George Monk
Well-known member
Just finished weaning our fall calves. We only averaged 350 lbs. Usually our weaning average is 200+ lbs better! We have approached 600 lb weaning average before with some calves as big as 800 lbs. This year our BIGGEST did not top 500! Our spring average this year was 575.
There are a whole issue of problems. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) the majoritiy were management related! We had health problems, poor weather, lack of condition in momma's etc.
This was only the second year that I have had a fall group and boy was the learning curve steep. Tried to cut some corners to save $$$ and that was a bust! I feel a lot of our problem can be traced back to the summer BEFORE the calves were ever on the ground. Due to management stupidity we lost 40 acres (a full 1/3 of our available pasture) of the best orchardgrass you could imagine and that really effected our fall pasture. I was feeding hay in October full bore and had been feeding some prior to that. In retrospect I wish I had been much more aggressive in feeding last fall.
I also feel that last fall has effected the condition of our spring cows too. I think they are lower in BCS than they were last year at this time. That is another change we are making....keeping RECORDS better which is going to include a BCS score.
We used some creep feed for this bunch ......once to try to medicate to help them get over a whole host of respritory problems and then about a month before weaning to set them up. Looks like I should have been more aggressive (or helpful) with that too.
Anyway I share this with hopes that we can learn from my mistakes :? :cry2: . Sorry if I don't respond a lot too this or other topics but it is hard for me to spend time other than keeping up with the great discussion. I felt like I owed this to you all. Some contribution is better than none right?
thanks
George
There are a whole issue of problems. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) the majoritiy were management related! We had health problems, poor weather, lack of condition in momma's etc.
This was only the second year that I have had a fall group and boy was the learning curve steep. Tried to cut some corners to save $$$ and that was a bust! I feel a lot of our problem can be traced back to the summer BEFORE the calves were ever on the ground. Due to management stupidity we lost 40 acres (a full 1/3 of our available pasture) of the best orchardgrass you could imagine and that really effected our fall pasture. I was feeding hay in October full bore and had been feeding some prior to that. In retrospect I wish I had been much more aggressive in feeding last fall.
I also feel that last fall has effected the condition of our spring cows too. I think they are lower in BCS than they were last year at this time. That is another change we are making....keeping RECORDS better which is going to include a BCS score.
We used some creep feed for this bunch ......once to try to medicate to help them get over a whole host of respritory problems and then about a month before weaning to set them up. Looks like I should have been more aggressive (or helpful) with that too.
Anyway I share this with hopes that we can learn from my mistakes :? :cry2: . Sorry if I don't respond a lot too this or other topics but it is hard for me to spend time other than keeping up with the great discussion. I felt like I owed this to you all. Some contribution is better than none right?
thanks
George