% Calf Crops

[chambero]

For those of you that have sizeable numbers of animals, what % calf crops (No. of Live Calves at Weaning Time/No. of Cows at Start of Calving Season) do you typically see.  We were sitting at 86% 90 days into calving season.  We palpated every cow in July and only kept six were weren't bred at that time (first calf heifers that calved late last year and didn't breed back).  Lost nine babies (two heifers lost calves during calving (one premie, one didn't get sack off), one drowned in a tank, random or unknown reasons for the others), plus around 25 that haven't calved yet.  A few of those probably slumped calves and we didn't catch them.  We'll PG again in the spring.

We seem to run in the 80s somewhere each year.  We are always looking for ways to improve it.  We've got a bunch of cows getting close to the 10 year old mark which is one issue.  About 19% of our herd is 9+ years old (oldest are 12).  We sold replacements pretty heavy for a while, but have a bunch of younger ones hitting "full" production (3rd calf).

 

[kanshow]

This is always a fun chat at our house..  is calving % based on number of cows exposed or number of cows that you start the calving season with ..  and is it ultimately the number of live calves you wean per cow? 

Examples  Spring calving herd:    We usually cull 3-5% that are open at weaning in the fall.  At the onset of calving season (now) there are already at least 2 cows open and we know there will be a couple more that are open so say it's 2 - 3%.    Then you loose some calves at birth and maybe some before branding - scours, whatever - and then we usually loose one or two in the pasture for unknown reasons...  If the calf losses add up to 4-5% of the total calves born then you'd be looking at a 6 - 10% reduction or a 90% calf crop?  Then add in some twins and that brings your numbers back up.  Another thing we do is have a cutoff date to end our commercial calving season so sometimes some good bred cows go to the sale barn - that lowers the percent.     

 

[chambero]

We PG right after weaning and shipping calves to the feedlot in the summer.  Last year our only open ones were either two year olds that calved late and had a hard time getting back in shape during winter to rebreed, or toothless grannies whose time had come to an end

It just depends on how you want to count it.  We counted our open young cows in the number, but not the culled open ones.

 

[red]

Hubby & I typically have 100% at home w/ the registered herd. We did lose one this year due her getting kicked in the head. However one cow has calved twice so I guess that brings us back to 100%!
The farm is closer to 75%.

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