Choosing the Time of Year to Breed and Calve Beef Cows in Texas

As any cattleman knows, the time of year when cows calve directly affects many herd management practices: • The start of calving is dictated by the start of breeding. • Cows calving in the fall normally need more supplemental feed in the winter, unless cool season pastures are used, than do cows that calve in the spring. • Fall-born calves will be marketed in the spring and calves born in the spring will be marketed in the fall unless the producer can retain ownership of calves past weaning. These few differences in management indicate that a producer should give careful consideration to the time of year in which to calve cows. The decision of when to calve is complicated by numerous factors and, in many instances, inattention to details can dramatically affect costs of production, animal performance, income and profitability

Avoiding Calving Problems

Beef heifers experience calving difficulty, or dystocia, more frequently than do mature cows. Dystocia is characterized by prolonged or difficult labor due to heavy birthweight and/or small pelvic area of the dam. Death of these calves, and sometimes their dams, is a result of injuriesreceived during difficult delivery. This obviously reduces calf crop and potential profits. Cows that experience dystocia also have lower rebreeding rates than animals that have normal, unassisted deliveries. Consequently, producers should make every effort to avoid dystocia

Reproductive Performance in Replacement Heifers Has Long-Term Consequences on the Cow Herd

Everyone wants good cows! These are females that wean a calf annually throughout their lifetime. A cow’s ability to do this depends heavily on her performance as a heifer. Thus, good heifers, make for good cows. There is no question that selecting the right heifers, rearing them properly, and getting them bred early in their first breeding season has long-term positive impacts on herd production and profitability

Synchronizing Estrus in Cattle

Estrus synchronization—which is a manipulation of the reproductive process—offers several benefits. It: Reduces and in some cases eliminates the need to detect estrus and allows the herd manager to schedule breeding activities in a predetermined period lasting from 1 to 12 days. Artificial insemination (AI) activities are confined to a few intensive days; Creates a more uniform calf crop; Enables more cows to be bred to a superior sire; Shortens the breeding and calving season

Management of Replacement Heifers for a High Reproductive and Calving Rate

A profitable beef operation involves producing the maximum pounds of beef at the least possible cost. Profitability is primarily dependent on reproductive performance, which is best measured by percent calf crop. "Percent calf crop", is the number of calves weaned, divided by the number of cows in the breeding herd at the start of the breeding season

Estrus synchronization of cattle in Kansas

In 22 field trials involving 1,692 cattle, we evaluated Lutalyse as an estrus-synchronization agent for both natural mating and artificial insemination. Only 52.7% of the females in all 22 trials were cycling at the start of the breeding season. Both body condition and days postpartum at the start of the breeding season influenced the response to Lutalyse. First-service pregnancy rate in the 2 or 3 days of synchronization was 38.4% for all 453 females bred artificially in 12 trials in northwestern Kansas. The rate was 59%, however, if only females observed to be in heat were counted; but only 24.5% if only those in which no heat was observed were counted

Effect of various levels of Ralgro on reproductive performance of yearling heifers

Implanting heifers at weaning time with 12, 24, or 36 mg of Ralgro did not affect reproductive performance of the heifers when bred as yearlings

Body Condition, Nutrition and Reproduction of Beef Cows.

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Four ear tags evaluated

Four types of ear tags were evaluated for retention over 2 years. Retention was low for one type, and high for the other three types

Effects of weaning weight on reproductive performance in beef heifers

Fertility during the first two breeding seasons was not affected by the dam's weaning weight, but lightest heifers at weaning reached puberty later, had smaller pelvic areas at calving, more difficult deliveries, had more calves die, and weaned a smaller percentage of their calves