Author Topic: breeding season (Read 2800 times)

rab macablo · « **on:** February 02, 2012, 04:15:30 pm »

can all breeds of cattle breed at any time of the year?

robert waddell · « **Reply #1 on:** February 02, 2012, 05:35:50 pm »

Horse & Farm · « **Reply #2 on:** February 02, 2012, 07:39:24 pm »

Yes they can, but their fertility does drop off during the winter months. its more sensible to go for spring calving.

VSS · « **Reply #3 on:** February 02, 2012, 09:41:26 pm »

It is often more difficult to spot them bulling during the winter.

Rhodie · « **Reply #4 on:** February 11, 2012, 06:43:23 pm »

Spring calving is natures' way, it is always better to work with nature than to work against.

smudger · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2012, 12:38:56 pm »

Accepting Rhodies proposition to go with nature, what is you want to house cows and want to stagger milk production. What is optimum time to go to bull then (presuming optimisation of spring and autumn grass growth)?

robert waddell · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2012, 12:51:19 pm »

how is spring calving natures way cattle ovulate all year round and not like sheep well the vast majority of sheep

VSS · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2012, 05:06:58 pm »

Quote from: smudger on February 12, 2012, 12:38:56 pm

Accepting Rhodies proposition to go with nature, what is you want to house cows and want to stagger milk production. What is optimum time to go to bull then (presuming optimisation of spring and autumn grass growth)?

We get around this by having two cows calving in the spring - one due to calve in a week or two and the other in the middle of May. This way both cows will be at grass when you want to see them bulling, but you should just be able to keep the later calving cow milking until the first one has calved. We have avoided autumn calving due to problems with summer mastitis in dry cows over the summer.