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SW OH | I keep about 20 cows and a bull. They go out on pasture in the middle of April. They spend the winter in a barn with some outdoor concrete. They come in to the barn when the pasture gets muddy. Usually sometime in November.
I used to pull my bull out when the first calf hit the ground. Put him back in the first or second week of July. Most calves came within a 6 week window with an odd ball or 2 that were late. Calving in the summer pasture was great. That suddenly changed 1 year and only half my herd calved in a 4 month window. The rest were up to a year late. Cows don't cycle in hot weather or when they thin down from the pasture that has been eaten down.
Then I switched to putting the bull in the first of November. This worked good except for getting the bull back in the barn from the pasture which was next to impossible. My vet convinced me to leave the bull with the cows year round. After 3 years of this it's working well for me. I have calves year round. It has also helped with selling them wrapped in paper.
Mitchco | |
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Changing Calving Season
