Nighttime Feeding Daytime Calving

Spring calving season is upon us. The anticipation of the new calf crop is always high. A Canadian study of nighttime limit feeding of gestating cows in the third trimester has proven that most of the calves will be born in the daylight hours if the cattle are fed at night. This makes for less stress on the newborn calves and the person assigned to check the cows during calving. Those of you that are equipped to handle this change in your operation may find it helpful. However, this type of feeding is a little more labor intensive and takes away the opportunity to fill the bale rings for less trips to the pasture during this typically muddy time. The secret to this type of feeding is to give them whatever they will consume that night so they are not continually eating for 24 hours. Here’s hoping everyone has a good calving season this year!