Quoting one of our distinguished Red Angus associates' web sites, "Breed it in, not Feed it in." We believe this is the only sensible approach to bull development. To us it makes no economic sense nor does it benefit your farm reputation to try and feed development into a bull. Who do we think we are kidding? We all know too well what will happen to that bull once it gets to its new location and begins to work. See our feeding program on how we feed our bulls that we are developing for sales as breeding stock. Before we will register a bull in the RAAA or ASA Durham Red breed registry, we require the following to be the minimum acceptable standards. Post-weaning to yearling bulls held for development are required to have the following attributes:
a. Have a calm disposition (we go no further with any animal, bull, heifer, cow, or our barn cat that does not meet this standard)
b. No less than 2.4 ADG (See Feeding)
c. Pass a BSE as a yearling (completed by our veterinarian)
d. No less than 36cm scrotal measurement
e. Be big muscled, stout, have good eyes, ears, nose, and easy moving on his feet.
It is our opinion that replacement heifers should be held to the same standards of productivity as a bull that we are developing for sale as breeding stock minus the obvious standards related to males. Prior to breeding, we believe all replacement heifers should have their own BSE (again, conducted by our veterinarian.)
Every company that has employees has a right to expect a certain level of production accountability. There would be no logical reason why a company would expect employees A, B, and C to carry the work load for employee D, and employee D still receive the same compensation as the others. That concept would and never should work in the real world. In our opinion, every producer has the same right to expect a certain level of production accountability in their cow herds and therefore apply the same standards as would be applied in a real world working environment. As a producer, we believe that you must give your herd all the tools necessary and create an environment that will allow them to become productive. If they do not produce in that environment and with those tools, then in our opinion, they should be shown the inner workings of the local auction barn. One Duck Farm expects their cow herd and heifers to be productive in the following attributes:
a. Breed early in a short 45 day season and carry to full term. (You get no second chances here, do it or I will move you out. Grass is not cheap.)
b. Deliver a healthy, vigorous calf totally unassisted.
c. Raise that calf through weaning, and at weaning that calf weigh no less than 50% of her body weight.
d. Repeat the same cycle every 365 days.
Cows/heifers that cannot meet these standards lose their rights to remain here at the farm and will be culled, regardless of any acquisition cost that we may have invested in them. PERIOD.
Before we will consider a calf for development and placement in our breed registries, there are 5 very distinct benchmarks that we expect a calf to clear.
1. Born totally unassisted.
2. Weigh between 50-90 lbs at birth. (We make no allowances, be it a mature cow or first calf heifer.)
3. Up and actively trying to nurse in no more than 25 minutes. (Calf Vigor) We make every effort to calve the cows in daylight hours (see feeding) so we can observe this, if not it becomes a judgment call on our parts.
4. We believe in a strong respiratory system. Any calf that requires treatment with an antibiotic for a respiratory illness prior to weaning will not be registered and therefore will not be sold as breeding stock.
5. Weigh no less than 50% of dam's body weight at weaning adjusted to 205 days.
First and foremost here at One Duck Farm, we consider ourselves to be grass farmers and view our cattle as the method in which we sell our products. (Grasses) Using that logic, we believe in quality pastures and winter feeding hays. It is our opinion that it matters not the quality of cattle genetics that you purchase if you intend to pasture them on less than quality pastures. How can they express their genetics if they are required to consume less than quality grasses? Continuous pasture renovations are a fact of life here at the farm. Weather permitting, we go to complete pasture from April 1st - November 30th. Nightly during summer pasturing we feed 1/4 lb per head to the whole cow herd of a 50/50 SHCG mix. We have found that to be an easy way to conduct a quality check on the herd. On December 1st if our pastures are gone, we will start our winter feeding rations. Fall breeding starts on that day and we use the following rations.
a. Each cow and breeding bull receives 25-30 lbs of hay every evening and 1 lb of a 50/50 SHCG mix.
b. Development bulls receive nightly 25-30 lbs of alfalfa hay and 1 lb of a 50/50 SHCG mix.
c. Replacement heifers receive nightly 20-25 lbs of alfalfa hay and 1 lb of a 50/50 SHCG mix.
d. All calves receive (by creep) free choice alfalfa hay and 1/2 lb 12% pelleted feed.
e. All cattle receive free choice quality minerals and clean, fresh water.
We believe research shows that feeding nightly produces more calves born during daylight hours. During 2008 we calved 88 cows combined in our spring and fall seasons, and all but 16 were born during daylight hours, or approximately 82%. We feel we can live with that percentage.
As with many things we believe that "Pay Now or Pay Later" has great benefits as it relates to herd health. We are believers in timely and properly administered herd vaccines. One Duck Farm herd animals receive the following vaccinations annually:
Cows/Bull – Vision 7/w SPUR, Vera Shield 6 plus VL5, Pinkeye XT4, Cydectin (2 times annually)
Cows – Scour-guard 6 wks prior to calving
Bulls –Vibrim prior to breeding turn-out
Heifers - 6-7 months receive bang's vaccination
Calves - At approx. 4 months, Vista Once SQ, and bolstered approx. 28 days later. Pinkeye XT4 in spring and Cydectin (2 times annually)
Having spent 30+ years of our professional careers in the management and manufacturing area, we came to realize the importance of establishing a proper working environment. It became very apparent very early on that if we wanted our employees to be productive, we had to provide them with the environment and tools to become so. Here at the farm, we take that same business approach. We see absolutely no value in purchasing the very best genetics available and then asking those same animals to express their genetic potential in less than a quality environment. As stated in the feeding section, continuous pasture renovations and improvements are a fact of life here at the farm. We believe winter feed hays properly harvested, processed, and stored is just flat money in the bank. Knowing that the environment we have created lends itself to a productive environment; we expect our herd to produce accordingly. Failure to do so, in our opinion, makes for the one way ticket to the local auction barn.
Thank you.
Jim & Sheree Gage