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West Central IA | Replacement heifers are developed in a dry lot with grass hay free choice and start at about 5 lbs per head of ground feed worked up to about 8 to 10 lbs of ground feed by the spring time when they go to grass. We grind the feed it is a mix of corn ddg and alfalfa and is about 15% protein. We do not creep feed the calves.
If I am reading this correctly you are graining them right up to calving time. I know there are cheap grazing cows that in one man's operation are skin and bones and in another they are fat as ticks. Same cow, just different feed. It is possible that when you send this line to grass they are not able to get enough out of the grass and they would need supplemented right along. The calves are what is bringing them down as there is huge demand on the cow at that time. Creep feeding would be your friend in this case. It would at least help to take some of the load off the heifers. It may be genetic, but I doubt it. | |
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AngusX cows falling apart
