Profitability
of the cow/calf enterprise within any particular year is impacted by several
factors. A basic or quick analysis of the most basic cow herd records can
quantify important issues affecting the overall herd success such as
reproductive performance, calf growth and weaning weight, calf health
performance, market price, and herd turnover. If the herd is to be managed as a
serious business, performance and economic assessments must be compiled. A
yearly analysis of various herd performance measures can serve as a yardstick
against which to compare past and future years performance.
Let’s
start with the most important issue right off the top. Record keeping! It can be the most important task on the
farm. It doesn’t have to be extremely
difficult and can help you determine if the herd is actually making you money
or just a expensive, time consuming hobby!
Records can be kept in a little red or black book as many cattleman do,
or you can go modern and hook computerized systems right to the chute or in the
barn. It doesn’t really matter how you
obtain the data, it only matters that you collect the data.
The four
basic items that you need to have when analuzing the performance of your cow
herd include:
·
Cow
inventory Records
·
Calving
Records
·
Calf
Sales Receipts
·
Cow
or Cull Sales Receipts
From these
simple pieces of information you can perform several calculations which can
tell you if the herd is headed in the right direction or if there are areas
that you should strive to improve.
Main Herd Performance Measures
Herd
calving percent -
Herd calving percent is perhaps the single most important measure of the cow
herd ís reproductive efficiency. A realistic goal for herd calving percent
should be in the 90-94% range. A lower than average herd calving percentage may be symptomatic of
several problems including failure of cows to cycle, failure of cows to
conceive at breeding, bull fertility, early embryonic death due to high
temperatures or other environmental factors, abortions due to disease, and
others.
Percent
calf death loss – Get
them through the first 48 hours! Once calves have been born you should expect
less than 1% death loss until weaning. You should make certain that newborn
calves and get adequate supply of colostrum. The maternal antibodies in
colostrum are important in providing disease resistance to the calf. Be aware
of any diseases that may be endemic in your herd.
Percent
calf crop weaned per cow exposed -
This calculation is the best measure of a herd’s overall reproductive and
health status. A goal of 89-93% calf crop weaned per cow exposed should be
attainable for many herds. This measure truly helps you determine if your cows
are cycling and conceiving regularly and if they are good mothers.
Length
of calving season for mature cows in days - A restricted calving season of 60-70 days can offer
many benefits to the cattleman. With a short calving season, the herdsman or
operator can focus attention to the cow herd during the most critical time of
the year for the cow/calf enterprise. A short calving season also enhances the
marketing of a more uniform calf crop.
Percent
mature cows calving Day 1-21 -
The percent of mature cows that calve within the first 21 days is indicative of
both the length of the calving season and the nutritional status of the cowherd
before last year’s breeding season. The relevance of the focusing on the first
21-day period of calving is related to the length of the cow’s estrous cycle. Research
has demonstrated that mature cows in body condition score 5 or better at
calving return to a normal estrous cycle more rapidly after calving than
thinner cows. A good goal for most herds with a restricted season would be for
65-70% of the mature cow herd to calve within the first 21 days of the calving
season.
Average
calf weaning weight -
The average weight of calves at weaning can be impacted by several factors
including age of the calf at weaning, calving season, forage conditions,
milking ability of the cow herd, genetic merit, implants, deworming management,
etc. A reasonable goal for most spring calving herds would be for the calves to
have an average weight per day of age of at least 2.75 pounds.
Pounds
of calf weaned per cow exposed -
This is the single most important measure of the relative reproductive and
growth performance of a cow herd. The measure is impacted by both reproductive
efficiency and calf growth.
If you
take the time to keep accurate records and see how important they can be to
determining if the herd if functioning properly, this can help you identify
areas in which to strive to improve or help you identify potential areas of
concern. For additional information
please contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension agent and ask about
pub 400-791the Virginia Cow herd Performance Check Up. For additional information please feel free
to contact me at cchilds@vt.edu .
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