Curious what yall would do. It appears as if I might be able to increase my cow numbers by about 15 head next year. I have said for a couple years that the next time I am able to expand, I want to do so with fall calvers. This will increase my numbers from 45 up to 60 cows. My reasoning for having two calving seasons is to spread out the work load, have better use of my clean-up bulls, have breeding stock to sell 2 times a year, and have income from cattle sales two times a year. Fall calving also normally occurs in much better weather, and the death loss at calving is generally reduced.
These are my thoughts on what to do. I have one summer pasture that can carry about 25 pairs on it from April to Oct-Nov. It is predominantly fescue, which has really good grazing in the spring and starting again in September up through November, but falls off in July and August from the "summer slump". You can see a thread I had a while back about what I think the effect of the fescue is on my weaning weights. This fall grazing would be good for the cows as they are coming into milk, and the cow would not be lactating when the grass quality is at it worst. My thinking is to purchase 15 fall calving cows and put them in this particular pasture. This will get my numbers from 45 to 60. Secondly, I would take 10 or so spring calvers, and put them with the fall calving cows to have the proper number of cows at each summer pasture. I would not AI or run a bull with theses "spring calvers", rather hold them over for fall calving.
I realize I will have some additional feed costs in these cows for the 6 months they are less productive, but I place a fairly high value on knowing what I got and their production history. Would I be better off to do what I described, or sell 10 or so spring calvers and purchase additional fall calvers. What say you?
These are my thoughts on what to do. I have one summer pasture that can carry about 25 pairs on it from April to Oct-Nov. It is predominantly fescue, which has really good grazing in the spring and starting again in September up through November, but falls off in July and August from the "summer slump". You can see a thread I had a while back about what I think the effect of the fescue is on my weaning weights. This fall grazing would be good for the cows as they are coming into milk, and the cow would not be lactating when the grass quality is at it worst. My thinking is to purchase 15 fall calving cows and put them in this particular pasture. This will get my numbers from 45 to 60. Secondly, I would take 10 or so spring calvers, and put them with the fall calving cows to have the proper number of cows at each summer pasture. I would not AI or run a bull with theses "spring calvers", rather hold them over for fall calving.
I realize I will have some additional feed costs in these cows for the 6 months they are less productive, but I place a fairly high value on knowing what I got and their production history. Would I be better off to do what I described, or sell 10 or so spring calvers and purchase additional fall calvers. What say you?