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Calving Season Planning

The calving season shapes feed costs, calf losses, workload and when you sell. A good plan fits cow needs to the forage and the weather on your ranch.

Start with the forage

Cow feed needs are highest after calving, when she is making milk and rebreeding. Matching that peak to the time when grass is at its best usually lowers cost. Where winters are hard, many producers calve later to avoid cold weather, while others calve earlier to get older calves to market.

Gestation is roughly nine months, about 283 days, so your breeding date sets the calving date. Work backward from the date you want.

Calving season is also a financial decision. Your lender or accountant can help you see how timing of sales and costs lines up with your cash needs.

Weather, health and labor

Cold, wet or muddy weather raises calf losses and calf illness. Hot weather can stress cows and breeding. Calving takes labor, so think about whether you or your help can be there during the busiest weeks.

Consider how your day job, family, school schedules and other farm work line up with calving.

Check with your vet on the diseases and calf problems seen locally in each season. Scours and respiratory problems often relate to crowding, mud and weather.

• Weather risk at birth
• Mud and drainage in calving areas
• Available labor
• Vet availability
• Other farm work

Marketing and weaning

Calving date sets weaning date and sale date. Check with your buyers or sale barn about when they want calves and what the market tends to reward. Prices and programs change, so ask for current information from the buyer and USDA Agricultural Marketing Service resources.

Plan calves to be a uniform age so groups sell well.

Weaning and sale timing also affect your own workload. Weaning during busy farm periods stretches everyone thin. Look at how the calves will be marketed. Calves weaned in a quiet time of year are easier to handle, ship and sell than calves weaned in the middle of other work.

Tying it to the breeding season

Set start and end dates for breeding, and keep it short enough that calving stays tight. A long breeding season spreads calving and gives you a wide range of calf ages.

Pregnancy check at the end of the breeding season helps you cull open cows and plan the groups.

If you plan to shift your season, move it gradually. A sudden change can leave cows too thin or too late, and it takes a couple of years to settle. A bull-out date is as important as a bull-in date, since it is the tool that holds your calving window together.

• Set bull-in and bull-out dates
• Pregnancy check after the season
• Group cows by due date
• Keep records for each cow

Facilities and equipment

Have clean, dry calving areas, working gates and chutes, good lighting and a safe way to restrain cows. Keep supplies on hand and check equipment before the season. Follow manufacturer, OSHA and extension guidance for safe handling.

A protective cow can be dangerous, so plan how people can work safely, ideally with a second person nearby.

Think about lighting, footing and a place to pen a cow and calf together. These small details save calves and injuries.

A pre-calving checklist

Write a calving plan with your vet before the season. Include when to check cows, when to assist, when to call and who to call. Check heifers more often than cows.

Plan newborn care, colostrum and identification, and record calves quickly. Ask your vet about herd health, vaccines and any biosecurity steps. Follow all withdrawal times for treated animals.

Keep the checklist in the barn where everyone can see it, and review it with your helpers before calving starts.

• Vet's number posted
• Supplies stocked
• Calving areas ready
• Heifers watched more closely
• Record keeping plan

Common mistakes and what to ask

Mistakes include calving in the worst weather out of habit, running a long breeding season and having no plan for difficult births.

Ask your extension office: What season fits our forage? Ask your vet: What should our calving plan include? Ask your buyer when they want calves and what they will pay attention to.

More in Breeding, Genetics & Reproduction

• Calving Ease and Dystocia
• Assisted Calving Decisions
• Calf Processing at Birth
• Calf Identification and Records
• Weaning Strategies and Timing
• Replacement Heifer Selection at Weaning