Cow Reproductive Issues – Thoughts From The Middle of Nowhere

This is not something most of you would find interesting, but it caught my eye. n n<a href="http://beef-mag.com/mag/beef_troubleshooting_reproductive_failure/" >Trouble-shooting reproductive failure</a> n n<blockquote>With fall preg-checking season well underway, some herd owners are surely pleased with their results. Meanwhile, others are looking for bred females to purchase. n nThe goal shouldn't be to have 100% of your cows bred each year. Herds at or near 100% pregnant year after year generally represent one of two situations — a very extended calving season or overfeeding. Neither option is cost-effective for overall herd profitability. n nFinancial analysis indicates a pregnancy percentage of 90-95% in 65 days is both achievable and likely most profitable. If your herd is below this level, some investigation by you and your herd-health veterinarian is needed.</blockquote> n nWhat really caught my eye was the 100% of your cows bred. n nHELL, THAT'S ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE!!! n nI've always been happy with anything greater than 90% with the bulls out 60 days. I must be doing something right since that what the article says should be what you shoot for. I've never had a problem with this so the remedies aren't of a lot of use. Reading them though was constructive though for what I am doing right. n nI put out plenty of bull power for the cows. I just use a thumb rule of one bull for 20 cows. This will take into account the rugged nature of my pastures and that I don't fertility test my bulls. If I have a bad bull or two, more than likely, I have enough bulls out there to do the job so I won't be hurt. I breed in just two pastures and I try to put a mix of ages in each pasture. The younger ones in the rougher pasture and the older ones in the pasture with less hills to climb. It seems to work good for me so why mess with things. n nI really work to keep my cows in good condition so that's not a problem usually either. I will admit that the early weaning I now espouse is a strategy I stumbled into to keep the cows in better shape. Since I started that I have noticed the cows condition tends to be better year around and the breed back rate is higher on the cows. n nThe other day I was walking around and looking at some cows while I was waiting for all of them to come into cake when I spotted an older cow I thought was in poorer shape. She was in okay condition but I could see her spine and that she was showing her age. I worked around here to see her year brand, last digit of the year they were born, so I could see how old she was. There was a nine on her hip. This meant she was either 7 years old or 17 years old. Believe me, she wasn't 7 years old so that means this old cow is 17 years old. How she is in such good condition is beyond me but I do get cows like this so I must be doing something right. For as old as she is I wouldn't say she is in just okay condition, she is in excellent condition and I am hoping for another calf out of her. As long as a cow can maintain herself and raise a good calf she gets to stay in the herd. Age doesn't matter. n nLike I said the article was interesting but I didn't learn much other than through trial and error my family has learned how to raise cattle right. A lot of the things I do I learned from my dad and some things I have learned on my own but they work here in this country for my cows. Whether they would work for other people is beyond me. There is too many variables to give hard and fast rules in the cattle business. Just find what works and keep doing it. Hell, that goes for anything in life so take it to heart. n nCommon sense is genius dressed in its working clothes. Ralph Waldo Emerson