SRBeef
Well-known member
rjbovine":35zqvfao said:I'm impressed with the body condition of your herd coming out of winter. I know from your pictures winter has not been kind. One question I have how much has genetics played in getting your herd to winter on mostly hay ? I've started a small group last fall . Bred cows bought at sale barn . I've feed free choice hay mostly fescue some clover and 4lb. corn and supplement per head per day. Also free choice 24% protein tub. . Cows calved in dec. and jan. Body condition was good till mid march. Then cow really started loosing body condition . Learning curve need some help. I Know some will say you got what you payed for . Had to start some where . Just want to get better as I go forward . Enjoy the info and pictures you share .
Thanks for the kind words on my cattle. I am still learning myself. I do think genetics has a lot to do with it. I see big differences between my own cattle in their ability to put on and keep condition from the same mostly hay and mineral diet over a tough winter. I think I am starting to see what Knersie and others refer to as easy "doing" cattle. some have the ability to get "fat" on hay and others don't.
From your post however I would say your most likely challenge keeping condition on your cows in S Illinois is your calving date. If your cows calved in December and January, those calves are at their peak demand on mama right now and this is before you have significant grass.
Even though you are feeding them 4 lb of corn etc, they obviously need more. It is obviously expensive and difficult to supply their full needs at peak lactation. They probably could use a lot more alfalfa or dairy type hay which is expensive and hard to find in small quantities this time of year.
Before you blame it on the cattle, I would try moving your calving date next year back to maybe mid to late March or April 1. Even with as good a condition as mine have been in, I can see the them getting pulled down a bit, especially the ones with the oldest/largest calves on them. I moved my calving up two weeks this year and really see the difference in the cow condition.
It was also pointed out to me, and correctly, that lots of calves and hay feed rings in mud etc this time of year can be a dangerous situation. Calves can get stepped on, hay bales fall over and bury calves inside feeders etc.
Checking on them today I decided to move a couple bales from feed rings to on the ground in one of their favorite spots higher up on the ridge and out of the mud.
You would have thought it was Christmas morning the way they tore into those bales! Here are a couple pictures after the hay was moved. One persistent calf (2nd pic) was trying to get some supper even though Mom was pretty focused on the bale on the ground.
Jim