Calving time

I use to calve all year round, but in last few years I have started to control my breeding. I just started pulling bulls out of service so I would not have calves between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
After a few years I got my calving down to about 6 weeks with most of it in 3 weeks. Allot of people ask me so why is this better. Well for me, I know when to watch the cows and check them about twice a day if I can. All my claves are pretty close to same age and size. When I vaccinate I do not have to worry about if this one too young, they all can get their shots at one time. When I haul calves off they are all the same age and about the same weight. Also it is easier to decide which heifers to keep since they will be the same age as well. I guess I like to only have to worry about calving for a few weeks and during the later half of February and first of March there is not allot to be done. I hate to be out baling hay and having to check in on cows calving.
Another reason is it works in good for my grass/hay etc. I usually feed the best hay towards the end of the season and also clover and cool season grasses start to come on about then too.
I know my system will not work for everyone, but for me I will not go back to all year calving.
Let me hear you thoughts and ideas on this.

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Feeding hay

Starting feeding hay on 11/25/07. Right feeding old corn stalk, old Milo stalks and old grass hay bales. Should be out of the old hay by Dec 15 to 20 time frame. Cows still have a good bit of grass to eat on, but with colder and wet weather decided to start haying them.
The corn and Milo bales are not that good, but fed allot of it last year and cows came through looking good. I sometimes wonder if we worry too much about quality of hay. I have found that cows seem to do about the same with no matter what type of hay I run. I usually do have some rye and clover in my pastures so this may help out. I do try to feed the better hay when it gets real bad or cold for an extended period. But I have not cubed, caked or give cows any supplements. I use to give them allot, but I never could see it penciling out. I know others says it pays, what are your experiences?
I like to keep some of my better hay for the late winter early spring as I start calving in late Feb. Usually calving is completed by first of May, but because of a too young bull I had bought back in 2006 allot and very hot dry summer in 2006 my cows calved out till July. I hope to get them back on schedule, it may take a couple years to do that.

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Got both round baler and square baler cleaned up and put in the shed for winter. I usually wash the balers and wax them every other year. Make notes on what is wrong and needs to be fixed before next season. Then grease everything, and lube the chains, then back them into the shed. Seems to have less problems next year.

I will say that it is a dirty slow job, but rather spend the time now then with a break down next season or not having everything ready to go when need to be baling. Any other tips you may have?

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Extra hay and what to do with it

There has been a lot of hay made this year in North East Texas.

What to do with the extra hay?

1: Save hay for next year, if you got a good storage area this may be a good option if we have shortage next year.

2: You run extra cows during the winter and sell in the spring, couple things to think is what will cattle market do in the next few months? With oil going up, will that effect the corn futures, if corn price rise then cattle prices may drop. Also how is all the meat recalls in the last few months affecting the consumer’s confidence of meat products?

3: Try to sell some hay, the east part of the US is in need of hay, but trucking cost will be a major factor as diesel prices increase to ever closer to $4.00 a gallon.

This is a lot better problem having too much hay than last year scrambling to find hay at very high prices and very low quality.

If you have any other ideas about what to do with extra hay let us hear about it.

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Finished hauling all round bales in over weekend. Not a hard job but a time consuming one. Hopefully will not need to feed till first of December.
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Bale hay with a Vermeer 605 K making 5.5 X 5 foot bales, 190 on 39 acres plus 160 square bales. Second cutting of Jiggs Bermuda
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