boy you asked a sticky question.as for mother nature an cows breeding yes nature controls it.if a cow has a big calf sucking on her takes longer to breed back.if its to hot in the summer.that also affects the cows ability to breed back.nutriion affects her ability to breed back.but talking about nature.cows would breed back quicker in the spring an summer.because they have the grass to get them to breed back.plbcattle":3jnjys13 said:What do you feel is mother natures time for calving. When do you feel that before all the synchronization and breeding, when do you feel mother nature intended cows to calve and why?
BAGTIC":in75cu1b said:Ihave heard that porcupines are only fertile for four hours, once a year.
Aero":xu1lo21q said:Kit Pharo says May because that is when a lot of the wildlife (deer, etc) give birth. early spring is too barren and if a coyote is looking for something to kill, the cow laying down in the snow is much easier than anything else at that time. during early summer/late spring the wildlife arent as hungry on average and there are lots more targets at that time.
i am sure he would have a better reasoning than i do, but this is what i remember from our discussion of calving season.
just a thought.
may in my area would'nt be the ideal time. with summer coming on. and summer slump poorer forage the heat when the calf is demanding more moma aint at her best. but the pharo likes to get shed of em at around 350.00 pounds anywayAero":2gbwy3r5 said:Kit Pharo says May because that is when a lot of the wildlife (deer, etc) give birth. early spring is too barren and if a coyote is looking for something to kill, the cow laying down in the snow is much easier than anything else at that time. during early summer/late spring the wildlife arent as hungry on average and there are lots more targets at that time.
i am sure he would have a better reasoning than i do, but this is what i remember from our discussion of calving season.
just a thought.
Short Memory --
I have been visiting with several burned-out ranchers who are in the middle of calving -- winter calving. I have also been reading many articles describing all the troubles some poor, unfortunate ranchers are having this calving season –- winter calving.
To be honest with you, I am having a difficult time feeling sorry for all these poor, unfortunate ranchers. However, I do feel sorry for their cows and newly-born calves. Winter calving is inhumane -– and it should be stopped!
According to a study that was done several years ago in Wyoming , the weaning weight difference between calves born in February and calves born in June was only 43 pounds. What do you think it costs to produce those extra 43 pounds? I guarantee it will cost a lot more to produce those extra 43 pounds than they can be sold for.
Several ranchers who moved from winter calving to May/June calving say their individual weaning weights are lower –- BUT they are actually weaning MORE TOTAL POUNDS because they have much less sickness and death loss. Because individual weaning weights are smaller -- their calves are worth MORE PER POUND. MORE TOTAL POUNDS that are worth MORE PER POUND! Calving in sync with nature will also drastically reduce your feed costs and labor costs. Folks, this is a NO-BRAINER!
Unfortunately, by the time most ranchers get to their traditional bull turn-out date, they will forget about all the troubles they had with winter calving. Next winter, they will have no one to blame but themselves. As we head toward the bottom side of this cattle cycle, I expect a lot of these short-memory ranchers to go broke. Once again, they will have no one to blame but themselves.
natural migration would not have his problem as badly. however, that is the best modified "ma nature" result i have heard.alabama":1k3wqz1e said:This is just one observation: An old lady that lives close to me has left her bull in the pasture year round for well over 20 years. I get to see the cattle as I often put out hay for her when one of her sons are not around which is most of the time. She sells a few cows and keep some heifers but does not separate them. So, the heifers are bred as soon as they cycle. The only feed they get is hay in the winter.
Most of her calves are born around Dec. Jan.
I would suspect that is due to the cows starting to cycle when the spring grass starts to green up which also puts the calves at about 3 to 4 months of age at spring green up.
This would correspond with a 9-month gestation that put cows calving 3 months before the best nutrition is available in that climate. If you assume that cows do not cycle very well when nutritional levels are low.
This is just a guess. What do y'all think?