The first two hours of an newborn calf’s life are crucial to the health of that newborn calf. During this time, the newborn calf must nursing to ensure that the newborn calf remains healthy. If the newborn calf dont consume colostrum during this time, the health of that newborn calf will decrease.
Since colostrum contains the nutrients that will allow the newborn calf to grow, the consumption of this colostrum is crucial. The chart provide the birth weights for different breed of cows. For example, longhorn calves tend to be lighter at birth compared to breeds like maine-anjou and charolais calves.
Caring for Calves and Measuring Their Weight
The information provided on this chart can be used to make decision regarding which bull to use for heifers. Additionally, this chart also provide information for the weights of calves at the weaning stage and yearling stages to ensure that there growth is even with their genetic tendencies. The calves will experience significant growth throughout their lives, and different management practice must be used during these growth stages.
For example, calves require milk during the first three month of their lives, but creep feed becomes important after the rumen of the calf has developed. At weaning, the calf must transition to solid feed, which can stall the growth of the calf if not managed correct. After the weaning stage, the stocker phase begins, whose gain in weight will be affected by the quality of the pasture in which the animals are raised.
Each of these stages are represented in the infographic, as well as the feeding requirements for each stage. Many people will avoid using scales to weigh the animals that are being managed. People often believe that they can determine the weight of the animal by looking at the animal.
However, this is often inaccurate, especially for managerial decisions regarding the animals ration or medicine. A weight tape can be used to provide an estimate as to the weight of the animal without having to move the animal through the chute. To use a weight tape, an individual will measure the heart girth of the animal.
Using this measurement, the beef side of the tape will provide an estimate to the weight of the animal. While this tool isnt perfect, it can provide a more better estimation of the animals weight than when no measurements are made at all. Body condition scoring can be used to determine the physical condition of a cow.
A nine-point scale is shown in the infographic that can help to determine the condition of a cow. A body condition score of five or six on a cow indicates that it will have better conception rate during breeding, but scores of below four can result in difficulties with conception. The producer should check the body condition of the cows at regular intervals as this practice will yield better results than periodic inspections of the cows.
Depending on the type of agricultural production that is used in the farm or ranch, different targets will be set for the daily gain of the weight of the cattle. For example, farms that raise cows and calves will focus on the growth of the calves from birth until they are weaned. Stocker programs will focus on the gains of the cattle while they are in stocker phases, and feedlots will focus on rapid finish of the cows after they are provided with high-energy feed ration.
Each of these targets is represented in the infographic. Depending on the type of management practices that are used in the farm or ranch, certain equipment may be utilized to manage the cattle. For example, a full platform scale can provide the most accurate readings of the weight of the cattle, and it is useful for farms that often manage large amount of cattle.
A squeeze chute with built-in load cells will allow for the cattle to be weighed during their management. For example, if the squeeze chute with built-in load cells is used to restrain the animal for another task, it will also weigh the animal. Additionally, weight tape can be used for quick checks of the animals’ weights and may be a good option for those that dont want to purchase larger, more expensive management tools.
Each of these tools will not replace the observations of the cattle, but will provide records of those observations. Using the information from the tracking of the weights of the animals will provide value to the ranch and farm that manages the cows. For example, the rancher can use the tracked weights to identify which cows produce calves that have higher weights.
Additionally, they can gain an understanding of which pastures provide the best gains for the cows, as well as their feeding program. By measuring the progress of the animals, the rancher will recognize any gains that are made, as these pattern will only become visible by measuring the weights of the animals regularly.