yr rd bull ruining timing?

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dieselbeef

dieselbeef

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think the bull being with the cows all yr throws off the timing of the next rd of calfs?
...ive got 18 cows and a bull and he made the grade last yr..he was getting everything the prior bull had missed in less than a yr time. a yr is good. really asking for more I just don't see it..i know some of you say every 10 mos but I don't believe it so..save all that.
so I have the last few yrs and this is with 2 different bulls have noticed that its taking longer and longer for them to get bred back.
this bull came with a 100% good to go from the vet and I trust my seller. but that was 18 mos ago too
I cannot totally blame the bull as I suppose it could be my paperwork from the last 2 yrs as I was kinda preoccupied and im not even sure if my paperwork is correct....reality is I don't even know where im at for sure..
 
environment /weather plays a bigger role than people give credit for. When you track production over several yrs you will see an ebb and flow. some yrs the calve in 10 mths some its 14 mths but it will all avg out to be 12mth on most. You will have a couple that will break the mold and I attribute it to fertility of the cow but all in all floods , drought, heat, cold all play a role when everything else is done correctly .
 
This past year was a tough one for alot of reasons. The dairy farmers were having a terrible time getting some stuff bred for no apparant reasons, then everything started to settle. I don't think letting the bull stay in full time is a problem; I think this past years' weather has had more to do with it. We don't let our bulls stay because we want calves at certain times. There is always one or two that will be stragglers. Had a cow that was a little late and then she had twins; another calved the same day and together they raised the 3 and did a decent job of it. They are both bred back, and if the vet is right, will both back up to about 11 months....have another that had a single earlier and she is one of the last to get bred and will be behind. One of the biggest things is the quality of the grass and we had so much rain early, and so much grass it just was like eating water...I think that the nutrition level was poor. I also am watching the minerals and have gone to one that has kelp in it for the micro-nutrients and I think it has helped alot.
We have a 90 day calving window for the most part. Most will calve within 60 days with a few late ones. But for the most part, they will avg. 12 months over time.
 
ya know mentioning it u have noticed the intake on the minerals has gone down quite a bit..i cant remember the last time I put some out...a 50 lb bag has been lasting months.

its a basic generic mineral for range cattle my local guy sells...maybe I need something else but its the same thing ive used for 10 yrs
 
Brute 23":3jlupdqk said:
I suggest tightening up on your books and find out which cows aren't breeding back. Its your call at the end of the day how long you can tolerate but with 18 cows there should be no excuses.
Click to expand...
:clap: He speaks the truth
 
i know bout the book keping fella..some of ya understand what happened..

either way I was jus wondering where I might be looking..and venting some frustrations..
 
Well I'm breaking with rest of the crew. I think leaving a bull or two in year round hurts your conception rates and timing. I've put bulls in with cows and heifers that were showing no signs of heat, and before long one would be in heat. Boys and girls like each other and even more so when they've been separated.
My advice Gary is to have someone palpat your cows so you have an idea of where your at. If you want to bunch them back up just Lute and Dex the short bred cows.
 
well I just got home bout an hr ago and lo and behold 2 calfs. I need to check the books but it was a little sunshine..

about the lute and dex thing...how short must they be..ive got a real good dairy vet im sure could help me plan it all

ill tell ya it was tough when I had the wife to help me..its even harder now to say nothing of the rest of my life in general. im still kinda trying to regroup so I might just let it ride out til spring..another month or 2 probly before I can manage to herd em all up anyways.

I think It does slow em down breeding back...... maybe it keeps him more satisfied if hes getting his work done regularly and not all at once so hes not so eager.....I know I know it don't work like that
 
It's good to hear from you Dieselbeef!

I can't say one way or another if leaving the bull with them affects how quickly they come into heat.. it's very rare I've had them calf at 10 month intervals.. I had one heifer that was really late her first year.. she's caught up by a month every year and by next year she should be all caught up.. This winter is the first time she hasn't nursed a calf through it so she's actually been able to put on some conditon
Hopefully yours do the same, and in time you'll get the books straightened out, etc.. it doesn't need to be high on the priority list right now
 
DB

Good to see you posting again, you and your son are still on my prayer list. I don't have much experience running a bull year round, hopefully some of the folks that do can give you some input. We keep trying to shorten the calling season this year we had them calve in 75 days, so the goal next year will be 70. The Van Dyke herd out in MT has a 45 day calving season. I don't think we can do that in our environment but heck it's can't hurt to try. Glad to here about the new calves that always brings a smile to my face!

Gizmom
 
thanks kids...we're just workin out the details. was nice to see them calfs for sure..not like I needed the work tho! lol..ah well

we just keep on keepin on
 
I had been leaving my bull in from turn in, around Dec 10, to right before they start calving in Sept. I don't have dates available from year before last year on hand, but this last fall my 14 old cows ( as in not 2's) calved in 36 days. I had one late cow that didn't milk last year too good, that's leaving now that she is giving even less this year, that calved on the 60th day from the first calving cow. It seems if they don't have trouble calving, then the getting bred part is taking care of itself in a timely manner. I'm pulling bulls at 60 days this year. My 2 yo with calves were the ones I was worried about and I'll know, pretty sure, if they are all bred, on Monday. That's when the one I'm unsure about is due to come back in. Bull comes out on the tenth, regardless, at 60 days. I'm going to pull them for when I DONT want calves. So far, leaving them in has not created any problems with the old cows. They can't breed what's already bred? (unless one slips, obviously)

I am not sure I understand what you mean when you ask if it will mess up their timing? Unless you mean that you are worried about them not having a calf every 12 months, or whatever, and I don't know how a bull could mess up a year round calving operation other than that. I would think that it would be more on the cow, unless a bull was sterile for a spell?

Keep your chin up friend
 
yr round has its draw backs but in a world where you have to manage it with a day job it can work out pretty well. As long as your changing bulls every few yrs you can have a fairly contestant calf crop during the bull swap. biggest problem is when everything works right and your season keeps moving up every yr. after about 3 yrs you go from spring calves to late fall or early winter. when you only calve out a few every yr its imperative you note bred dates and know their cycles. that give you a pretty good window to know what to expect.
 
I do it mostly because I don't have a big enough place to keep the bull separate and I really work 6 10 hr days so ai is amost impossible to manage....

im not income dependent on it but I sure aint putting my day job cash in em
 

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