Production Improvement:
Holistic Approach to Increasing Calf Production
R. Dan Posey, DVM, DAVBP, clinical assistant professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

Most successful ranching systems optimize production by balancing the pounds of calf produced with the cost of production. The goal is not to simply wean a bigger calf, but to efficiently produce more total pounds from the operation.

Several factors affect cow-calf profitability. The high cost of raised feed and large capital investment per cow negatively affect profitability, while operating your ranch as a business; increasing the pounds of weaned calf per exposed female; and crossbreeding properly positively affect profitability.

Pounds weaned per exposed female per year is the best measure for evaluating weaning weight. This measure takes into account all females exposed during the breeding season, not just females that were palpated or calved.

This is a key production measure in the Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) recordkeeping system. SPA melds production and financial information into a data analysis program. SPA allows the producer to make informed decisions.

Pounds weaned per exposed female can be influenced by cow/calf nutrition, pregnancy rate, pregnancy loss, calving rate, average daily gain, calf illness, calf death, age at weaning, number of calves weaned and calving distribution.

These weaning weight influencers can be classified into three impact areas - low number of calves weaned; low average age at weaning; and low calf growth.

Low number of calves weaned
The first impact area - low number of calves weaned - can result from low pregnancy rate, increased pregnancy loss or increased calf death loss. Low pregnancy rate can be due to lack of adequate nutrition and poor body condition scores, infertile bulls, reproductive disease or poor management decisions in heifer development.

Pregnancy loss occurs when cows and heifers get pregnant then fail to maintain the pregnancy. These losses can be due to infectious causes, like brucellosis, viruses or non-infectious causes, like poor nutrition or ingestion of toxic plants.

Excessive calf loss at birth means low numbers of calves weaned. The No. 1 risk factor associated with excessive calf loss at birth is calving difficulty. Most of this death loss occurs in the first seven days of life.

Other contributing factors can include the cow’s nutritional status and maternal behavior, poor udder/teat conformation, mastitis, harsh weather, exposure to infectious agents, predator attacks and calf congenital defects.

Good calving management practices are the key to reducing calf death loss in the first seven days. Using easy-calving bulls and a good heifer development program will reduce calving difficulty.

The next cause of low number of calves weaned is excessive calf loss from birth to weaning. Identify loss during this production phase so intervention strategies can be implemented. Loss due to calf diarrhea and pneumonia can be devastating to a cow/calf operation.

A good record keeping system to document loss is important. Defining the cause of death loss, measuring the amount of loss, analyzing risk factors involved, implementing control measures to correct the situation and executing a prevention strategy are requisite steps to address any calf death loss.

Low average age at weaning
Low average age at weaning is the second area that impacts weaning weight. A controlled calving season has a positive effect on weaning weight.

There’s an average loss of 25 pounds weaning weight for every 21-day extension in calving distribution. Have at least 65 percent of cows calve in the first 21 days; 20 percent in the next 21 days; 11 percent in the next 21 days; and four percent in the last 21 days of calving season.

All mature females should rebreed within 80 days of calving. A good nutritional program is imperative to accomplish this.

Use body condition scoring (BCS) to determine the nutritional status of the herd. Cows should calve at BCS of 5 and heifers at BCS 6. This allows the female to maintain an adequate BCS through the first six to eight weeks of milking and begin cycling 42 to 60 days post-calving.

Low calf growth
Low calf growth impacts weaning weight. Several influence calf growth, such as the dam’s and calf’s genetics (milk production, crossbreeding and environmental adaptation), mastitis, internal and external parasite load of the cow and calfhood diseases like diarrhea, pneumonia, mineral deficiencies and parasite load.

Specific management techniques can increase pounds weaned per exposed female. First, embrace the hidden value of a good health program, which begins with a sound nutritional program, including a good forage system, adequate protein supplementation (when needed), balanced mineral supplementation and a clean, safe water supply.
A good health program also includes a ranch-specific immunization program.

Growth-promoting implants increase average daily gain and improve feed efficiency. A conservative estimate of 20 to 25 extra pounds at weaning is commonly seen with implant use.

Growth-promoting implants have little or no significant effect on fertility when properly used in replacement heifers. However, if heifer calves are designated early in their life as replacement stock, then it is not prudent to administer implants.

The third technique for increasing pounds weaned per exposed female is deworming suckling calves, between two and four months of age. This practice increases average daily gain 0.1 to 0.2 pound per day, which leads to a conservative estimate of 15 to 20 pounds of extra weaning weight.

The goal of any of these strategies is to optimize production by balancing input cost, animal welfare and ranch sustainability. Consider the cost-to-benefit ratio of any strategy.