South Texas breeding schedule?

[Sniper338]

Down here in south central texas what seems to be the norm for a breeding schedule? It doesnt really get cold enough or cold for very long maybe a day or two during the winter then we end up with a few days in the 60s again... im more worried about heat than cold... i see MANY that just leave bulls in with cows and breed all year long, where theres not really a schedule at all... just keep cows bred and having calves...

is this just a somewhat exception because of this enviornment, or is it really wrong?

I understand up north youd want calves dropping in spring as it starts to warm up again so they dont have the harsh cold when born... but its totally different down here...

what do yall reckon?

 

[Jessica06]

We start calving in January. A lot of places around here bigger than us start in December. For fall calving, we don't want them to calve any earlier than August. September is pretty safe. We are about an hour and a half east of you, if you are east of 35.

I think that the more cows you have, the more sense it makes to have some kind of set breeding season. Year-round calving just means that you are working year-round. We worked all our heifer pairs yesterday...one of the happiest days for me is turning them out on pasture with the bulls, knowing we won't have to mess with them again until we wean in 3-4 months.

 

[Rafter S]

My calving season starts about November 1. That works well for me for several reasons.

1. When spring grass gets here, the cows start to give more milk, and the calves are big enough to take advantage of it. And the calves are big enough to take advantage of the grass also. You can almost see them growing if you look real close.
2. Although it isn't true every year, historically the calf market seems to peak in mid-summer, and then start to drop off in early fall. I'm selling my steers in July or August at the top of the market.
3. My bulls are working in late winter and early spring, and resting in the heat of summer.
4. When it gets really hot, and the grass gets short, the calves are ready to sell, taking pressure off the grass and the cows.

There may be other reasons, but those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. The only disadvantage I'm aware of is that I have to take better care of my cows during the winter than if they were calving in spring, but my hay costs are pretty low, so I don't mind.