Unusual Calving

[goddy]

We only have 24 cows calving of which 7 are first calving heifers. The heifers were synched and AI'd to calve 1st March and the bull went in with the cows the day I AI'd the heifers. So at this point , the day before due date, we have 16 calves on the ground of which 13 are bull calves. I rechecked my dates to make sure I hadn't had a brain fart but the dates are right. I'm wondering if the very cold winter with prolonged snow ( from 1st week in Dec to now) and the extra feed I have been throwing at them has an affect ? It's a weird one.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Which bull did you AI to? Some are recommended in part for shorter gestation lengths....

 

[dun]

Funny that your winter was colder then normal and the calves are coming early. We had a very mild winter and the calves are coming early too. In conversations with the vet he thought maybe it was the mild winter that has lead to early calving. Apparantly it isn;t. Gotta be global warming!

 

[goddy]

Funny that your winter was colder then normal and the calves are coming early. We had a very mild winter and the calves are coming early too. In conversations with the vet he thought maybe it was the mild winter that has lead to early calving. Apparantly it isn;t. Gotta be global warming!

We still have 8 to 10 " of global warming covering the fields so you could be right.

Now at 18 calves - 15 bulls - day after due date !

 

[Dave]

Good thing is you have life calves given this global warming winter. I know people in south central Washington who have been keeping the coyotes well fed thanks to this weather.

 

[Nesikep]

Looking at my cows, I have a few that are looking pretty ready but the calendar says they have 2 weeks to go.. a few of them I can't imagine going another 2 weeks.. Like the little girl on the right...

 

[Lsirois]

That's a really high percentage of bull calves.Is that normal? I am new to this just had my first cow give birth to her first calf and it's a girl.

 

[TCRanch]

Ditto on the early calving, including 8 born within 12 hours out of only 46 cows/heifers due for spring calving. We've also had a mild winter and they're already grazing during the day, back at the bales at night. And for some reason our girls are fired up this year - tagging/banding/working the calves has been a challenge where they've always been very docile and they know the drill. One of my best friends as well as our neighbor is having the same attitude issue with their herds. Might as well contribute that to global warming as well

 

[TCRanch]

That's a really high percentage of bull calves.Is that normal? I am new to this just had my first cow give birth to her first calf and it's a girl.

Roll the dice. We generally end up with way more bull calves but last year the heifers were 3-to-1. So far this year it's 50/50.

 

[goddy]

That's a really high percentage of bull calves.Is that normal? I am new to this just had my first cow give birth to her first calf and it's a girl.

Normally we end up 50:50 or close - this year even if all the rest have heifers we will be heavily on the side of bulls. Live calves are good !

 

[Son of Butch]

I'm wondering if the very cold winter with prolonged snow ( from 1st week in Dec to now) and the extra feed
I have been throwing at them has an affect ?

Yes it has an effect, but the effect is heavier birth weights.... not shorter gestation.
Colder than average winters and extra calories have both been shown to increase birth weight.
Is it possible you have unknowingly been selecting genetics with shorter gestation periods?

 

[greatgerts]

We are at 16% heifers for the year. I figured up one certain bull's calves, and as a total since his first calf, he was at 14% heifers. I'm ready for a swing back the other way.

 

[farmerjan]

We had over 70% heifer calves last fall, and are running 2 to 1 heifers over bulls with the first 8 calves on the ground already this spring. Maybe need to import some of the water from goddy's area to see if that will increase the number of bull calves!!!! :help: :help: But as I tell my son every time he tags a heifer, better a live heifer than a dead bull.... :bang: :bang: