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Fall calving operations that calve in September and October enjoy excellent
reproductive performance from the cows. The body condition of cows
after summer pastures should be excellent. These cattle return to
heat more quickly than do the thinner spring calving cows and the breeding
season in late November and December usually is completed in moderate weather.
Many times the producers that dislike fall calving have tried to calve
in October and November (often after wheat planting is complete).
This puts the breeding season well into the harsher winter months and can
cause some disruption in the pregnancy percentage.
Producers that winter cows on native range often believe that it would be too costly to have fall calving because of the thought of feeding a lactating cow all winter. However, unlike upper midwest results, the fall calver in Oklahoma does not have to be more expensive. The trick is to reduce expensive feed inputs after the breeding season is over. This will get the pregnant fall calving cow through the winter thrifty enough to regain body condition during the summer months after the calf has been weaned.
Often as we are working with cattle on a day-to-day basis, it is difficult to keep our "eye" on the big picture. Below are graphic illustrations of the weight and body condition score changes from a fall-calving OSU research herd. The cows calved from September 1 through October.
Figure 1. Body Weight Changes of Fall Calving Cows
Figure 2. Body Condition Score Changes of Fall Calving Cows
The lines represent the average weight and body condition scores for
56 cows for the production year. What is clearly evident is the excellent
body condition that the cows are in at calving time. This results
in short post partum anestrus periods and therefore excellent rebreeding
performance. In this year, 54 of the 56 cows (96.4%) were rebred.
Cows were supplemented with two pounds of cottonseed meal supplement before
January and different amounts of protein supplement after January 7.
No additional hay was fed in this very mild open winter. The cows
lost a substantial amount of weight and body condition from January to
April. However, the weight loss could not impair reproductive performance
as the cows were already re-bred by January 7 (date of bull removal).
The body condition and body weight was regained by mid to late summer so
that the cows were ready to calve once again in excellent body condition
(BCS=6).