Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Livestock farming can take up all of your time, especially during the hot season. Household management requires hard work and also imposes many obligations that cannot be neglected. Since all livestock farms are different from each other, this article will only consider general aspects - therefore, it is for informational purposes only due to the non-exhaustive nature of the information provided. Nevertheless, having familiarized yourself with this material, you will be able to fully understand all the features of successful running your own animal husbandry.

Note: The steps below should not be taken in any order as they are all necessary and equally important.

Steps

1. 1 Record keeping and record keeping. You should keep records of health, fertilization, calving, selection, weaning, purchase and sale through forms, statements or computer data processing programs such as "CattleMax" or "CowProfit $" for each animal from your farm, as well as records of purchases of equipment, machinery, feed , hay, repairs, fences and the rest. It is necessary to keep a record of everything that is subject to accounting, and in order to avoid loss of information, it is recommended to enter all data on the same day.
   • The main accounting information for your farm is financial. It is the financial side that determines the success of your activity and allows you to understand whether the work really brings net profit (which is an indicator of the profitability of the business) or whether expenses exceed income. Cash flow helps you understand what to expect for the next fiscal year.
     • Remember that being able to invest in something doesn't always make it profitable.
2. 2 Repair and maintenance of fences and buildings. Buildings are usually less of a hassle than fences, but if something needs to be repaired, it should be done urgently. Perimeter fencing and pasture fencing should be constantly checked, especially before and after pasture.
   • Repair any broken or sagging fencing from wire to posts, and remove trees that have fallen on the fence. It is also highly recommended to repair areas of fencing in places where animals have tried to get out, especially if you have bulls who decide to find a way out and get to cows on a nearby farm during estrus.
   • You should be aware of local laws regarding escaped livestock. In many jurisdictions, you can be held liable for damage caused by your lost livestock - further reaffirming the importance of timely fencing repairs.
3. 3 Repair and maintenance of equipment. It is necessary to timely maintain the technical means used in all aspects of the farm's activities, whether it is hay, silage and / or grain production, so that they always remain in working order. It is recommended to carry out regular inspections of the equipment, even during the time of the year when it is not in use.
   • It doesn't matter how many pieces of equipment you have, from simple ATVs and hay trucks to tractors, cultivators, grain and forage harvesters, windrowers, mowers, balers, grain transporting machines, drills and other machines, each of them must be inspected. oil, lubricate, replace damaged parts, and be fully operational when needed.
4. 4 Cattle grazing. The soil, vegetation and relief on your land determine the necessary (and desired) organization of land use for grazing livestock on a pasture or pasture. When determining the concentration of livestock per unit of pasture area, it is necessary to monitor the density of livestock, forage productivity, rest / recovery periods and the impact of livestock on the land.
   • Look for wildlife habitats or signs of wildlife on your farm. Some species may be rare or endangered, with limited or special breeding, nesting or feeding areas. To conserve these wild species, you will need to manage land use and livestock grazing in a way that does not disrupt natural patterns of wildlife, while encouraging their return to these areas through responsible management.
     • Join a local wildlife organization to have the funds to continuously manage land use for wildlife and your livestock. In some jurisdictions, there are government grants or charitable foundations that may refuse to support you.
   • You should be aware of the various grazing methods available and organize them according to your goals and objectives, the available vegetation, soil and terrain. There is no shame in periodically attending special courses in your area or online, which will keep you always up to date with the latest information.
   • Learn about government subsidies for land use and land improvement. Also, watch out for programs that help you recycle nutrients from waste products, rather than just throw them away - this can save you a lot of money on soil remediation and buying mineral fertilizers instead of existing plant material.
5. 5 Organization of cattle feeding. Feeding is required only when it is needed: in dry conditions or in winter. Usually cows are fed with hay, but you can also feed them silage or a grain supplement.
   • Note that winter feeding is a major source of household monetary losses in North America (especially Canada and the northern United States) and Europe. Often, it is winter feeding that determines financial success, therefore it requires proper organization with full lack of waste.
     • Try to take advantage of winter grazing to keep costs down if you live in an area that has cold, snowy winters four to six months a year. Options such as grazing in clearings, crop residues or crops are available to all livestock producers and are designed to help reduce feed and overall costs during the winter.
6. 6 Growing forage / grain crops. Know the right time for planting, pollination (if necessary), mowing and harvesting. To harvest hay, you need to take timely care of mowing, collecting and tying hay into bales.
   • As mentioned earlier, no two farms are alike, so the time of mowing or the start of sowing will differ depending on which region of the country (or world) you live in.
   • Some farms can do just forage / grain crops, while others require all three types of feeding. Some farms have the opportunity to do without growing feed / grain and grazing livestock all year round, especially in temperate and warm climates.
7. 7 Monitor the timeliness of vaccination and deworming. Different regions require different types of vaccinations, so we recommend that you check with your local veterinarian to find out which vaccines are best for your livestock.
8. 8 Preparation and organization of the calving season. Depending on what time of the year the calving season falls, you should approach the time of its beginning in a state of full readiness. Keep an eye on cows that may be about to calve, and provide a tool in case of difficulties during calving.
   • Many farmers prefer to separate pregnant heifers from the rest of the cows because they need more attention.
9. 9 Keeping cows and calves after calving. Young calves should be monitored for signs of illness such as diarrhea and pneumonia, injuries such as broken legs or hooves. Also, cows may not accept their calves or steal the calves of other cows, predators may hunt calves, etc.
10. 10 Calf care. Calves need to be tagged, vaccinated, and neutered bulls that you do not intend to keep as inseminators. Calves are branded at the age of two to three months.
    • When the time comes for branding, then you will not do this on your own and not only in the presence of your next of kin. In traditional farming communities, branding is a social event that needs to be addressed properly. Call neighbors, relatives and friends to let them know that it is time for the branding and you need more help. Surely they will be happy to help. Remember to reciprocate good neighborly relations.
11. 11 Preparation and organization of the mating period. Your bulls, both recently acquired and long-term part of the herd, are worth half of the total herd. Bulls should undergo a semen test one or two weeks before the start of the mating season. Semen testing will allow you to know how fertile the bull will be and how healthy its seed is in terms of mobility, morphology and numbers. It may also be necessary to divide the herd into different breeding groups, especially if you have several bulls of the same age and size. This will reduce competition and prevent possible injury to the bulls.
    • This issue should be resolved at your own discretion. The more individual pastures, the more work, so you can simply let the bulls do their thing on a large pasture where all the cows are available.
    • First heifers should be done about a week before the rest of the cows so that the first calving period begins earlier.
    • Usually one mature bull will fertilize 30 to 40 cows without any problems, especially on a pasture of a large area. On a smaller pasture, a bull will be able to fertilize more than 50 cows. Young gobies are capable of fertilizing no more than 30 cows or heifers.
    • Not all farmers use the power of bulls to fertilize first-calf heifers and cows. Artificial insemination also allows you to succeed in breeding cattle and can be part of a herd fertilization solution.
12. 12 Organization of the period from weaning to fattening / fattening of livestock. Some farmers manage to do one thing, others do both processes, and some do without them. The decision to raise cows from weaning to fattening, as well as fattening along with the livestock complex, should be made depending on whether you have time to cope with everything. This will require the procurement or purchase of additional feed, not to mention land, additional equipment and differences in the organization of these processes from the usual cattle breeding.
    • To properly organize these processes, you need to remember that your goal is growth and average daily weight gain, not pounds per weaned.
13. 13 Selection and maintenance of replacement heifers. Your cows will not live forever, they need to be culled, they can suddenly die in your presence for a variety of reasons. Replacement heifers are used as new breeding cows for your heifer herd and are selected for a variety of criteria including, but not limited to, maternity ability, height, ease of calving and pounds per weaner.
    • Organize replacement heifers in the same way as a herd of cows, and not as for fattening cattle or in preparation for fattening, because they should grow into cows, not fatty gobies.
    • If you are raising purebred animals, you will need to organize the first heifers for sale in the same way you would organize replacement heifers. Quite often, farmers raise purebred first-heifers for sale in the same way as if they were raising first-calf heifers for their own herd.
14. 14 Culling solutions. Sometimes it is necessary to cull first heifers, cows and bulls from your herd and sell them. Culling involves removing unwanted animals from your herd in order to improve the main herd. Culling can be based on the following reasons: poor behavior, poor conformation, problems with motherhood (first-calf or cow does not accept calf, unwanted milk ability), lack of feed, health problems (John's disease, chronic bloating), lack of teeth, breeding qualities ( cows / heifers do not fertilize, bulls do not pass semen tests, cows and heifers have a prolapsed vagina), injuries (broken penis in bulls, lameness in cows that cannot be cured with antibiotics), etc.
15. 15 Weaning calves from cows. There are different options for weaning calves from cows and heifers, ranging from conditional weaning to weaning with export, the latter option being the most difficult for cows and calves.
16. 16 Selling excess livestock. These include rejected animals, excess livestock, including weaned calves, first-calf heifers and mature bulls, as well as fattened animals that are sold for slaughter. You need to decide how you will sell the livestock: by private agreement or at auction. In any case, livestock is sold on the basis of $ / lb or $ / centner.
    • An exception is when you are a purebred cattle and sell purebred bulls and first-calf heifers to other livestock breeders.
17. 17 Caring for a herd of cows. Cows need a little more than the ability to fertilize and care for the calf, they need the kind of care and organization in which they can be healthy, in good shape and get the necessary minerals and nutrients from the feed that is available to them.
    • Carry out an assessment of the cows' torso after weaning of calves, as well as carry out a pregnancy check to determine whether a cow is fertilized or not.
18. 18 Bulls care. Like cows, your bulls also need to be healthy and fit to be ready for breeding the next season.They need special nutrition in order to recover from the mating period and maintain productivity.
19. 19 Animals die too. As mentioned above, your cows (and cattle in general) will not live forever. Your farm is likely to kill cows, calves, bulls, castrated bulls and first-calf heifers, so you must dispose of them properly in accordance with local laws.
20. 20 Grooming of horses and herding dogs. You may be one of those farmers who prefer to do business the old fashioned way using horses and dogs to herd animals. Horses must be monitored to ensure they are healthy and able to handle livestock, and this also applies to herding dogs. Although they are work animals, they also require proper care.
    • Even if you decide to follow the traditional way of farming and raising cows, do not forget that many farmers cannot do without some modern means, including even lovers of antiquity.
      • Assistants can pick up cows from pasture or sort and guide them to sorting pens, aisles, close entrances and narrow passages. If the livestock needs to be loaded and transported to a different location on the farm or sent to an auction, then they are lowered through different or adjacent aisles to the loading dock / to the entrance to the trailer.
21. 21 Over and over every year. No one year is like another. Like farmers, pastoralists are always dependent on environmental and weather changes that have significant impacts. Weather, climate and territory are several factors that are beyond your control and for which you always have to adjust. Calving period, mating period, mating or mating of your cows and bulls, sales and weaning times may vary according to your decisions. Markets, weather and customer preferences are beyond your control. Your organizational decisions cannot remain constant and unchanged - you always need to be flexible and ready to learn again.
    • The business plan also cannot remain unshakable, it also changes. If you don't have a plan yet, then it's time to make one so that you have a clear idea of ​​the goals and how to achieve them.
22. 22 Whenever possible, always make time for relaxation and family time. Livestock is undoubtedly a way of life and a commercial activity, but your life should be more multifaceted. Always make time for relaxation and family, whether it's a couple of hours or a couple of days. A change of scenery always helps to leave all worries for a while and take a break.
    • Agree with the farmer in the neighborhood to keep track of each other's farm during periods of short absence. That way, both of you can sometimes make time for the much needed and desired rest.

Tips

• Please note that all steps are given in no particular order. Livestock operation depends on the time of year, reproductive schedules, and the goals and objectives of the owner / manager.
• Be responsible, practical, and optimistic. Try to enjoy your daily work, because this is the most important thing. If you do not like your job, then you will not last long, because not everyone can become a pastoralist.
• You determine how the farm will be run. You can reduce or expand your farm, pay attention to different aspects of animal husbandry.
• Always stay flexible and ready for change, as you don't know what might be around the corner.
  • Watch the skies, your animals, and the markets. Learn to understand animals and the very ground (vegetation and soil) beneath your feet.
• If you are going to run a livestock farm, then you are obliged be able to handle your animals. You are unlikely to make a good pastoralist if you do not know how to gather livestock into a herd or understand the behavior of a cow, breeding bull, heifer or a castrated bull.
  • It is also necessary to understand the difference between a breeding bull, a cow, a first-calf or a castrated bull. Such details should be known even to a novice herder.

Warnings

• Remember, cattle breeding is not for everyone, not for the faint of heart, not for couch potatoes or those who cannot adapt to circumstances, and also not for those who consider themselves to be a jack of all trades.
• Always be careful when working with livestock and machinery. Anything can happen, and Murphy's law that "if a trouble can happen, it will definitely happen" perfectly describes the situation in animal husbandry.