60 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN January 2025 Nighttime Feeding, Daytime Calving Feeding at Dusk Results in More Cows Calving During the Day RICK RASBY, PH.D. | PROFESSOR AND EXTENSION SPECIALIST, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN It is hard to believe that calving season is not far away. As much planning that goes into all the management decision and strategies to prepare for calving, calving season is still stressful. Even though breeding decisions have targeted calf quality, decisions are also made to reduce calving difficulty, especially in young females. We need to avoid calving difficulty in young females at all costs because of its direct effect on reproductive performance. There are many tools in the toolbox to manage calving difficulty. You don’t anticipate many calving challenges for the mature cow herd. There will be the occasional malpresentation that needs to be attended to, but for the most part, cows should calve on their own without assistance. The greatest challenges during calving season are long hours, not enough labor and Mother Nature. Long hours puts stress on you, those who work for you and family members. You don’t have any control over Mother Nature, but you must be prepared for blizzards, muddy calving areas and difficulty getting to and feeding harvested hays. It is also generally accepted that adequate supervision at calving has a significant impact on reducing calf mortality. On most operations, supervision of the cow herd will best be accomplished in daylight hours. What if a simple management strategy could increase the number of cows calving during the daytime? This would be a time when a cow that is calving can easily be seen and a producer could more easily determine if any intervention is needed. Furthermore, it is easier to observe a newborn calf during the daytime and, thus, the producer can determine if the calf needs extra attention. CONTINUED ON PAGE 62 PRODUCTION
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