Helpful management practices
Some cow-calf producers are in the middle of calving season while others are getting ready to begin. No matter if you started in January or begin in March, here are a few things to keep in mind during calving season.
Body condition score your cows to guide your nutrition program. Targeted body condition scores at calving should be at 5 for mature cows and 6 for young cows and heifers. Adjust your feed amounts as needed before calving for spring calvers. Having protein lick tubs available is an easy way to keep protein available, but the drawback is not knowing what animals utilize them regularly.
Continue grazing crop residues as they are available since quality and quantity of the residue decline with time. Be prepared to move cattle or supplement the herd as needed.
Most producers have already experienced some cold weather, but always be ready to react to severe winter weather effects. Cow energy needs increase during periods of cold stress. Thin cows with a BCS of 4 or less and cows without wind protection are at greatest risk. If you are able to supplement cows with grain, timing that feeding to afternoon or early evening will set the cattle up to go into the night temperatures digesting feed which increases body heat.
Don’t forget about your bulls! Testicular frostbite happens and can impact your bull’s ability to cover the herd in a timely manner. Provide plenty of bedding for bulls and once there is snowfall or ice on the ground, another round of bedding will provide additional insulation. Evaluate BCS and anything with a 5 or less, consider supplementing to regain BCS.
Producers preparing to start calving should have their calving equipment cleaned and ready to use if needed. Restock calving kits and make sure supplemental colostrum is available if you have calves that need help. Calf ear protection is crucial during negative temperatures. Hold off tagging ears on new calves if possible. If protection is needed for calf ears, using vet wrap to tape the ears back to the body and securing with duct tape is a quick economical fix. There are several ‘how to’ videos available on the web.
Calving season is a great time to evaluate the udders on your females. Teat and udder score cows at calving even if they are commercial.
When evaluating replacement heifers to put back in the herd, schedule pelvic exams and have a target minimum score for 12–14-month-old heifers. Know the target weight at breeding and adjust accordingly. Only keep back the heifers that meet the pelvic score and weight criteria. This will impact your potential BCS and dystocia when they begin to calve as two year old’s.
Think about herd data and record keeping. What things are important in your herd that you can keep track of and evaluate when the time comes to keep or cull animals. Pelvic scores, teat and udder scores, body condition scores and feet and leg structure. Do you have some animals that struggle keeping weight on every winter. Females that have calves that need help latching on to a teat. Do you need to make changes in how you record and keep data. Do you want to upgrade from pen and paper to an app or a computer system.
Being prepared means evaluating your management practices and finding ways to improve or become more efficient. Raising cattle is a 24/7, 365 day a year job, so take time to always look for improvement.
