Calves may be born at different times on different farms. Find out why a farm might choose one time of year over another, or why some farms have calves born all year long!
When Are Calves Born?
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Not all cattle farms have the same calving schedule as we do. In our area, beef farmers will typically either calve in the fall or in the spring. On our cow-calf farm, we are spring calvers. Some beef farmers want calves born all year long, so they always have some in different stages of growth. Dairy farmers also want calves born all year long.
When Are Beef Calves Born?
We used to breed our cows so that the calves would be born in January and February. Then we had two winters that were very cold, with lots of ice. The calves did ok, but got some frostbite on their ears. They did have some trouble staying warm and gaining weight in that very cold weather, so we changed our breeding schedule a little bit.
Now we breed our cows later in the year so they’ll have their calves in late March and April. We use a combination of artificial insemination and “natural cover” with a bull in the pasture. We start breeding in June so the ladies should start calving in March. (Cows are pregnant for 9 months, just like people!)
Our cows don’t always get pregnant as soon as we want, so sometimes there will be calves born as late as June. The goal is to have the calves all born as close together as possible. We want the calves to be close in age and size. This means that they can all get their vaccinations at the same time, and they can all be weaned at the same time. When we sell our calves after weaning, we usually sell them as a group, and we can get a better price if they are all about the same age and size.
We are a cow-calf farm, which means that we sell the calves when they are 6-8 months old, and someone else raises them until harvest age. Some beef farms keep their cattle from calving through harvest. These farms typically want to have calves born all year long. This way, they always have some beef that is ready to sell, instead of only having a “beef season” during part of the year.
When are Dairy Calves Born?
Dairy farms also need calves to be born all year long. Dairy cows go through a cycle each year. After they have their calf, they produce milk for about 10 months. Then they are “dried off” for 2 months when they don’t produce any milk. If all the dairy calves are born at the same time of year like our beef calves are, dairy farmers would have 2 months every year when they aren’t getting any milk! Dairy calves are born all year, so there are about the same amount of cows milking at any time.
Have you ever seen a calf being born? I caught one of our cows giving birth on video a couple of years ago!
Every cattle farm works a little differently, depending on where they are located and what their goals are. The farmer’s first concern is always for their cows’ and calves’ welfare and quality of life.
Enjoy!
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