I found that the animals that did go into labour at night were often backwards calves, twins, a malpresentation that needed assistance. In 1998 we calved 141 cows, having 6 sets of twins and only 3 calvings between 11pm and 6am which 2 required C sections and 1 backwards calf.
The link at the end is: www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/crops/html/a2-37.html . It concludes (at least according to its starting assumptions and formulae, that I was too lazy to scrutinize) that the three cheapest methods, in a close tie, are 1) "Outside, on gravel, under tarp", 2) Under (new?) roof, no sides", and 3) "Inside, existing building".
I like to unroll it...as you said it spreads it out for feeding and where you want it to be..we even fed silage out in small piles. Started heifers out and they learn to eat in a row and not in a pile
Hi. This is really instructional! I've been trying to research for a video like yours that teaches the topics in this video! 🧑🏻⚕️ 👍Your explanation for sure is like the videos from this educational medical student Dr Ethan. Doctor's tips are totally insightful and I learned a lot for midterms. I recommend you check out his YT out and give the med student a like! 👉 #DoctorEthanNHS
Just feed them left over slopy mixture of spoiled vegetables from your local eateries and wet grain from your local beer producers...No one will know the difference, sure add some bad corn crops in there too and some cheap supplements, problem solved folks! And get you a cheap creamator for sick ones. I actually love the meat.
Read an article almost 40 years ago in Progressive Farmer Magazine about a man in Tipton County Tennessee who raised Reg. CHARLOAIS CATTLE BUT HE WENT DOWN A DIFFERENT ROUTE WHEN BREEDING HIS HEIFERS THE FIRST TIME. HE BOUGHT SOME Texas long horns bulls for breeding to his heifers primarily because he was shooting for 60 to 70 lb. Live birth calve rather than a 90 to 100 lb. With a CHARLOAIS bull he kept the calves and fed them out for market it was for heifer development and having mature cows giving birth to heavy healthy reg. Calves
Thanks for the awesome video, i learned a lot and loved the spider web visual aid. I have been trying to decide what route to take my herd, right now its 100% Black Angus. Everything I read and watch tells me to breed my cows to a Hereford bull, at this point, that will probably be an AI bull. Part of the plan would be keeping enough of my best Angus cows to replenish my herd, and getting a terminal bull for my BWF cows. This would be a herd bull on the farm and to try and keep uniformity in color, would a Gelbvieh be a good choice for this over a Charolais? Things to consider, I work a 40hr week which makes it hard to watch the cows during the calving season, I plan to stay around 30-35 head, and docility is very important to me. I have not found any good information on this mix, what color and markings would this produce and if I keep my bulls homozygous polled, would horns be an issue? Any information or links would be appreciated, and thanks again for the great video.
There are a number of ways to tackle this...none of them easy to maintain over time. The easiest thing to grab from your example is to make sure you use homozygous polled bulls, regardless of which breed you utilize. If uniformity in color is important, Herefords are certainly easier to manage long-term since their color inheritance is simpler. Black is always dominant to red. Charolais contain a gene that produces a "smoke" or chocolate colored calf, but sometimes the demand for these calves is quite good for calves bound for the feedlot. The bigger question is your long term plan for retaining heifers. If you truly desire an F-1 female, consider utilizing estrus synchronization and artificial insemination with sexed heifer semen in the "top half" of your cows. These heifer calves will be born early in the calf crop and should serve as the sole purpose for retaining females. The drawback to this will not only be calf uniformity...but you will eventually run out of purebred Angus females to A.I. At that point, new genetics must be brought in to maintain the Angus base. A much simpler way to address this long-term is to begin purchasing F-1 females from a consistent source and then annually market 100% of your entire calf crop. Those calves will capture 100% of the available heterosis every year. I hope this helps arm you with enough info to make a solid decision moving forward. Best of luck!
As "cost of production" did you consider topsoil fertility? If not, you missed the most important factor. You studied mining soil fertility, NOT ranching, not conservation of resources.
How about a bison or beefalo system? No need to house in winter. Is that too radical? Why isn't that examined? What about multi-grass pastures? Multi-Species grazing?
Just bought some cow heel.Havent had any for years as this has not been easy to get.I am currently on slimming world and want to know the calories and syn value of it.
feedlots are a horrible idea for livestock. animals need to be out on the land; they offer multiple benifits and reduce overhead costs when you manage them correctly.
How many managers test their soil every year? How many know that growing soil fertility is the key to successful farming? It is possible to grow soil and know how successful you have been by observing the success of your pasture recovery. The faster the greenery grows the more fertile the soil. Plants will not grow optimally without optimal management. That requires knowing how to replicate the eco-system that existed long before the farmer. And that is easy if one reads about the successful managers, understands why they succeed. Chemical company reps are successful at selling chemicals, not farming. They focus on selling only, not farming. They will promise anything, guarantee nothing. The more the farmer fails, the more they recommend chemicals. The more the farmer succeeds the more they recommend chemicals. They are focussed on their success, not the farmer. Taking advice about farming from a chemical salesperson is like asking a politician for an ethics lesson.
