chevytaHOE5674
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I'm trying to figure out how these hay tests are being done via the enet right now?
Hay test? What's that? Ha
My cows have been eating untested hay forever.
Open Cows
- Thread starter Lucky
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Hay test? What's that? Ha
My cows have been eating untested hay forever.
We have in the past but only once or twice. It seems we have always been in expansion mode on land and facilities so we don't always have a spot to keep and breed heifers. We finally got all the pastures and cross fences done so plan on keeping heifers this year. I've bought and calved out groups of heifers for several years. Money wise I think it's better to buy them but I also think there's allot to be said for keeping your own.
I just sold the only 3 red cows I had because they always calved late. We raised all 3 of them too. The reason we kept them is because they always got out and back in with the cows. Hope I never own another red cow.
Travlr
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Ya know... I was talking to a guy today that sells baled pine shavings. I asked him what the price was and he told me, and then I asked him how big the bale was or what it weighed so I could know what I was getting for the money he quoted. And he said, "I don't know... it's that same thing I've been selling for the last forty years."
I'm not sure how he thought that answered my question, or how it would help me (or him).
Lol. I've posted plenty pics but will get you some more. I'm not much of a picture taker.
You seem to have very good results in a very rough climate with very little inputs. I'm curious to know what you breeding season is and what your percentage of open cows is. Maybe less really is more. Not feeding protein would save me around $8k a year and might improve my breed up. Win Win.
chevytaHOE5674
Well-known member
Cows get nothing but grass/hay/mineral/h20, I breed in November and calve beginning of August.
2024 I had 93% calve out in 28 days and somewhere around 96% in 43ish days.
2024 was 100% breed back in a 43 day window. I've had 100% before but it's definitely not the usual.
It's taken me 20 some years of selecting to get here. I keep nearly all my heifers (minus late born/dinks/crazies/etc) and breed them, then keep the ones who take 1st or 2nd cycle. I also watch which cows spend lots of time at the mineral, or spend all their time eating in the winter, and which cows you seem to forget about because you don't see them at the mineral or they are off chewing cud while some others race to the bale at feeding time.
2024 I had 93% calve out in 28 days and somewhere around 96% in 43ish days.
2024 was 100% breed back in a 43 day window. I've had 100% before but it's definitely not the usual.
It's taken me 20 some years of selecting to get here. I keep nearly all my heifers (minus late born/dinks/crazies/etc) and breed them, then keep the ones who take 1st or 2nd cycle. I also watch which cows spend lots of time at the mineral, or spend all their time eating in the winter, and which cows you seem to forget about because you don't see them at the mineral or they are off chewing cud while some others race to the bale at feeding time.
Do you regularly test your hay?
h20? Do you vaccinate or deworm? If so MLV or Killed and what time of year?
Travlr
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h20 = water
chevytaHOE5674
Well-known member
Water. Vaccinate MLV. Cows get 1 and Calves get 2 rounds before weaning in April/May, cows get 2 rounds in the fall.
We deworm mainly because we have liver flukes in the immediate area. Also pour on for flies and lice as needed.
Nesikep
Well-known member
Impossible to do that here, you'd have to be real lean on feeding them, and my cows start to lose weight as they milk, I feed them really well after calving too. I'll take all the weight I can get on them through the winter short of making them obese to have them in good shape at breeding time.
IMHO if a cow is gaining weight when she's milking she's not milking well enough for your feed situation, this is part of the reason I don't go for curve-bending growth and milk... you usually end up losing out either with a thin cow that won't breed back, or she takes more inputs than the extra calf weight is worth.. With these calf prices you can make extra inputs pencil out, but I remember $0.75/lb calf prices too well
Travlr
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A typical cycle on a 1400 pound cow would be her weighing 1400 pounds when she breeds after she gained a hundred or so pounds from her low point coming through winter. She'd pretty much maintain weight for four to five months feeding a calf and lose a few pounds in the last couple of months as the calf was growing. Then she'd gain some going into winter but lose some in the really cold months. No drastic gains or losses, just slow and always getting enough feed to keep her healthy. She just needs to be gaining weight in breeding season.
That looks like a quality mineral to my untrained eye. Nice to see there is almost nothing in oxide form. A fair bit of salt in it but if it’s priced right then it’s a non issue near as I can tell.
I noticed the salt also. The factory is 40 miles from me and they started by making minerals for dairy farms. I called them last week and they recommended the cow calf 7 out of 6 or 7 blends they make. I know some minerals are Chelated? I'm not that savy though lol
If you think it's minerals why not inject multimin so you know they are getting it?
I keep loose mineral out but consider it back up.
There is a video at the bottom. It's kind of long but has some good info. It talks about both MM and loose minerals, even storing bulk, loose mineral.
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=4851cb54-8fd7-4a84-95c9-7814148970d7
I keep loose mineral out but consider it back up.
There is a video at the bottom. It's kind of long but has some good info. It talks about both MM and loose minerals, even storing bulk, loose mineral.
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=4851cb54-8fd7-4a84-95c9-7814148970d7
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Chelated minerals are very expensive and probably not necessary unless you are in a situation where you have antagonistic minerals in their current feed. For example, molybdenum ties up copper so if you have too much molybdenum the cows won’t be able to absorb copper, so you would need chelated copper.
That’s why it would be good to test your forage, feed and water to know where you sit.
Lucky_P
Well-known member
Its been over 30 years, and I don't remember who said it, in an article in some cattle- focused publication, but he opined that if you were getting 95+% calving rates...you were probably spending too much money on feed.
And this was not Allen Nation or Kit Pharo or hucksters of that ilk.
I'm thinking that he wasn't necessarily wrong, if you were trying to achieve optimal efficiency & profitability, and not just bragging rights - "I get 100% calf crop, every year!'
And this was not Allen Nation or Kit Pharo or hucksters of that ilk.
I'm thinking that he wasn't necessarily wrong, if you were trying to achieve optimal efficiency & profitability, and not just bragging rights - "I get 100% calf crop, every year!'
