Spring Calving vs. Fall Calving

[Bullitt]

Winter wheat is cheaper than hay and more nutrient rich.

Calving year round worked great for me in this climate. Some cows were calving at 10 1/2 months since last calf. That is the genes I retained when I had to pick and cull.

How large was your herd?

Some people say they get better prices when all their calves are of similar weight. Did you get good prices selling a few calves at a time?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Winter wheat is cheaper than hay and more nutrient rich.

Calving year round worked great for me in this climate. Some cows were calving at 10 1/2 months since last calf. That is the genes I retained when I had to pick and cull.

How large was your herd?

Some people say they get better prices when all their calves are of similar weight. Did you get good prices selling a few calves at a time?

My herd was small. 81 mommas was as big as it got. The cows were making land payments.

Some calves went to the sale barn. 3, 4, 5 - as many as 8 went to the meat processor for clients. It is a timing thing. Processors can only handle so many. Lots of folks from my day job want 1/2 a beef. Seems like I never had an even number.

Real money came from buying and selling land. Serious money.

 

[rockroadseminole]

It's a location thing for me. If I was located in the north, I might want to calve in the spring or summer. Since I'm in an area where it gets cold a few weeks out of the year, we calve in October and November. Cows are in good condition coming off of summer grass prior to calving, but quality is falling fast. This helps us keep from having too high birth weights in my mind (i have no science to back this up), but the cow is in good condition to milk. A beef cow will make the same amount of milk regardless of what you feed her. Her body condition will fluctuate to compensate. So our cows lose a little weight at calving, calves grow great due to all milk early on, and then everybody gets put on winter (rye/oats/wheat/whatever) grazing in mid December. This allows the calves to be on lush green, growing forage until we sell them. Cows are on the best forage of the year (winter grazing) for breed back. Not to mention the cool weather is easier on our bulls. It gets hot in the south during the summer. I don't want my bulls hunting shade when they should be courting.

 

[bird dog]

Very well said Rockroad. That is where I am heading with my herd. It means moving most of them up 2 to 4 months so it will take a few years to get my calving schedule tightened back up but I think it will be worth it.

 

[Mat Man]

We calve about 30 in the fall and 30 in the spring. Our bulls stay with each group 6 months. If one gets out of sequence it gets moved to the other group or stock yard.

 

[Logar]

Why do people do it? I see a lot of these larger operations doing it, but I don't understand the want for fall calving. I would think it would be easier to sell calves instead of carrying them through the winter. I ask b/c I'm looking at buying soon and one of the folks I'm talking to has both. Personally, I'm think I'm going to stay with spring calvers, but I could be persuaded.

We do a bit of both.

Those fall calves we sell in the spring do real well when going on to grass.

Essentially everyone has their own operation and should do what works for THEM.

I would say we are about 70%/30% spring and fall calving.

Cheers

 

[Bullitt]

Why do people do it? I see a lot of these larger operations doing it, but I don't understand the want for fall calving. I would think it would be easier to sell calves instead of carrying them through the winter. I ask b/c I'm looking at buying soon and one of the folks I'm talking to has both. Personally, I'm think I'm going to stay with spring calvers, but I could be persuaded.

We do a bit of both.

Those fall calves we sell in the spring do real well when going on to grass.

Essentially everyone has their own operation and should do what works for THEM.

I would say we are about 70%/30% spring and fall calving.

Cheers

I am sure it is nice to have some of the income spread out in the year.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I am sure it is nice to have some of the income spread out in the year.

It can spread your eggs from a single basket.

Blow a pump, need a few nickels to get things fixed, you can dump a few steers. Any time.