Best time of year to calve suckler cows?

blue5000

I know there are pros and cons to calving in autumn. Higher costs vs better grass use by the calf. What do you think is the best time of year? All spring calving here, straight out to grass as they calve.

Seaba

Spring calving here too for the most part.
Was thinking of changing to Autumn for the main reason that when you sell the spring calves in the autumn there is a glut of weanlings out and the price drops. We often had a 'late' calf in the Autumn, kept him on the cow over the winter in the slatted house and got a way better great price when we flogged him in the summer months before the glut came.

One of the main disadvantages is getting and catching cows in heat over the months October/Nov/Dec when they are in the shed. They are harder to detect.
I'd also be wary of bigger calves due to the cows being out on grass - would have to be managed well.

One of the BETTER farmers in the Journal a year or two ago had cows calving in December. Kept the calves going, onto the grass, no meal/nuts and flogged them in July - said the most profit he ever made on animals.

caseman

blue5000 wrote: »

I know there are pros and cons to calving in autumn. Higher costs vs better grass use by the calf. What do you think is the best time of year? All spring calving here, straight out to grass as they calve.

All spring here but thinking of changing to august, september time.
Cows at the moment are eating to much grass that i think could be put to better use.

Farrell

caseman wrote: »

All spring here but thinking of changing to august, september time.
Cows at the moment are eating to much grass that i think could be put to better use.

Try the leader follower.
We've 60:40, strong calves going out, can indicate spring calvers in heat, now is a good time to sell but draw backs too

onyerbikepat

I think if you had a very big operation like 100+ cows it would make sense to calf all at grass, in early spring. It would seriously reduce the workload and not require a second labour unit.

Poor Farmer in the hills

From what i can see sucklers are going to have to go .waste of time no matter what time calving

Miname

ive both autumn and spring calvers here , more for splitting the workload than anything else. i do however like a christmas calf, far enough on to make use of the grass and still have a decent calf to move on in october. i hate april calvers and will be trying to get rid of the march ones too.

Sam Kade

I read about a farmer a few years ago that calved his cows in June and believed it was the most profitable time of year to calve cows. When the weanlings went to grass the following spring they made great use of grass.

When sucklers took off back in the late 80's there was a farmer spring calving Angus x suckler cows incalf to charlaois. He weaned them in sept and put extra condition on the cows before housing so that he could winter the cows on straw. I don't know how that worked but I would imagine that they would melt on a straw only diet.

ferger1

Miname wrote: »

ive both autumn and spring calvers here , more for splitting the workload than anything else. i do however like a christmas calf, far enough on to make use of the grass and still have a decent calf to move on in october. i hate april calvers and will be trying to get rid of the march ones too.

I agree 100%, no time for april calvers and starting to go off march ones aswell. I calve feb and march every year and theres nothing like an early feb calf. thinking of moving to jan and feb in the future. Will have to adjust housing facilities to house cows and calves for a bad spring.

Im going to try and AI while the cows are indoors and leave the bull off with them when they go out.

Mad4simmental

ferger1 wrote: »

I agree 100%, no time for april calvers and starting to go off march ones aswell. I calve feb and march every year and theres nothing like an early feb calf. thinking of moving to jan and feb in the future. Will have to adjust housing facilities to house cows and calves for a bad spring.

Im going to try and AI while the cows are indoors and leave the bull off with them when they go out.

This is what I'm looking to do as well. I'm a bit weary of pushing it to early jan incase of a bad spring as you said, this would defeat the purpose low cost spring calving. There Is a place for the autumn calving herd but allot of lads don't realise the extra expence in it.

blue5000

Sam Kade wrote: »

I read about a farmer a few years ago that calved his cows in June and believed it was the most profitable time of year to calve cows. When the weanlings went to grass the following spring they made great use of grass.


When sucklers took off back in the late 80's there was a farmer spring calving Angus x suckler cows incalf to charlaois. He weaned them in sept and put extra condition on the cows before housing so that he could winter the cows on straw. I don't know how that worked but I would imagine that they would melt on a straw only diet.

June calving;This is what I was getting at when I started this thread, an old neighbour of mine swore by it, wean the calves in the mart in mar/april when store prices usually were at their peak.


Straw;This works well on a farm with tillage land, feed about 2 kg meal and minerals as well though.

ferger1 wrote: »

I agree 100%, no time for april calvers and starting to go off march ones aswell. I calve feb and march every year and theres nothing like an early feb calf. thinking of moving to jan and feb in the future. Will have to adjust housing facilities to house cows and calves for a bad spring.

Im going to try and AI while the cows are indoors and leave the bull off with them when they go out.

This is the problem, there isn't enough money in beef/suckling to do this or service debt to do it. Only way to do it is with big SFP/ha.

I think suckler calves born in spring are going to be fit for slaughter at the same time as a big glut of calves from the dairy herd. 16 months and 30 months on from march each year.

downcow

Seaba wrote: »

Spring calving here too for the most part.
Was thinking of changing to Autumn for the main reason that when you sell the spring calves in the autumn there is a glut of weanlings out and the price drops. We often had a 'late' calf in the Autumn, kept him on the cow over the winter in the slatted house and got a way better great price when we flogged him in the summer months before the glut came.

One of the main disadvantages is getting and catching cows in heat over the months October/Nov/Dec when they are in the shed. They are harder to detect.
I'd also be wary of bigger calves due to the cows being out on grass - would have to be managed well.

One of the BETTER farmers in the Journal a year or two ago had cows calving in December. Kept the calves going, onto the grass, no meal/nuts and flogged them in July - said the most profit he ever made on animals.

just wondering how you manage young calves on slats. surely their legs will go down gaps??

Miname

downcow wrote: »

just wondering how you manage young calves on slats. surely their legs will go down gaps??

I've no hassle anyway. Calves go in at a week to a forthright old.

bogman_bass

I find the September calves are great to finish at 23/24 months off grass. They're strong enough come the winter and they get two months on grass to start them off

Dickie10

it depends a lot on what farmers are dong with the calves, how many farmers on here finish their suckler calves. i finish at around 30 months all heifers sell weanling bulls in end of january at around 370-400 kg.

Bullocks

We had three calves here this weekend and the weather was cruel on them . The most of the cows will be calving in April /May and I would be much happier with them calving then . Longer days , better weather (hopefully ) , healthier out at grass for young calves and I prefer selling them when grass is plentiful the following spring /summer rather than autumn when everyone around here sells out regardless of the market

Miname

Bullocks wrote: »

We had three calves here this weekend and the weather was cruel on them . The most of the cows will be calving in April /May and I would be much happier with them calving then . Longer days , better weather (hopefully ) , healthier out at grass for young calves and I prefer selling them when grass is plentiful the following spring /summer rather than autumn when everyone around here sells out regardless of the market

Do you not find you've a very small calf going into the shed? You've a lot of work then to get them to put on 50-60 kilos between that and spring. Let's say an average calf going in is 280 kilos and that's 50 more over the winter at a cost of around 150euro your calf is breaking even at best. Compare that to a January calf there at a higher weight going in at 370-400 kg November at a cost of around 30 more than your April may calf.

Bullocks

Miname wrote: »

Do you not find you've a very small calf going into the shed? You've a lot of work then to get them to put on 50-60 kilos between that and spring. Let's say an average calf going in is 280 kilos and that's 50 more over the winter at a cost of around 150euro your calf is breaking even at best. Compare that to a January calf there at a higher weight going in at 370-400 kg November at a cost of around 30 more than your April may calf.

You've done more figures than I Miname! I have no right sheds or creep area for newborn calves and find it easier on man and beast to calf when the evenings are getting longer and the weather is more favourable.
I find to sell a growthy /hungry looking animal when there is plenty of grass and sunshine pays aswell as me trying to calve earlier and get more nuts into them for someone else to finish

Grueller

Have 34 calved her so far. Will have 48 before New years day according to the records of bulling times. Will calve roughly 25 between January and April 1st.
I would much rather the pre Christmas calving. Cows get silage only and minerals on top of it. No meal whatsoever. Cows are all on slats and calves creep back to straw. Calves start to creep a very small amount of meal at about 4-6 weeks. About 1/2 - 1 lb per day.
I find that the calves get great hains off the grass when they go out and get no meal at all when out. I sell the weanlings in July /August when th gtass starts to drop back and always get better prices per kilo than at autumn selling the spring born calves.

Western Pomise

Not a big herd here but calve in March,two cows calving in Dec this yr, inevitably you have a few that slip into April.
Winter here is Late Oct to mid April in a bad yr.I find calving on March reduces bedding costs for baby calves.Start them on Krunch along with the cows milk while housed to get them thriving.Sell in October,ideally February prob best month to calve in if you are Spring calving....like someone else mentioned some farmers seriously under estimate the hidden costs of Autumn calving,like extra straw used for bedding,hay for baby calves,nuts/Krunch for calves.

Most profitable system I would think would be Spring calving in February to let out on grass in early March( on dry land)....less labour intensive and more cost effective than Autumn or late Spring calving.

farawaygrass

Western Pomise wrote: »

Not a big herd here but calve in March,two cows calving in Dec this yr, inevitably you have a few that slip into April.
Winter here is Late Oct to mid April in a bad yr.I find calving on March reduces bedding costs for baby calves.Start them on Krunch along with the cows milk while housed to get them thriving.Sell in October,ideally February prob best month to calve in if you are Spring calving....like someone else mentioned some farmers seriously under estimate the hidden costs of Autumn calving,like extra straw used for bedding,hay for baby calves,nuts/Krunch for calves.

Most profitable system I would think would be Spring calving in February to let out on grass in early March( on dry land)....less labour intensive and more cost effective than Autumn or late Spring calving.

There is one problem calving earlier in the year we found, even though we are still doing it, and that is scour in calves. If you get an outbreak it's very hard to manage in the shed, and if weather is like today they couldn't go out.