the next morning. 1 calf lived one didn’t. The other 18 did just fine. All were bred to a proven LBW Angus bull but, not all had 60 # calves. I'd guess the calf weight of the 20 heifers ranged from 55-80#.

This! The heifer I had to pull this year is from a lineage that consistently has larger calves, starting with her grandma (who was a 40 lb preemie).

 

[Ebenezer]

"...50 to 100 years ago when cattle paid for ranches and when huge wealth was realized, smaller framed critters is where the money was."

This was before CAB, a big push against only British breeds and there were hold overs in the 60s of the baby beef and tallow was still valuable. Today the kill weights are higher and buyers will take lesser calves with a huge dock in prices.

 

[BFE]

I’ve heard it said and I believe it to be true that 60% of calving ease comes from the cow.

I had a really nice simmental cow that started throwing monster calves around five years old. Same thing for three years bred different every time before I learned my lesson. No other calving problems to speak of during that time and no excessive feed. At least I got to sell her as a cull before I got caught with a dead cow and calf both.

 

[Travlr]

I had a really nice simmental cow that started throwing monster calves around five years old. Same thing for three years bred different every time before I learned my lesson. No other calving problems to speak of during that time and no excessive feed. At least I got to sell her as a cull before I got caught with a dead cow and calf both.

Did you have to pull the calves?

 

[BFE]

Did you have to pull the calves?

Found the first one delivered on her own but dead. Next one made it, last one was a hard pull and dead.