Shortening Calving Season

[Bamadan]

I'm looking to shorten my calving season, for the past few years I have left my bull with cows year round. As a result, calving season has got longer and longer. I plan to separate bull and cows.
I will only have 18 to 20 brood cows, my question is, considering the number of cows to breed, would a 60 day breeding season
be long enough?
I do have a good bull with a good breeding record.

 

[Brute 23]

I would say yes that is enough time but what is the benefit of leaving the bull in only 60 days?

We have gone to breeding seasons in the last 10 years and as much as I like it, it's a real pain in the rear also.

Even now I pull bulls a month or so before the cows are due to try to keep the time I have to house them to a minimum. Bulls do better when they are with cows. The least time they are away, in my book, the better.

 

[gcreekrch]

50 days even better. Feeding a cow or two that keep falling behind isn't cheap either.

We turn bulls out in early July and they are pulled from late August through to late Oct and we preg test to cull the open and late cows. Bulls are then kept separate until the next July.

 

[Stocker Steve]

With that many cows you should be able to see who breeds "late". Then you just sort them off and sell them after weaning. Only thing that could fool you is a cow that does not cycle, or a cow that gets hot even though she is bred, which is very rare here.

 

[Ebenezer]

Just finished on Sunday with a 44 day calving season from due date. It was 49 with early calves. Sure is a nice thing to have all calves here and a uniform group for later.

 

[gcreekrch]

Just finished on Sunday with a 44 day calving season from due date. It was 49 with early calves. Sure is a nice thing to have all calves here and a uniform group for later.

Yes, uniformity. Our steer calves sold in two groups with 12 dinks and wolf cripples left behind.

 

[SBMF 2015]

60 days is long enough. Pull your bull when you start calving.
Turn your bull back in for 60days then pull him tell preg check time. Then you can winter the bull with the cows if you want.
If you have cows that calve late you can give them a shot of lutalyce two weeks after calving to try and get them to short cycle and catch up with the group. I've had mixed results getting cows back in time with a group.
Make sure you have a good mineral program and maybe a shot of Multi-min90 at turn out to help the cows cycle sooner.

 

[Ky hills]

I would say yes that is enough time but what is the benefit of leaving the bull in only 60 days?

We have gone to breeding seasons in the last 10 years and as much as I like it, it's a real pain in the rear also.

Even now I pull bulls a month or so before the cows are due to try to keep the time I have to house them to a minimum. Bulls do better when they are with cows. The least time they are away, in my book, the better.

I agree, we had let our breeding season slide just for that reason, it was much easier to run the bulls with cows. Lately we have been in the process of tightening it back up. We try to work it where we have two breeding seasons one in winter-early spring and another in the fall.

 

[Brute 23]

I would say yes that is enough time but what is the benefit of leaving the bull in only 60 days?

We have gone to breeding seasons in the last 10 years and as much as I like it, it's a real pain in the rear also.

Even now I pull bulls a month or so before the cows are due to try to keep the time I have to house them to a minimum. Bulls do better when they are with cows. The least time they are away, in my book, the better.

I agree, we had let our breeding season slide just for that reason, it was much easier to run the bulls with cows. Lately we have been in the process of tightening it back up. We try to work it where we have two breeding seasons one in winter-early spring and another in the fall.

I would much rather have a calf, even if it's a little late, than not have on at all because I pulled the bull early. From there I can decide when to sell and how to handle it.

 

[Ky hills]

I would say yes that is enough time but what is the benefit of leaving the bull in only 60 days?

We have gone to breeding seasons in the last 10 years and as much as I like it, it's a real pain in the rear also.

Even now I pull bulls a month or so before the cows are due to try to keep the time I have to house them to a minimum. Bulls do better when they are with cows. The least time they are away, in my book, the better.

I agree, we had let our breeding season slide just for that reason, it was much easier to run the bulls with cows. Lately we have been in the process of tightening it back up. We try to work it where we have two breeding seasons one in winter-early spring and another in the fall.

I would much rather have a calf, even if it's a little late, than not have on at all because I pulled the bull early. From there I can decide when to sell and how to handle it.

That is my philosophy too. I really don't like having calves born during June through August but definite prefer it to missing out several months.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Really need to look at all the options here, and not just compare to feeding a cow with no calf case. Selling the slow breeder (who isn't currently making money in my set up) can be profitable and also less work than messing with a small single. Selling the slow breeder and replacing her with a good cow is even better in my current market.

Cull hard and keep it simple. We need more burger. :cboy:

 

[Brute 23]

I would much rather have a calf, even if it's a little late, than not have on at all because I pulled the bull early.

Really need to look at all the options here, and not just compare to feeding a cow with no calf case. Selling the slow breeder (who isn't currently making money in my set up) can be profitable and also less work than messing with a small single. Selling the slow breeder and replacing her with a good cow is even better in my current market.

Cull hard and keep it simple. We need more burger. :cboy:

I have. No way in hell I'm buying auction barn cattle no matter how cheap. The known is always better than the unknown.

... and I dont resell any thing I wouldnt keep. :tiphat:

 

[Katpau]

You won't regret shortening your calving season. Unless you have no place to keep bulls, I can think of no real disadvantages. Pull the bulls after 60 days and preg check about 45 days later. Sell the opens. In a few years, there will be very few opens and from then on you'll have a much more fertile herd. Calving and the stresses that go with it will be over in about 60 days (often in just 45 days) and you will have 300 days where you don't need to wonder if that heifer or cow might calve and need help today. When it's time to sell, they'll all be ready about the same time and you should get a better price because of the higher numbers and uniformity. You won't be running to the sale barn multiple times with different age calves. I won't keep a cow that can't get pregnant and calve every year within a couple months of the year before. This business is tough enough without feeding a cow that only calves every 18 months. I either sell a calf out of the cow every year or the cow is sold to replace that income.

 

[snoopdog]

There is no right answer, cultivate a fall herd, cultivate a spring calving herd, you're still gonna lose the same amount of money, probably.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Sold some of those slow breeding kind today - - averaged U$S 0.6675. Folks want more burger!

I can replace these cows with a home raised bred heifer at that cull price.

 

[SPH]

If you are only breeding 20 or less cows I would suggest the protocol we use for a herd of that size if you want to tighten up your calving season. If you do any AI breeding or not sync up your early calvers to calve at the earliest date you want to calve at. Turn everything out with your herd bull after you are done with AI and those that don't stick to the AI service likely will get bred by the bull on their next heat cycle and then set a hard date of when you want your last calf born then pull your bull. Any females that come up open at preg check you cull. We cut down our herd of about 20 females to 12 last year and we have calved out 11 of 12. First calf came on Feb 17 which was nearly a week early from due date and most recent calf came on 3/21 with last cow to calve in early April. We were over 50% done in about a week in February with AI calves and the next round calved all within a few days 3 weeks later. Dad wants to sync the whole herd with CIDRs this year and either AI or turn them out with the bull as it makes it so much easier just to calve out all at once in a short time frame.