Woo Hoo - next year only one calving season!

[mdmdogs3]

I finally got Dad to agree to have a calving season and only one of them.
I've been pushing to actually having a calving season instead of just leaving the bull in with the cows 24/7/365.
With the chicken houses we don't always have the time we need to devote to the cows and since now we never know when a cow is due it is very difficult to keep close enough tabs on how everyone is doing.
Anyway, last month I finally was able to talk him into pulling the bulls out of the pasture and today he finally agreed that we should only have one calving season.
I've learned to just talking up the good points and let it be his idea... ;-)

 

[wild one]

good for you and the pocket book when it comes to marketing the simillar groups of calves We did the same. It also took some convincing but they saw the benifit in the long run.

 

[msscamp]

I've learned to just talking up the good points and let it be his idea... ;-)

Amazing how that works on most things, isn't it? ;-) :lol: :lol: Just takes a little patience, and the willingness to let them think it was their idea!

 

[Limomike]

Yes.. thats funny, I used to do that to my Dad.
Do most people think its a benefit to have one calving season? I just wonder.... I have never done it that way..

 

[msscamp]

Yes.. thats funny, I used to do that to my Dad.
Do most people think its a benefit to have one calving season? I just wonder.... I have never done it that way..

Well, it's certainly a benefit to your sleep! ;-) :lol: :lol: On a more serious note, I would not even want to contemplate having a fall calving season up here - with our growing season the cost of hay alone would be astronomical.

 

[MoGal]

Good deal!!

We're a few years away yet (unless we sold the ones that didn't fit in) but one of these days, I hope we can get ours down to just putting a bull in Dec., Jan, and Feb.

Its hard isn't it when our parents get in their 70's and 80's and you can see things that perhaps would make the way better but they are "set" in their ways and I sometimes wonder who has to take the parent role and who has the kid role..... kudos to you for being "patient" with your Dad, he still has his pride intact and yet thinks it was all his idea.

 

[sidney411]

How are you planning on acheiving this? Are you going to run cows open until they have all calved then turn the bull in? Won't you realize a loss in the 1st years calf crop with running cows open for a while therefore you will actually be short on calves if you figure 1 calf every 365 days?

 

[mdmdogs3]

How are you planning on acheiving this? Are you going to run cows open until they have all calved then turn the bull in? Won't you realize a loss in the 1st years calf crop with running cows open for a while therefore you will actually be short on calves if you figure 1 calf every 365 days?

we were just talking about this today
we pulled the bulls out because we didn't want any winter babies and now we are going to put them back in so that we have a short calving season
then the cows that have for whatever reason not gotten bred during that short time (if they have a reason!) will get a free 6 month ride
I know that is hard on the pocketbook but dang gotta start somewhere!

and yes it is hard to try to change what a 69 year old is doing when he knows so much more than I ever will...
but I know that the way we are doing things now isn't working
he really doesn't know if we have a cow that hasn't had a calf for a year or two
(just got the computer program completely filled out with every cow having a number and every calf starting with last falls calfs having a matching mama)
with 8 chicken houses too there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything if your aren't taking some shortcuts
like a record keeping system and a short calving season when you know that you need to be closely watching the mama's

 

[JbarL]

thanks for the info in you alls conversation.....i'm a new member with a new herd, started march 16 in south east ohio.
i have a hand running my 30 acre farm while i am in fl. i was lucky to find top notch help and stock rescouces...i have 2 heffers and 1 soureget mother and 4 month old bull calf at her side. also included was the services of another one of his bulls for the month of april.. so far so good 1 for sure seems to have taken. i have been debating the same issues of " scheduled" birth season also...for the same reasons. i could not pass up the oppertunity however to increase my first years numbers and my youing bull should be ready to go next fall. i like the dec jan feb sceniero....it works for our bad weather in jan feb and march... and after reading your posts i realize i have the oppertunity to start off that way next fall and not actually have an open caow situation.......thanks for the oppertunity to share your comments ..... the soft ware also is an issue i'm debating on....seems like the only way to really keep track of " "everything " else...i have seen software from 89 to $300.00 ??????? is there anything out there that you all recommend??? thanks jbarl

 

[dun]

soft ware also is an issue i'm debating on....seems like the only way to really keep track of " "everything " else...i have seen software from 89 to $300.00 ??????? is there anything out there that you all recommend??? thanks jbarl

Cattlemax from Cattlesoft

dun

 

[mdmdogs3]

I'm using Ranch Manager - I didn't need a lot of bells and whistles - just some help with record keeping

but before you make a decision - do a search here - this has been discussed and cussed lots of times...

 

[bigbull338]

soft ware also is an issue i'm debating on....seems like the only way to really keep track of " "everything " else...i have seen software from 89 to $300.00 ??????? is there anything out there that you all recommend??? thanks jbarl

Cattlemax from Cattlesoft

dun

the cattlemax software is over $300 for the unlimited reg edition.

 

[dun]

soft ware also is an issue i'm debating on....seems like the only way to really keep track of " "everything " else...i have seen software from 89 to $300.00 ??????? is there anything out there that you all recommend??? thanks jbarl

Cattlemax from Cattlesoft

dun

the cattlemax software is over $300 for the unlimited reg edition.

Correct, but it's down to a couple of bucks a year as long as I've been using it. They alos have a free download or they'll send you a CD for free that you can mess with to see if you like it.

dun