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Tag: Tally Time

Tally Time – This year’s calving distribution

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

By Sandy Johnson, Extension Beef Specialist, Colby

How did the calving season go this year?  For western Kansas, milder, drier weather was easier on both cows and calves.  However, given the stresses of last winter, cycling and rebreeding may have been delayed in some cows with calves being born later than expected.  In other cases, abundant spring moisture making “washy” grass (result is lower nutrient intake) may have hindered resumption of normal estrous cycles. The calving distribution from this year’s calf crop is your score card of how well nutritional and environmental challenges were met.   How did you do? Continue reading “Tally Time – This year’s calving distribution” →

Tally Time: Adjusting assumptions on calving distribution benchmarks

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Sandy Johnson, Beef Specialist, Colby

Over the years I have strongly encouraged producers to spend time each year to assess calving distribution.  It provides an excellent score card for how well a given operation matches the genetics and management system with the environment.  However, I have learned that I need to clarify some details for you on calculating calving distribution. Continue reading “Tally Time: Adjusting assumptions on calving distribution benchmarks” →

Tally Time – Troubleshooting Poor Pregnancy Rates

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

By Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist, Colby, KS

From time to time, you hear through the grapevine that someone’s herd had an unusually high number of open cows at fall preg check time.  That is when you wipe your brow and say “glad that didn’t happen to my herd”!   In some cases, the poor reproductive response is isolated to a particular pasture, bull or age/management group and the origin of the problem may be easier to find.  If not, the search for an answer will take longer and will be helped by accurate and complete records, and sometimes diagnostic testing. What follows highlights some of the starting points for troubleshooting. Continue reading “Tally Time – Troubleshooting Poor Pregnancy Rates” →

Tally Time- Use of parentage testing in commercial operations

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

by Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist, Colby, KS

One of the options now available to producers with multi-sire pastures is to identify offspring parentage.   Research using parentage tests have shown us the wide range in number of offspring sired by bulls in these setting.  Despite economic difference between offspring of sires, for most commercial producers determining parentage of all offspring it is not currently cost effective.  However, it may pay to determine parentage in certain situations. Continue reading “Tally Time- Use of parentage testing in commercial operations” →

Tally Time – BIF meeting provides more evidence: you can’t manage what you don’t measure

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

By Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist, Colby, KS

The recent Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Conference marked the organization’s 50th meeting, and this landmark provided a good opportunity for reflection.  Over the years, BIF has sought industry cooperation in applying science to improve beef cattle genetics.   When the first performance data was collected, a hot topic was if anything other than visual phenotypic selection was appropriate for the industry.  While phenotypic evaluations for traits not easily measured are still part of selection, collection of data and development of EPDs have allowed the industry to make significant changes in animal performance. A key role that BIF has played is the standardization of performance records and procedures to do so. Continue reading “Tally Time – BIF meeting provides more evidence: you can’t manage what you don’t measure” →

Tally Time: Keeping on schedule

Posted on by Angie Denton

By Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist, Colby, KS

A year ago at this time, wet weather had delayed planting of many spring crops.  This year, cool soil temperatures are doing the same.  Grass growth has also been delayed, and in many cases winter feed supplies are running short.  The challenge for many operators is to give the grass as much time as possible given the current weather conditions, balanced with how long winter-feed supplies can be stretched. Continue reading “Tally Time: Keeping on schedule” →

Tally Time – Determine Estrous Response to Optimize Artificial Insemination Expenses

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

by Sandy Johnson, Extension Beef Specialist, Colby, KS

For an increasing number of producers, artificial insemination (AI) and estrus synchronization are tools that help them reach their production goals and allow them to take advantage of genetic choices only available through AI.  Reduced risk of calving difficulty from use of high accuracy calving ease sires on replacement heifers is a great advantage to AI users.

Fixed-time AI protocols have allowed producers to eliminate the time and expense of heat detection and still achieve industry-acceptable pregnancy rates to AI.  However, information about estrous status at AI may allow producers to target expenditures for AI more effectively.  While this may seem hard to understand coming from someone who has spent years talking about fixed-time AI, let me share some research that will explain further. Continue reading “Tally Time – Determine Estrous Response to Optimize Artificial Insemination Expenses” →

Tally Time: Preparing for Calving Season

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

By Sandy Johnson, Extension Beef Specialist, Colby, and AJ Tarpoff, DVM, Extension Veterinarian

Cow-calf pairThe checklist below is designed to help you plan and prepare to improve the success of your calving season and weaned calf crop.

  • Balance cow rations for adequate protein and energy for increased third trimester and subsequent lactation requirements. Group and feed cows by body condition and age to the degree possible. Target body condition for first calf heifers at calving of 5.5 to 6 and 5 to 5.5 for mature cows.
  • Develop sound vaccination program to prepare the cow to produce high quality colostrum.
  • Control lice and internal parasites.
  • Plan for recording calving data and consider ways to backup records.
  • Make sure calving facilities are clean and in good repair
  • Plan for ear tags, tattoos, scale or weight tape, banding or castration.
  • Check flash lights and other quality portable light sources.
  • Check-list for calving assistance
    • OB chains, calf puller, OB gloves, OB lube (non-detergent soap & water is one option), non-irritant antiseptic (Betadine or Nolvasan), flank rope to lay cow down
    • A cooler can be used to keep warm water in calving barn if no other source available.
    • Old towels or similar
  • Review basic treatment plans with local veterinarian for retained placenta, calf scours, colostrum replacers and supplements and ensure necessary treatments and supplies are on hand or readily available. Include a functional thermometer.
  • Know the difference between colostrum supplements and replacers, in most instances use replacers that contain at least 100 IgG per dose.
  • Have on hand at least 2 clean and functional esophageal tube feeders, clearly marked, one for healthy calves, one only used for sick calves.
  • Plan and watch for opportunities to collect colostrum from within the herd. Date and freeze in quart sized plastic bags for future use.
  • If replacement calves are obtained from outside the herd, plan for their isolation and testing before exposing to entire herd.
  • Plan for severe weather; wind, freezing rain and blizzards are not uncommon. Plan for correcting calf hypothermia.  Calf shelters should be in good repair, bedding on hand.  Plans for portable windbreaks and calf shelters are available from your local extension office.
  • Shift feeding to dusk or later to promote day time calving one week before anticipated start of calving season.

Develop standard operation procedures for calving and providing assistance. Include list and contact information for individuals who can provide more expertise or assistance as required.  The following are suggestions on when to intervene.

  • You suspect cow has been in Stage 1 over 8 hours. Stage 1 characteristics; restlessness, pain, lie down and get up frequently, seek isolation (signs more apparent in first-calf heifers than mature cows).

Stage 2 –

  • Water sack visible for 2 hours and cow is not trying
  • Cow trying for over 30 minutes and no progress is being made
  • Cow has quit trying for over 15-20 minutes after a period of progress
  • Cow or calf showing excessive fatigue or stress (swollen tongue or excessive bleeding)
  • You can observe the calf presentation is other than two front feet and head first.

When Calving Starts

  • Calves should have colostrum within first 2 hours of life, if calf can’t get colostrum from dam, take steps to give colostrum within 4-6 hrs of birth.
  • Colostrum intake should be 10% of calf’s body weight, 0.5 – 1 gallon. First choice is for calf to nurse a bottle so that colostrum goes directly to the abomasum.  Don’t over feed to encourage calf to nurse on its own, 1.5 quart dose good starting point.
  • Handle healthy calves before sick calves and avoid exposing newborns to contaminants on clothing or materials used on sick calves.
  • If a cow is brought in for any amount of calving assistance, make sure she leaves with a clean udder.

Work towards developing a notebook that has all the standard operating procedures for your operation.  Include things like yearly vaccination plans, treatment protocols, calving and calving assistance protocols, euthanasia protocols, drought management plans and weather emergency plans.  This will be a valuable resource when communicating with employees new and old, when reviewing what needs to be improved for the next year or if a health emergency forces someone else to take care of the herd.

 

Tally Time: Management Minder outlines your production year

Posted on by Angie Denton

By Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist

Technology has been developed that makes many things in our lives much easier. Some of you may remember when you were the “remote control” when your Dad was watching TV. Now, new homes have heating, alarm and lighting systems throughout that can be controlled remotely with a smart phone. Cattle producers use electronic IDs to automate many data collection activities. Computer applications seem to only be limited by our imagination.

Our beef extension educational efforts have often pointed out timely management topics. For example, now is the time to sample harvested forages and get an analysis of the quality. Some of those items would relate to time of year, while others would depend on the individual operation’s calving and breeding dates. So, while those suggestions are timely for most (we hope), they certainly do not fit everyone.

Continue reading “Tally Time: Management Minder outlines your production year” →

Tally Time – Get more value from pregnancy diagnosis

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

By Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist

We just finished preg checking some replacement heifers from a project conducted earlier this spring.  The heifers were all artificially inseminated (AI) at a single fixed-time.  Natural service sires were turned in 10 days after AI and removed 20 days later.  This short breeding season was used for a number of reasons but most importantly so that there would be no late calving replacement females.  The staging of this ultrasound examination was such that we had pregnancies at either 64 days or 54 to 34 days.  Differentiating these stages of pregnancy with ultrasound was relatively easy and the information obtained was very powerful.  The open heifers were sorted off and hauled to the feedlot that day. Continue reading “Tally Time – Get more value from pregnancy diagnosis” →