Pregnancy rates on heifers

[Grassfarmer]

I usually need 75 or 80 bred heifers per year for replacements. This past summer I AI'ed 155 head of syncronized heifers and ended up with 89 bred heifers. I used to clean up with bulls but last year I sold opens in Sept for $100 more than I sold bred heifers for in Jan. so I didn't even put bulls in after AI. The 66 opens went right to the feedlot. Not sure if that was the right thing to do but the yearling market looks kind of weak to me. Time will tell. Hopefully this strategy will find the most fertile heifers.

Maybe it will identify the ones that respond best to syncro. drugs and AI :???: :wink: :lol:

 

[Big Swede]

Point well taken Grassfarmer. I know that a majority of those opens would have settled with a bull the first go round but I want them grouped and bred to a certain bull. Didn't know any other way to do it. I really like being done calving heifers in a couple weeks, that way I can get more sleep. The cows are on their own when they start.

 

[greybeard]

I agree with Grassfarmer on those fraill looking heifer bulls. I don't like those bulls that blend in with the females. If you watch both sides of the pedigree for birth weight problems,you should be able to sleep all night,assuming you aren't bringing the problem with the heifers.

 

[Faster horses]

Exactly right, IMO.
We learned years ago that you can't just buy a small birthweight
bull, you gotta look a the cow side and back into the families.
Knowing that has worked well for us for years.
BW is even more inherited from the cow than the bull.

 

[RobertMac]

Pregnancy rate is a function of money spent on feed in alot of cases-

That sounds like something I would say. :shock: :wink: :wink: :lol:

 

[Soapweed]

Pregnancy rate is a function of money spent on feed in alot of cases-

That sounds like something I would say. :shock: :wink: :wink: :lol:

If an open cow is worth $600 (1200pounds x 45 cents per pound), and a bred cow is worth $950, it looks to me like a little nutritional "pregnancy insurance" could possibly be money well spent. :?

 

[RobertMac]

Pregnancy rate is a function of money spent on feed in alot of cases-

That sounds like something I would say. :shock: :wink: :wink: :lol:

If an open cow is worth $600 (1200pounds x 45 cents per pound), and a bred cow is worth $950, it looks to me like a little nutritional "pregnancy insurance" could possibly be money well spent. :?

You're assuming the extra feed will insure a pregnant cow...if not pregnant, the net is even less. I prefer to feed all the grass they want and let nature sort them. Not meaning to discredit NR, but I have to agree with him that breed back on first calf heifers is the real test.

 

[katrina]

That sounds like something I would say. :shock: :wink: :wink: :lol:

If an open cow is worth $600 (1200pounds x 45 cents per pound), and a bred cow is worth $950, it looks to me like a little nutritional "pregnancy insurance" could possibly be money well spent. :?

You're assuming the extra feed will insure a pregnant cow...if not pregnant, the net is even less. I prefer to feed all the grass they want and let nature sort them. Not meaning to discredit NR, but I have to agree with him that breed back on first calf heifers is the real test.

Just my two cents, but cattle condition is very important... But, climate can too..... Heat, lots of rain, blowing snow....

 

[Faster horses]

Yes, katrina, like the WINTER/SPRING we just had.
Yikes!!! Hope this one is better...(it couldn't be much worse--
or could it? :shock: )

It's said cows get ready to rebreed BEFORE they calve...
so weather certainly can have a big bearing on prenancy rates.

 

[katrina]

Yes, katrina, like the WINTER/SPRING we just had.
Yikes!!! Hope this one is better...(it couldn't be much worse--
or could it? :shock: )

It's said cows get ready to rebreed BEFORE they calve...
so weather certainly can have a big bearing on prenancy rates.

The biggest A.I.ing wrecks I've had is weather related...

 

[Grassfarmer]

That sounds like something I would say. :shock: :wink: :wink: :lol:

If an open cow is worth $600 (1200pounds x 45 cents per pound), and a bred cow is worth $950, it looks to me like a little nutritional "pregnancy insurance" could possibly be money well spent. :?

You're assuming the extra feed will insure a pregnant cow...if not pregnant, the net is even less. I prefer to feed all the grass they want and let nature sort them. Not meaning to discredit NR, but I have to agree with him that breed back on first calf heifers is the real test.

And the dynamic changes again under our current conditions - Open cow $420 (1200lbs x 35 cents) and a bred cow maybe worth $444 (1200lbs x 37 cents). Just like they say you can't afford to feed your way out of a drought - we can't afford to feed our way out of open cows. I'm with RobertMac - feed them grass and cull the opens.

 

[RSL]

I agree with most of the above with the disclaimer of extreme awareness...
I often see the system move to the cows rather than the other way around, but this may also be due to economics.
Example Scenario:
On Ranch A the cows may be a bit too heavy milking or framey and come into winter a bit thin. The producer feeds an extra bale or two. This is logical. It also moves the environment to fit the cow. The flip side is that the guy can't afford a lot of opens/tough calvings/skinny cows or he can't make his payments. Economics dictate that his cows don't fit his environment (without paying the change the environment) but they also dictate that he can't swap out his herd too quickly for adapted cows. It is a real catch 22. I think often people get trapped on both ends (lost productivity vs. cost of production)
I think Soapweed's point about feeding or supplementing based on economics is a good one, as long as one is extremely aware of the pros, cons and consequences.

 

[Soapweed]

Anytime a person watches a cattle auction, whether it is commercial bred cow sale or a feeder cattle sale, there are always some cattle that look better and outsell the others. I guess my theory is that if cattle in good condition outsell the others, there must be a reason why. If they are worth more to other people, they might just be worth more to me. I like to keep our cowherd "saleable" at all times. That way if someday I get plumb sick of ranching, the cattle can be sold for the most that they can bring. :wink:

The Golden Rule is: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." By practicing the Golden Rule with our cattle, they are treated the same way we would like to be treated if we were cattle.

 

[RobertMac]

Anytime a person watches a cattle auction, whether it is commercial bred cow sale or a feeder cattle sale, there are always some cattle that look better and outsell the others. I guess my theory is that if cattle in good condition outsell the others, there must be a reason why. If they are worth more to other people, they might just be worth more to me. I like to keep our cowherd "saleable" at all times. That way if someday I get plumb sick of ranching, the cattle can be sold for the most that they can bring. :wink:

The Golden Rule is: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." By practicing the Golden Rule with our cattle, they are treated the same way we would like to be treated if we were cattle.

I agree, but I want my herd to do it on forage without me having to spend extra for supplementing...of course, this being climate sensitive. :wink:

 

[Faster horses]

I would imagine your climate would dictate different things than ours,
RobertMac.

We are in the same camp as Soapweed. If we have to run cattle that
are thin, we don't want to be in this business. Since you don't have
our cold winters, you can get by easier than we do...I would think.
(Not saying your cattle are thin--I don't mean that at all).
Our cold winters require cattle have more feed.

I've been thinking about this and I've come to this conclusion:

"Whatever pays the bills works. If your bills are not getting paid
then you need to change what you are doing." That kinda keeps
it simple for all of us, regardless of our operation.

 

[Andy]

We always tried to hold our heifers back alittle by feeding them lower quality feed. Not enough to stunt them but enough that you could see the difference between the better doing ones and the harder doing ones. We would sort the harder doing ones off and then up the feed to the rest of the herd to flesh them up going into breeding. We had as high as 85% bred AI but ave more like 65% AI and about 95% total bred.

 

[RobertMac]

I would imagine your climate would dictate different things than ours,
RobertMac.

That is the point I've been trying to make...different climates, different natural resources on our ranches, different management...all require different genetics...adaptation.

 

[gcreekrch]

I would imagine your climate would dictate different things than ours,
RobertMac.

That is the point I've been trying to make...different climates, different natural resources on our ranches, different management...all require different genetics...adaptation.

One of the old Norwegians in the Bella Coola valley got his cows to adapt to the area by teaching them to eat Fir bark one winter. He said by the time they learned to eat it they had all died. :wink:

 

[Faster horses]

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