Over-Conditioned Cattle

[inyati13]

How serious is over-conditioned cows? Many users associate me with over-conditioned cattle. Based on the grass I am seeing now, that is going to continue. My farm is surveyed at 79.459 acres. Approximately 20 acres is hay. Another 5 acres are used for infrastructure. That translates to 55 acres of excellent pasture. The forages on the pastures consists of fescue, orchard grass, ladino clover, and red clover. Fescue dominates. I have a total of 17 head of mature animals. Currently there are 8 calves on the ground with 3 more to arrive in the next few weeks. In the fall, my fall cows and new heifers will calve. Not counting the calves, that comes to 3.2 acres per cow.

Assume that I do not want to increase the size of my herd. Assume that I will manage my pasture as follows:
25 acre back pasture
20 acre north pasture
10 acre breeding pasture to hold cows and heifers for AI service

My land is steep. Rotational grazing on my slopes is not feasible. The angle of repose is the angle from horizontal that granular material will assume without slumping. Many of my hillsides approach the angle of repose and in fact, there is old slumping on the steeper hills.
I could crowd all the cattle into one of the pastures but that solves one problem and creates another. Too much traffic on steep hills leads to erosion. I have as much concern for that as I do for over-conditioned cows.

That is why I ask: How serious is over-conditioned cows?

 

[M.Magis]

Can you change some of the excess pasture to hay? That's a lot of grass for 17 animals, based on the pictures of your pastures I've seen. Maybe don't graze some of the steep hills at all? Though watching grass go to waste goes against most of our instincts. Obviously overconditioned cows are likely to have more isues than those in "better" condition.

 

[M-5]

Ron , just put out good mineral and keep grass in front of them. That's all they should need " no supplements " they won't be over conditioned.

 

[B&M Farms]

Ron , just put out good mineral and keep grass in front of them. That's all they should need " no supplements " they won't be over conditioned.

I agree with M-5. If you are calving in the Spring and have the grass you have, you should not have to supplement anything except mineral. In the winter, it just depends on your hay. Nothing wrong with good grass.

 

[Rafter S]

It's my understanding that if a cow is too fat she may not cycle. As long as that isn't happening I wouldn't worry about it.

(And by the way, if I'm wrong about them not cycling when too fat don't shoot me. Maybe I have that backwards and some of them get too fat because they aren't cycling. Hopefully someone smarter than me can answer that.)

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Ron , just put out good mineral and keep grass in front of them. That's all they should need " no supplements " they won't be over conditioned.

I agree with M-5. If you are calving in the Spring and have the grass you have, you should not have to supplement anything except mineral. In the winter, it just depends on your hay. Nothing wrong with good grass.

These guys are spot on Ron. You feed them too much.

 

[AllForage]

Stop feeding concentrates and make them lactate longer

 

[branguscowgirl]

Ron, I have the same problem with my cows. (If you want to call it a problem.) I have fed cheaper hay this winter and let the drop some weight on purpose, in hopes that the vet won't be cussing when he goes to AI them. He claims that they are fat on the inside as well. Making everything more difficult to feel.
Excess fat stores hormones, depleting them and sometimes causing decreased fertility. If you are not having a fertility issue, you are probably not seeing an issue with their weight.

I don't know if you have considered this, but you could always run a temporary hot fence on your steeper areas and put some sheep on the slopes. They really clean up a pasture, and around here prices are high. I know that they are just another pain in the but. But just a thought.

 

[AllForage]

Ron, I have the same problem with my cows. (If you want to call it a problem.) I have fed cheaper hay this winter and let the drop some weight on purpose, in hopes that the vet won't be cussing when he goes to AI them. He claims that they are fat on the inside as well. Making everything more difficult to feel.
Excess fat stores hormones, depleting them and sometimes causing decreased fertility. If you are not having a fertility issue, you are probably not seeing an issue with their weight.

I don't know if you have considered this, but you could always run a temporary hot fence on your steeper areas and put some sheep on the slopes. They really clean up a pasture, and around here prices are high. I know that they are just another pain in the but. But just a thought.

I have suggested sheep to Ron before, but with Blues most recent encounter I would hate to think what could happen to a sheep flock.

 

[inyati13]

Ron , just put out good mineral and keep grass in front of them. That's all they should need " no supplements " they won't be over conditioned.

I hope you are correct Darryl. It will not be difficult to keep "grass in front of them". GO to the thread "My Green Kingdom". I hope you enjoy it.

 

[inyati13]

It's my understanding that if a cow is too fat she may not cycle. As long as that isn't happening I wouldn't worry about it.

(And by the way, if I'm wrong about them not cycling when too fat don't shoot me. Maybe I have that backwards and some of them get too fat because they aren't cycling. Hopefully someone smarter than me can answer that.)

Rafter: They cycle fine and I do AI. I have not noticed excess fat in the reproductive system when I AI. I am concerned that this is going to be an abundant grass year. I prefer that they not get into those extreme condition categories.

BCG: My pastures are clean. I mow about 3 or 4 times per growing season. I think cows give me enough to think about. I am not going to open a new vocation with sheep. I know nothing about sheep. When I started with cows, I had grown up around them.

Ryan: I put out two protein tubs this winter because of the low protein hay I was feeding. It is now understood that the cows really did not need them and as Kris has explained, they may be contributing to my large birth weights. I use a mixed pellet feed that is fairly low quality made at the Mayslick Mill. TB has looked at it for me and stated that it is moderate quality - 12 % protein. I did supplement with that during February and March because my UK county agent thought my hay was like feeding them cardboard. As Lucky has commented on too, the feed must provide them enough fuel to generate body heat or they can go into a net losing state. In retrospect, I believe my cows could have done fine on the poor hay. Until this winter, I have not fed anything except hay and minerals. I put minerals out in a wooden trough. On occasion, I put out mixed feed in the troughs.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Split the pasture in half and get the boney cows or feeder steers.

 

[Nesikep]

Sim Ang King makes a good point.. If you don't want to run more cows, how about either buying thin feeders, or keeping and finishing your steers?.. You put the small animals on the steeper slopes as they'll do a less damage there.

I don't feed any sort of supplement at any time, though I will be feeding my replacement heifer some OLS lick tubs through the winter from here on in.. My cows don't eat a lot during the winter, and most of them GAIN weight and condition. Looking into the future at replacement heifers, choosing sires with higher milk EPD's may help keep the cow's BCS down during the summer when they're pigging out on grass.

I am running 27 head of mommas on about 50 acres, and this may be the first year in a while that I'm not going to be selling much/any hay.. all depending on how it grows.

 

[Ojp6]

If you felt like it you could really make a pile of money with some old thin cows/pairs if you didn't mind having a few ugly old girls in your pasture. Just turn them out and let the cow gain weight and raise you a calf.