4 – Winter Management of Cow-Calf Herd Flashcards
1
Q
Weaning
A
- Often at 6-8 months of age
- Many sell calves at time of weaning (same day)
o Ideally want to spread out stressors and vaccinate 2-3 weeks prior to weaning - *ideally want to vaccinate 2-3 weeks prior to weaning
2
Q
Early weaning
A
- Help cows improve body condition before coming off pasture
o help reduce winter feeding costs - spread out stressors before moving to feedlot
3
Q
Fence-line weaning or 2-stage weaning
A
- Weaning=big stressor
- *These can reduce the STRESS
4
Q
Pregnancy checking
A
- Feeding an open cow through winter=significant expense
- Provides early detection of repro failure problems
- Allow separation and grouping based on pregnancy status or BCS
- Allows producer to guarantee pregnancy on females being sold
- Usually give endectocide in fall for parasite control (lice)
5
Q
Cows lifespan in herd and amount of calves
A
- Most not in herd for longer than 11 years
- Average is 5-6 calves in lifetime
- Minimum of 15% usually replaced yearly
6
Q
Culling cows
A
- Primary reason=reproductive failure
- Age, cancer, udder problems, lameness, worn teeth, prolapses, temperament
- *voluntary culling based on GENETIC MERIT is difficult to accomplish in herds w/o excellent reproductive performance
o Since just getting in the open cows
7
Q
Overwinter beef cows
A
- Winter feed=#1 expense
- **Extending grazing season through use of swath grazing or alternative crops (ex. grazing corn, or bale grazing) can LOWER winter feed costs
- Separate in groups based on age, BCS
- Feed analysis for least cost rations
- *target 2.5-3 at time of calving
8
Q
Why extend grazing vs. bringing them into a pen?
A
- Less labour
- Manure and urine can go back into soil RIGHT AWAY
9
Q
How can you determine profitability for a cow-calf herd? (4 factors)
A
- Calf crop percentage (reproduction)
o Number of calves weaned/cow exposed to bull - Average weaning weight of calves (growth)
- Annual cow cost
- Selling price of calves (carcass quality)
10
Q
How can you increase profit in cow-calf herds?
A
- Increase lbs of calf weaned/cow exposed to bull
o Biological productivity (reproduction and calf growth) - Increasing market value of calves weaned
- Reducing expenses of maintaining cow her
o Lowering cow costs
o FEED COSTS (we need to be better at this!)
11
Q
What difference did a study show between a low cost and high cost producer?
A
- $200/cow ($260-490)
12
Q
Example of green flax screenings: all you see is an eye lesion, what killed them?
A
- Cyanide
o ‘suffocate’: O2 bound to Hg and can not release it
o BRIGHT RED CHERRY BLOOD - If in drought season=accumulate more of it
- *those that died had very low copper levels
o Already had anemia maybe?
13
Q
What are the top 5 ways low-cost producers reduce costs?
A
- Reduce supplemental feed costs
- Rotational grazing and pasture management
- Right genetics
- Reduce labour costs
- Strong herd health program
14
Q
What are GOLD indicators?
A
- G: growth of calves: 570lbs
- O: open cows (7%)
- L: length of calving period (63 days)
- D: death losses (less than 4% pre-weaning)
15
Q
Calving distributions
A
- *only easily accessible physiological event in a beef cow=calving
o Other events parallel with that - Goal 65% of herd to calve in first 21 day period
