Year round calving or not?

[BKR]

Hi Folks,

This is probably an age old debate and I don't want to start a fight but would like some opinions on this.

I just acquired a herd of 16 cows and one herd bull.

The prior owner kept the bull with the cows year round and had calves all throughout the year.

I am leaning towards limiting access to condense calving time.

I know weather plays a factor and marketing times may as well.

Would like to hear your opinions on preferred calving time as well as preferred exposure time for bull to be with cows.

Also curious about best time for market spring versus fall.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Dennis

 

[Jake]

The best calving time will depend on your location and environment. I am never a fan of year round calving as you have no ability to manage the marketing piece of your cattle because you just always have something big enough to sell. From a cash flow stand point it may work for you but you're never going to maximize profit calving year round for a multitude of reasons from nutritional requirements to marketing to labor requirements.

 

[gizmom]

We are not fans of year round calving. It makes it harder to judge how your herd is performing as far as grouping your calves, I like to compare apples to apples.

gizmom

 

[hillside farm]

I like spring calving, less than 60 days, gives me a uniform calf crop and they're out on grass from just after birth to weining.

 

[WalnutCrest]

A friend of mine is in the same situation with his herd of 40-ish. He decided to bite the bullet and sell his bull and squish everything into a 60-90 day window, calving starting around the first of April. He sold his bull about four months ago. He's looking to buy a bull in about 10-12 months.

We're fans of a narrow calving season (45-60 days, not to exceed 90 days) for all the reasons above, plus more.

 

[Rafter S]

I prefer late fall / early winter calving, but as Jake said, that depends on your location.

 

[skyhightree1]

amazing what you can find if you click a couple pages in the same forum you post.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=97709

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Hi Folks,

This is probably an age old debate and I don't want to start a fight but would like some opinions on this.

I just acquired a herd of 16 cows and one herd bull.

The prior owner kept the bull with the cows year round and had calves all throughout the year.

I am leaning towards limiting access to condense calving time.

I know weather plays a factor and marketing times may as well.

Would like to hear your opinions on preferred calving time as well as preferred exposure time for bull to be with cows.

Also curious about best time for market spring versus fall.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Dennis

:welcome: to the boards Dennis. I'm glad to meet you.

 

[2J Ranch]

I'd rather have all calves at one time but my bull runs with my cows year round so it will spreadem out. In central Texas the weathers not too bad so it doesn't matter much. If u only have 16 cows you'll need a place to keep your bull away from them until breeding time and hope he's not too close to a neighbors herd to travel. That can be a bigger problem

 

[BKR]

Thanks for the great replies folks. Appreciate your input! Dennis

 

[dieselbeef]

we calf all yr. we need cash flow. also we sell for finished beef not usually at the market except for culls. its hard to keep the bull separate also. we are having a hard time with the bull we wanna keep back for our herd bull because we usually wean steers and hiefers together.
like 2j said.. keepin the bull away can be a real problem if you don't have huge pastures to spread everyone out. all our pasutres share fence..sometimes weaning is even a pita. weve got 20 cows and almost always have a calf on the ground. we don't have enough to mrkt potloads so uniformity and groupings isn't as big a deal as for gizmom or some of yall with hundreds of head

 

[Jake]

You really only need to keep the bull away during calving and for about 45-60 days after your intended pull date. When the cows are bred he can be back with them just need a separation period.

 

[Rafter S]

You really only need to keep the bull away during calving and for about 45-60 days after your intended pull date. When the cows are bred he can be back with them just need a separation period.

I agree. I leave bulls with the cows until the first calf is born. I pull them then because I don't want early calves.

 

[littletom]

It is a lot less work to have them calve together. You can work and band once wean once. You don't have to worry about your heifers being bred extreme early, can grow calfs on grass not hay and save a lot of hay, you can compare them each other. During calving you can check on them like you should. To me all the pros out way the con of hauling off a couple when you are short on coin. Sorry to be short this just comes up a lot.

 

[dieselbeef]

id rather band and wean than deal with a destroyed fenceline or a injured bull

it goes both ways. id like to do it all at once..but if i took my bull out for 60 days that would be 60 days of work i dont need

 

[ANAZAZI]

It is a lot less work to have them calve together. You can work and band once wean once. You don't have to worry about your heifers being bred extreme early, can grow calfs on grass not hay and save a lot of hay, you can compare them each other. During calving you can check on them like you should. To me all the pros out way the con of hauling off a couple when you are short on coin. Sorry to be short this just comes up a lot.

Sums it up. :tiphat:

 

[Andyva]

I don't know how far the rest of folks have to go to market, but I'm burning too much money in gas to want to make a bunch of trips. If you put your money in the bank at one time, it will be there until you take it out, AND it won't eat anything.

 

[Jake]

id rather band and wean than deal with a destroyed fenceline or a injured bull

it goes both ways. id like to do it all at once..but if i took my bull out for 60 days that would be 60 days of work i dont need

Just a function of what you think is more work. We put 7 or 8 bulls together is a small pasture when they are done with the cows.

But to me putting a bull in a lot or pasture with an old cow or a butcher steer or something of the like is a lot less work than constantly messing with cows calving. Not to mention if you happen to have a problem calving its a lot easier to notice it quickly when all the cows are calving at a similar time.

But to each his own.

 

[dieselbeef]

so how big a lot are we talking. 7 -8 bulls for how long/on 10-20 acres?

 

[Jake]

so how big a lot are we talking. 7 -8 bulls for how long/on 10-20 acres?

25 acres from the end of July until whenever we wean. We have however just locked up an old problem bull in the lot by himself or with an old cow for 60 days or so until we have a big enough gap so that when I preg there it is easy to tell who got bred when.