Winter A maintenance time of the year?

[Just Curious]

Just wondering what some of you try to achieve during your winter months in addition to a healthy herd...
Like weight gain... Do you hope for a certain percentage of what you would get in the summer months??

 

[oscar p]

Its hard to get cows to gain weight in winter time,(unless you pour the feed to them) I just try to get them to maintain their summer weight.

 

[msscamp]

With regard to the cows, we spring calve so we are not looking for gain - just for them to maintain their weight through the pregnancy.

 

[Susie David]

Amen....we also have our spring and summer production steers to feed so its alfalfa and a cracked corn supplement for them, we maintain a 2.5 ADG year round.
I know, we spoil the girls (just about to start the third trimester) and give them a corn ration when the temps drop below about 10 degrees...don't want them using body reserves just staying warm.
ANd that's my two bits worth. Dave Mc

 

[AngusLimoX]

we maintain a 2.5 ADG year round.
Dave Mc

Sorry Dave, I don't understand this number. On the cows, or is this a cow calf avg annual avg?

 

[bigbull338]

we maintain a 2.5 ADG year round.
Dave Mc

Sorry Dave, I don't understand this number. On the cows, or is this a cow calf avg annual avg?

he is talking about when he is feeding out steers.he maintains a 2.5lb a day weight gain on the steers yr round.

 

[AngusLimoX]

Thanks bigbull338!

 

[El_Putzo]

We don't supplement the cow herd with any type of grain, but we do feed what we consider a good quality hay. Usually some combination of alfalfa, timothy, OG or brome. At the beginning of winter when the cows tend to waste more hay because they are still picking a little grass, we feed our poorer quality hay, usually a fescue, OG mix hay.

I'm not really sure that we expect them to gain weight through the winter, but they generally do, especially the spring calvers. We've even found that the fall calving cows that are nursing calves through the winter generally stay in better condition than our spring calving cows do on our summer pasture of fescue.

Seems bass ackwards of most of you, doesn't it.