Night time calving?

[Warren Allison]

What percentage of your cows seem to calve at night? I learned something today, while talking with my contact in Mexico, and it gotg me wandering abgout something. I was tralking to him about other things,m when I decided to ask If they had a lot of problem with the Mexican Black Vultures. I told him people around here have claimed they actually kill cows and/or calves during birth. He said no, because their native cattle on the range calves at night, He said by the time it is daylight, the calves are up and running and can keep up with momma, and momma has totally recovered by then, to defend her calf. So, they have never had any predation by the vultures. He figures it is an adaptation that has evolved over the 500 plus years they have been there. ..calving only at night. Horses if left alone in the pasture, do this, too. Thinking back the past 30 years or so, we never have seen our Kudzu-Corr calves give birth. Sometimes, we have moved them back by Feb 1st, and still hunted there til mid Feb when the seasons end. I have seen new calves when we do this..most times we ride out at daylight...but none were wet like they were just born. They are up playing around their mommas. Do any of you have cows that always calve at night?

 

[SBMF 2015]

That's interesting. I try and do just the opposite. I feed my cows at night and I can get most of them to calve during the day.
But my spring calving cows are always close up to the buildings and we don't have many predators that will take a live calf.

 

[4hfarms]

We have always had dark or just about dusk births.
Too dark to photo or film.

By dark I mean, during storms or very cloudy conditions.
Our bulls name is Thunder!

Only predator known around here are the dogs, local and wild.
Had our first death by canine this year.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Around here night is when the wolves and cougars hunt...

Calving cows are out grazing so there's no rhyme or reason to when they pop.

 

[coachg]

Don't know the percentage but I have quite a few cows that I discover with a new baby when I do my early morning check . Had one this morning matter of fact . Navel/ umbilical was still moist at 6 am

 

[devonian]

I would say 90% of my cows (hereford x's) calve between midnight and 6am, but then theres been no predators in England for the past few centuries... so I guess the cows haven't got that memo yet

 

[Warren Allison]

That's interesting. I try and do just the opposite. I feed my cows at night and I can get most of them to calve during the day.
But my spring calving cows are always close up to the buildings and we don't have many predators that will take a live calf.

How does night feeding them get them to calve during the day? What time at night do you feed? I can see where that would be desirable in most places.

 

[Warren Allison]

I would say 90% of my cows (hereford x's) calve between midnight and 6am, but then theres been no predators in England for the past few centuries... so I guess the cows haven't got that memo yet

I assume it is just instinct. How many cows do you have, and how many acres of pasture?

 

[Warren Allison]

@farmerjan , in dairies, do those cows tend to calve at night? When there were diaries around here, most milked at 3 AM or 4 AM, and 3PM or 4 PM. This environment is about as far removed from cattle on a remote, open range as you can get.

 

[dcarp]

What percentage of your cows seem to calve at night? I learned something today, while talking with my contact in Mexico, and it gotg me wandering abgout something. I was tralking to him about other things,m when I decided to ask If they had a lot of problem with the Mexican Black Vultures. I told him people around here have claimed they actually kill cows and/or calves during birth. He said no, because their native cattle on the range calves at night, He said by the time it is daylight, the calves are up and running and can keep up with momma, and momma has totally recovered by then, to defend her calf. So, they have never had any predation by the vultures. He figures it is an adaptation that has evolved over the 500 plus years they have been there. ..calving only at night. Horses if left alone in the pasture, do this, too. Thinking back the past 30 years or so, we never have seen our Kudzu-Corr calves give birth. Sometimes, we have moved them back by Feb 1st, and still hunted there til mid Feb when the seasons end. I have seen new calves when we do this..most times we ride out at daylight...but none were wet like they were just born. They are up playing around their mommas. Do any of you have cows that always calve at night?

My cows generally calve during the day. I usually feed at night if I feed. There is research to back up the theory. Doesn't work 100% but for the majority.

https://texasfarmbureau.org/feed-at...:~:text=Feeding cows later in the,total cows,"%20said%20Dr.

 

[Warren Allison]

My cows generally calve during the day. I usually feed at night if I feed. There is research to back up the theory. Doesn't work 100% but for the majority.

https://texasfarmbureau.org/feed-at-night-calve-during-the-day/#:~:text=Feeding cows later in the,total cows,"%20said%20Dr.

Thanks for posting that. I just wish it had included how and why feeding at dusk has this effect.

 

[farmerjan]

I don't see a huge difference in calves born during the day or night on most dairies... have actually asked a few farmers and of course, the night time ones are more memorable due to that's when there are less helping hands around... but because of the feed being fed regularly on most farms... morning and evening; I think it is not as noticeable. Gone to test a herd and have often had a farmer pulling a daytime calf... or they have had to go out to check on a cow calving after evening milking.

 

[GoWyo]

I feed in the morning because it fits my schedule and usually the mud is frozen in the mornings in March so we don't tear up the ground as much. Cows will try and hold off til feed time, then after they eat a little will go off and have their calf around mid-morning to afternoon. But other than that, they seem to calve at all hours. Unless the weather is bad, I don't check the cows after dark and they are on their own on pasture a half mile from the house. Heifers are near the house and get checked frequently.

 

[SBMF 2015]

How does night feeding them get them to calve during the day? What time at night do you feed? I can see where that would be desirable in most places.

The theory is that they spend night time eating and then want to go lay down and relax in the morning.
In my experience it seems to work best for cows that are on a TMR ration and get fed once a day. I tend to feed at just about dark.
It's not but maybe better than 75%

 

[gman4691]

Last year, ours calved quite a bit during thunderstorms. A big spring storm would blow up at night and the next day there would be one or more calves out there. The first one this year was born on one of the coldest nights we've had. Don't know if it is stress related or just coincidence but quite a few calved during storms last year...didn't seem to matter whether it was day or night. Seemed like the bigger the storm, the more calves would be born.

 

[devonian]

I assume it is just instinct. How many cows do you have, and how many acres of pasture?

It's a small herd, about 80 head/ 30 cows beef isn't even our farms main enterprise and we only have pasture on land not suitable for crops about 65 acres, father is of the old school belief that it's good to do a bit of everything and let everyone do the juggling whereas I would like to specialise more. It's just knowing where to specialise. In theory we could have over 200 acres of pasture and many more cows but do I want to all beef? Would that make my life easier or harder?

 

[TCRanch]

The theory of feeding at night to calve during the day usually works from what I understand. But any studies I've seen don't incorporate my situation, because my cattle always have hay available. I do feed cubes around midafternoon, but the majority calve during the day, starting around 7:00 a.m. (because I generally head out at daylight and often find newborns that haven't even been cleaned off yet).

 

[Warren Allison]

It's a small herd, about 80 head/ 30 cows beef isn't even our farms main enterprise and we only have pasture on land not suitable for crops about 65 acres, father is of the old school belief that it's good to do a bit of everything and let everyone do the juggling whereas I would like to specialise more. It's just knowing where to specialise. In theory we could have over 200 acres of pasture and many more cows but do I want to all beef? Would that make my life easier or harder?

What crops do y'all raise, Devonian? Any other kind of livestock, too?:

 

[devonian]

What crops do y'all raise, Devonian? Any other kind of livestock, too?:

Wheat, maize (corn), barley and miscanthus for a biomass boiler and we have some pullets (chickens) raised for egg layers on another site, dad wants to keep on doing indoor pigs as well which I'm against, the manure from both is good for crops and grass but the government keeps hitting us with stricter limits on manure on land anyway which we're probably exceeding. Lots of enterprises for a modest size farm.