I just talked to my old man yesterday who does a fair amount of preg checking each year. He said that his schedule is already booking up fast. Throughout the melee of his pregging schedule, we have to find time to do our own. That got me thinking about the culling process and what my plan of attack would be this year. Because of the drought, our cows were a little later bulling than the last few years so I'm a touch worried about our conception rates this year.
Every year is a little different when it comes to culling rates. Drought, stocking capacity, feed prices, body condition, open cows, calf performance, udder conformation, and age all play important factors when it comes to deciding what to keep and what to cull. Another deciding factor is their temperament. I have one that is just a nasty ol rip to be around but of course is always bred and raises the nicest calf in the herd. Then you have the decision of when to get rid of them. Do you do it now and save feed or do you feed them up to put on lbs and sell in the spring when prices are typically higher?
There really is no one-size-fits-all approach to culling. In my situation, I first need to see who got bred and who didn't. I typically lean towards getting rid of anything that doesn't breed. Something caused that cow to not reproduce and I don't want to spend extra money on her finding out if it was just a fluke.
From there I factor in my stocking rates. This is dependent on how many replacement heifers I have coming up. If they all decide to breed, then I can cut a little deeper. I'll look at body condition, udder conformation, what kind of calf they raised this year, and size. I may cut one that is a little larger because she might pound out better at the sale and I believe there is money in running optimal-sized cows. Age won't be a huge factor this year but will still be in the back of my mind as in 2 or 3 years it will be at the forefront of my culling decisions.
I have done a lot of personal research in relation to when I should get rid of my culls. This year, mostly due to feed prices, I will get them to the sale as quickly as possible. Also, my lease is by the head so I want to get them gone and stop the bleeding on a cow that won't be producing a calf. I have friends who feed out their culls and sell in the spring but they have access to cheaper feed and the facilities to run them. I don't have that luxury and in most cases it pencils out to sell them this fall. I looked up prices from a week ago and it looks like culls are up a little.
Again, this is what I'm looking at this year and typically it's different for everyone based upon their operation. Hopefully you've kept good records on your herd so you can make an informed decision that puts more money in your pocket! Feel free to use the comment section below to let us know your strategies. Something you do might be a new and better approach for someone else!
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