Managing LBW Calves ?

[Stocker Steve]

Got a new bull that is throwing smaller calves than I am used to. Lots of calves in the 70s, and had a 63# one today. Do you see less vigor in smaller calves - - compared to 75 to 90# calves? Do they require different management?

 

[Till-Hill]

Long as they get up and go on their own no they dont require anymore here. But 10# in spring is about 30# in fall. That's my data and I wont ever strive to have any calves born under 75# ever

 

[Statefan62]

Most of our calves are born 65-75. Never had a problem with vigor . Our weaning weights are 700+ or the cow gets sent to town.We just had a 100 pound embryo heifer and that's the biggest calf we have ever had so it will be interesting to see how the smaller BW heifers compare at weaning.

 

[TCRanch]

Seems to me our smaller calves have more vigor, they're up & running. That said, the smaller calves tend to be heifers & they're almost always more bunky than bull calves. We average 50/50 heifer vs. bull. No additional or change in management unless they're preemies.

 

[Dsth]

I don't weigh my calves when they are born but the smaller calves seem to have an easier time finding mommies teats. I guess I haven't seen a difference in weaning weight between smaller or larger calves.

 

[Randi]

I don't like those really small calves, sure they have lots of vigor if the weather is warm, but in below freezing temps, they freeze up real fast. A 100 lb calf, you will find him up and sucking, the 60 lb calf will be laying there freezing up. It's a simple matter of body mass and if it is cold enough those little calves just don't have a chance.

 

[W.B.]

Got a new bull that is throwing smaller calves than I am used to. Lots of calves in the 70s, and had a 63# one today. Do you see less vigor in smaller calves - - compared to 75 to 90# calves? Do they require different management?

Smaller claves chill out a lot faster in bad weather. There is research that their overall survivability is lower also. While I don't want 100+ lb calves 85 to 95 is pretty nice for mature cows. I don't weigh calves at birth but I do know some are heavier than we think. I picked one up yesterday out of a snow bank and hauled him a half mile on a quad. He looked like a 85 pounder but felt like a 100 lb.er.

 

[snoopdog]

I don't believe bw has as much an effect on spring calves as fall.

 

[Midtenn]

Problems with vigor? No. Growth? Yes.
Seems to me the smaller calves are up and going quicker. We seem to have more trouble with the big calves getting up and sucking soon enough in bad weather, but the smaller ones never wean off as heavy as the larger born calves.
There has to be balance. Don't want extremes on either end.

 

[Nesikep]

If you have heavy milking mommas, the small calf just doesn't have enough appetite to drink it all, the big calf will have a much faster start just from that alone, on lower milking mommas I don't think you'll see as much of a difference. I definitely see the heavier BW calves are bigger in the fall here.. EVERY time.
I had one 65ish lb calf born to a decent cow, he's 2 weeks younger than the oldest and MUCH smaller, the bigger BW calves that are 2 weeks younger are far bigger.. I know things will even out by fall but there'll still be a difference.

 

[W.B.]

I don't like those really small calves, sure they have lots of vigor if the weather is warm, but in below freezing temps, they freeze up real fast. A 100 lb calf, you will find him up and sucking, the 60 lb calf will be laying there freezing up. It's a simple matter of body mass and if it is cold enough those little calves just don't have a chance.

Spoken like someone who has actually calved in cold weather. I totally agree by the way. I see some big differences just going from 70 lbs to 85 lbs.

 

[Randi]

Spoken like someone who has actually calved in cold weather. I totally agree by the way. I see some big differences just going from 70 lbs to 85 lbs.

We've calved a few in really cold weather. Last April (Easter time) we were seeing -30 C overnight. We were done the first cycle by then, but March wasn't real sweet either. This year, when our heifers started (end of Feb) we were seeing those -30's again. And we were having 55-65 lb calves, not sure why....same bulls, same cow herd. What a PITA, we ended up just locking the whole group of heifers in the barn overnight. Figured, maybe something might get stepped on, but at least they wouldn't be frozen.

Not only are they harder to get going in cold weather, but my records PROVE that 60 lb calves just don't gain like 90+ lb calves. I'd rather see 110+ out of most of my cows....

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

I don't like those light calves very much, I actually lost a 50lb calf this spring. They don't have much reserve in the tank should something go wrong. I like my calves from 70-80 for a heifer and anything up to 100 is ok for my cows. Those calves just hit the ground growing IMO.