Fall Herd Management Considerations

Dr. Teresa L. Steckler

SIMPSON, ILL.
    Farmers are readying their equipment as harvest time approaches. Although much time will be devoted to this important task, it is not a time to forget cows and calves. Before harvest begins or even during harvest, take some time to plan upcoming management needs of the cow-calf herd.
    As with any business, planning is essential for smooth operation and profitability. Planning requires knowledge of what will occur in the future (for example weaning). This knowledge in turn can then be used to develop a working calendar of events.       This calendar can then serve as a gentle reminder when life becomes hectic with other responsibilities. We will consider fall management needs for spring calving herds.
    It is important at this time of year to evaluate your winter feed supplies – do you need more hay or purchase supplements.    Before purchasing supplements, it is important to know the quality of your winter feedstuffs. Knowing hay quality is a critical  factor in determining and locating needed alternative and by-product feeds to formulate an economical supplementation program.
    Winter-feeding of the beef cows represents the greatest expense in most beef cow-calf enterprises.  Of the winter ration, hay  represents the largest portion of these winter-feeding costs. Harvested forages are expensive because there is a large investment in equipment, a large amount of labor to make and feed, and more than 50 percent of it is wasted by either poor storage methods or improper feeding practices, or both.
    Assess whether you can decrease the amount of hay wasted on your farm. Suggestions include protecting the hay from weathering and reduce hay wastage by cattle. Weathering of hay can be reduced by implementing the following: tight bales, bale at optimum moisture content of 18 to 20 percent, appropriate bale wrapping, store in well-drained upland site to protect the bottoms.
    It is inevitable that cattle will waste hay, but there are several steps producers can take to minimize wastage: use cone feeders, limit the amount of hay provided to animals at one time, make animals consume all of the desirable hay in the feeder before more hay is added, keep feeders out of the mud as much as possible, and cull cows with aggressive behavior.
    In September, spring calving herd managers should determine what supplies and pharmaceuticals will be needed for the fall round-up and weaning. Remember to allow for time to order, process and delivery. Suggested supplies include ear tags to replace lost identification tags, deworming products, grub and lice products, and vaccines. Consult your herd veterinarian for vaccination and deworming programs that fits your needs.
     Consider vaccinating calves approximately one month prior to weaning. Vaccinating calves while they are still on the cow will reduce stress. Unless spring calves are already on creep, begin to offer some grain in an area where they can begin learning to eat feed from a bunk. Also castrate and dehorn calves that were missed earlier.
    Prepare your working facilities and, if available, weigh your calf crop. For example replace weak posts and missing chute side walls. Properly working facilities accommodates safe working conditions for both people and cattle and provides the means to perform necessary cattle management practices. Begin to decide which may be retained in the herd and plan how you will market your calves.
    In addition in September, consider checking the pregnancy status of heifers, sell all open heifers, wean calves off cows marked for culling, and determine when to market cull cows. Several options exist such as special feeder calf sales, private treaty, consignment sales, test stations, production sales, etc.
    The month of October is generally fall round up and processing time for many herds. Processing includes weaning the calf crop, selecting replacement heifer calves, treating the entire herd for internal and external parasites, pregnancy testing and culling of open cows and culling any problem cows.  
    While cows are in the chute, asses and record the overall health of each cow and look for cancer eye, large teats, other health problems, and disposition. Once low producing, cull, and open cows are identified determine when to market these cows.
    Although these are only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to asking questions concerning each stage of management, they can serve as a guide to develop a calendar of events. This calendar in turn can be used as a gentle reminder to improve the productivity of your cow herd.∆
DR. TERESA L. STECKLER: Extension Specialist, Animal Systems/Beef, University of Illinois