We expect a lot from a cow. She spends roughly 283 days in gestation, delivers a calf, and then we prepare her for breed back and expect her to conceive problem-free during her first heat. That is a lot for the body to handle, and the cow does it, hopefully, year after year after year. […]
Tag: Calving
Fetal Development in Beef Cattle
One of the most rewarding days of the year for cow-calf producers is sale day. However, watching a calf crop grow from calving to weaning brings many challenges. Braving the blowing snow to save a calf from the ice and cold to ensure survival to make it to the sale barn is a challenge. Waiting […]
Why Quality Cow Nutrition is Vital Pre-Calving
Calving time is much anticipated across the country. It’s a time of renewal; it’s time to see how those mating decisions panned out and to watch those cows turn into maternal miracles for another season. Preparing for calving season doesn’t just happen by getting some fresh bedding and making sure your calf pullers are nearby and clean, “just in case.” Progressive […]
Prepare for Fall Calving
Fall calving cows are known to calve earlier than expected. With this year’s soaring temps, those calves might even have arrived earlier than usual. Hopefully you were prepared for your fall-calving cows; if not, here are a few tips and reminders. The Benefits of Fall Calving There are definite benefits to fall calving. A key advantage is that cows will spend […]
Preparing your Bulls for Fall Breeding
As the daylight hours get shorter and the weeks slip by, those cow-calf operations with a fall calving program are likely already planning their fall breeding program. Now is the time to make sure that your bull battery is ready for breeding season to cover the most cows with the highest number of pregnancies. The first steps to preparing […]
Find the Game Changer to Your Fall Calving Line Up
Cattle producers across many parts of the country find benefits to a fall calving program – pasture space is readily available, calving in the open helps keep calves healthier, reducing chances for sickness and the weather lends itself to a more pleasant overall experience with no frozen tails or ears. However, the temperatures can still […]
Managing Your Cows in the Winter
The changing of the seasons is inevitable. That’s true whether you’re running Angus cows in North Dakota or Hereford and black baldie cows in south central Mississippi. However, when you’re a cattle producer whose livelihood depends on those mama cows, the changing seasons mean making a few adaptations to cow nutrition and care to make […]
5 Tips to Shorten Calving Intervals
Optimum productivity should be the goal of each cow-calf producer, and that productivity begins with cows producing at least one calf every year. With proper management, good health protocols and a quality nutrition program, that goal is easily attainable. Shortened calving intervals – or the time between the birth of one calf and the subsequent birth of the […]
4 Tips to Prepare for a Successful Calving Season
You made breeding decisions months ago and have been patiently waiting for nine more months to see the outcome of your diligent planning. Yet, researching and plotting breeding decisions is only half the battle. When calving season comes, it is time to plan all the important details that help deliver your calf crop and ensure […]
Making the Transition to Your Summertime Mineral
For many spring-calving cow herds across the country, breeding season is just beginning. This means you will want to give your cows every advantage you can to get them bred and keep them bred, especially through the heat of the summer. Progressive cattle producers across the country have learned to rely on the VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® […]
