Pasture Calving

[aplusmnt]

I have noticed people referring to Pasture Calving, especially in the thread about winter calving.

Does that many people doing something more than Pasture Calving. I always thought that is where they calve at, except for that rare problem that you might bring into the barn.

If you do not pasture calve how could you ever calve large numbers of calves. Seems like bringing them all into the barn would be lots of extra labor.

Just trying to sort this out in my mind, when I drive by a field of 100 cows hard to picture anything but Calving in the Pasture.

 

[randiliana]

I have noticed people referring to Pasture Calving, especially in the thread about winter calving.

Does that many people doing something more than Pasture Calving. I always thought that is where they calve at, except for that rare problem that you might bring into the barn.

If you do not pasture calve how could you ever calve large numbers of calves. Seems like bringing them all into the barn would be lots of extra labor.

Just trying to sort this out in my mind, when I drive by a field of 100 cows hard to picture anything but Calving in the Pasture.

Pasture calving would be when you calve out, usually on a larger area. For us that would be 80+ acres. As opposed to pen calving, which is in a small area, probably bigger than a corral, but maybe only 2-5 acres.

We pen calve, to calve out in the pasture this time of the year is too iffy. It is just too difficult to get a cow in if she needs to be assisted, or just to get her into a warmer, or less windy area. Especially at night. We calve on a couple acres, it is long and narrow, and if one of us needs to get a cow up it is usually not too hard. And, when the temps can get down to -20 or even with just a bad wind, the cows need to be in an area where there is good windbreak, or at times they have to be in the barn.

Last spring, we had 11 cows calve in about 12 hours on one of the coldest windiest days we had. That would have been a nightmare out in the pasture. We don't have many trees for windbreak, and calving cows have a habit of going off into the furthest corner they can get to. As it was it was challenging to get them in, but by pen calving we didn't lose a single calf, and I don't think we even lost any ears or ear tips.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I love this 99% the time I find out one calfed when she brings it in. What is more amazing a lot of them are evil salebarn cattle to boot and drink muddy water. Trailer is hooked up to go to the sale in the morning to buy some more heavy breds.

 

[Susie David]

Buyers market up here with "33" on the hip. A fella just has to wonder why the animal was in the ring in the first place. I look at the bright side...maybe the other guy just ran out of feed and I'm getting a great deal.
I just need to sit down in buyer's row...the last heavy bred was slipper footed and we were up in the galery and I couldn't see her hoofs and the bride was gabbing with the gal next to her and didn't notice. Did give us a nice bull calf three weeks later....she'll be back...sooner than she thinks...the cow not the bride.
Just my two bits worth...asked for or not. Dmc

 

[Wewild]

We don't have a calving pen down here.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I love this 99% the time I find out one calfed when she brings it in. What is more amazing a lot of them are evil salebarn cattle to boot and drink muddy water. Trailer is hooked up to go to the sale in the morning to buy some more heavy breds.

You should have been in Dublin last Friday. I should have taken a trailer.

 

[CowpokeJ]

I love this 99% the time I find out one calfed when she brings it in. What is more amazing a lot of them are evil salebarn cattle to boot and drink muddy water. Trailer is hooked up to go to the sale in the morning to buy some more heavy breds.

You going to see Shorty?

 

[msscamp]

Does that many people doing something more than Pasture Calving.

Some people have limited, or no pasture and are forced to dry-lot calve. Some people have a large number of open-fronted calving 'stalls' (for lack of a better word), and they rotate the animals through them as they calve. Others have small areas fenced off and they calve in those, then kick the pairs out in a pasture. There are many, many alternatives to pasture calving - it just depends on individual set-up.

 

[Victoria]

Our heifers have a run behind the house that is connected to the corral and barns. During the cold I was taking them to the corral and barn after calving to keep them warm as there isn't much shelter in the run. The rest of the cows are on nearly a 1/4 section of pasture with trees. We don't bring them in unless there is a problem. There's lots of bedding and some calf shelters out there for them.

 

[Beef11]

I'm headed to calve out some heifers and a few 3 year olds a touch over 2000 total. Its all pasture calving and only run with a light crew to boot. The country is drained well with spring grass coming on so it should go alright.