  BeefTalk:
Is Management or Genetics Responsible for Slackers?
By Kris Ringwall, Extension Beef Specialist,
NDSU Extension Service
The cows and calves are definitely taking on the fall look. The moods of cows
and calves are very seasonal. Early in the spring they gaze into the distance,
each cow seemingly determined to take her calf and search for the cover of a
rich, green cranny surrounded by spring grass. By midsummer, the calves have
long graduated from the crannies, the grass is not as green and there is never
enough milk to sustain the calf.
As summer wears on that attitude among the cows seems to change from one of
hope and conviction to matter-of-fact resignation to getting the job done. For
those of you who have raised teenage boys--or for that matter college boys--you
know the syndrome. Will it be one quart of milk or two?
Can you imagine the endless sensation a cow must go through? Of constantly
being drained? Not only is the high-moisture grass dried, but the local pond is
no longer the fountain of youth quenching the endless thirst. But time goes on,
peak milk demands lessen, and the cow and calf mutually co-exist for the rest of
the summer.
But as the air starts to chill it heralds change for the cows and calves.
Cows sense this change, wandering the pastures and checking the gates facing
home more often. Finally a gate-opener arrives, by truck or by hoof, and cows
and calves are heading home.
After every move, a couple of weeks go by before cattle fully settle in.
Today, after driving through the cows at the North Dakota State University
Dickinson Research Extension Center Ranch, it was obvious they were in the fall
mood. Full of crop residue, fall grass, weeds and corn, the jog to the water
tank was just a bit slower than normal. A couple of extra beeps on the horn were
needed to keep moving. A steer calf bent his neck and bellowed back, making me
wonder if he really was a steer.
The calves look good with many in the 600 and 700 pound range, but there are
never enough of them in that category. All the calves, except the May/June
calves, were weighed prior to shifting pastures. Of the 302 recently weighed
calves, two calves weighed over 800 pounds, 33 calves weighed over 700, 101
calves weighed over 600, 82 calves weighed over 500 pounds, 50 calves over 400,
29 calves over 300 pounds and there are five calves that don’t even weigh 300
pounds.
With still three weeks to go before weaning, and the anticipation of above
average daily gains (2.5 plus pounds per day), all but 40 or so calves should be
over 500 pounds. In today’s cattle business, we still have too much spread in
calf weight.
Of the bottom 34 calves (those that weigh less than 400 pounds), 27 are out
of 2-year-old heifers, six are out of 3-year-old-heifers and one is from a
10-year-old cow. The mature cow herd is doing quite well, but the Center needs
to rethink the management of first-calf heifers. A common management practice is
to calve heifers before the main cow herd because calving problems are easier
handled alone, and the earlier a heifer calves the more likely the heifer will
breed back on time.
These are two good thoughts; however, keep in mind the nutritional plane for
these heifers really goes up after calving. She needs to recover from calving,
keep growing and produce milk for a hungry calf. Heifers need high quality feed
in March and April, 30 days longer than the mature cows. Because they are
competing with older cows, heifers often do not get the nutrition necessary--and
the weights on the calves seem to verify that conclusion.
For cattle enrolled in the Cow Herd Appraisal and Performance Software
(CHAPS) program, the typical 3-year-old cow calves 13 days later than the
2-year-old. Three-year-old cows calve three days later than mature cows. As
attention is drawn to the main calving herd, it’s essential that individual
care needs to be maintained for the young mothers of the herd.
May you find all your ear tags.
Your comments are always welcome at www.BeefTalk.com.
For more information, contact the North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement
Association, 1133 State Avenue, Dickinson, ND 58601 or go to www.CHAPS2000.COM
on the Internet. In correspondence about this column, refer to BT0061.
###
Source: Kris Ringwall, (701) 483-2427, kringwal@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu
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