NEIndiana - 10/4/2012 06:57

Pregged my cows, all were bred but there was one heifer he advised me to slaughter rather than calve out because she had a mass near her cervix that he suspects is scar tissue from being injured by the bull and will cause problems if she was to calve.

As I often do when we're working my small (25 brood cows) herd I picked his brain. He comes from cattle country out west so I like to hear his thoughts.

1. Creep feeding - He says it's a waste of money and if the cow can't do it, to ship her. I disagree, and the reason I creep feed is because I think it helps the cows stay in better condition for breeding back and I think the calves, especially in a dry year like this, really grew well. All I gave them was cracked corn and pellets.

your vet is right, you're masking problems, unless your forage is on the scale of straw

2. Vaccinating brood cows - I had talked to several people who don't, but vet said I was nuts not to do it, so we did. Vision something or other.

agree with the vet 100%, especially for the price of vaccine

3. Grazing crop stubble - He says everybody out west does it, and lots of feed goes to waste around here. I'll be putting the cows on stalks soon. He told me to put them on bean stubble (I have one 15 acre field I can put them on, the others are not fenced - it was corn this year) last year and I got about 10 days worth of feed out of it.

leaves and pods in soybean fields are great feed

4. Graining cows during breeding - He said they don't need it. I was giving them about 5 or 6 pounds every other day. I was feeding hay for most of June and early July this year when I was graining them.

refer to #1

5. Pour on dewormer - He said it works, I was using the generic.

it is good to rotate to safeguard every other year or so to avoid resistance, iveremectin is getting used like roundup in crops, too much at too low of rates, you know the rest of the story

6. Mineral - He says good mineral pays for itself and cows are good at self regulating their intake. Also said to keep extra salt available at all times. During fly season, I feed Moormans IGR blocks, then just a TM salt block till about February, then Rural King 20% tubs till fly season.

Agree 100%, although if there are other livestock close to you and they aren't using IGR you are wasting your money

7. Castrating - He has cut my calves this time of year the last 3 years, I like doing it this way. "Natural implants" as I've read on here. He said if my calves were much bigger he would've banded them.

anyway works as long as you can count to 2 when done, I personally think the "natural implants" thing is overrated, good genetics and good feed trump all others

4.