Cow Breeding Season is Here

It is breeding season in Northeast Colorado and preg checking appointments are being lined up for veterinarian's like Dr. Paul Chard of Brush, Colorado. Preg checking helps detect issues in the herd such as herd disease and/or toxins.

During the preg check, body condition scores are given on a scale of 1-9, to monitor cow conditions and adjust feed if needed. Preg checks also allows for re-breeding if the cow is still open. It also makes it easier to remove open cows from the herd, which saves feed costs for the producers.

Dr. Chard says that preg checks can increase herd efficiency, which includes cull cows that won't calve within a 60-day window. This helps with get more uniform at weaning time, less calves to sort when going to sale,helps with vaccination timing and less variation in feeding requirements for the herd. Additionally, it is a management tool that helps break and control the cycle of trichnomiases. For replacement heifers, he says that it is best to cull heifers that won't calve within two heat cycles. Dr. Chard cites that research shows that calves in the first two heat cycles are more productive for their the rest of their life, stay in your her longer, which results in more profit.

Replacement heifers can be checking within one month after bull is pulled. He says that selling open heifers as a yearling means a premium for producers at market. On dry years, open heifers can pulled off of pastures.

There are three methods for preg checking. Manual rectal palpation, ultrasounding probes in the rectum and blood testing. The rectal palpation is accurate as long as the person doing the checking is accurate. It is a quick process and results in a quick answer. There is no way to detect fetal viability or live calf birth rates. Ultrasound a heartbeat cannot be detected at 28 days, which shows fetal viability. In addition, fluid and membrane changes can be detected, thus it can show producers if there are issues or high risk of losing the calf. It can also detect twins and fetal sexing. In addition to preg checking, fetal sexing is an advantage that through ultrasounding, producers can use to add value to their operation. Producers can make more money if calves are marketed with producers knowing they will deliver bull calves. The other advantage is if a producer wants to grow their herds faster,  they can sell heifers bred with bull calves and keep the ones bred with heifer calves so then there are more heifers to choose from once born. This does mean keeping the cow in the chute a little longer, according to Dr. Chard. The fetal sexing window is between 55 and 90 days pregnant.

Blood pregnancy tests, which are greater than 99% accurate at telling you if the cow is open or not. If it shows the cow is pregnant, then it is important to know that 5% of those can be missed. They cost $2.50-$4.00 per head, plus the cost of sending samples to a lab. The biggest disadvantage is the turnaround time to get results. The advantage is that a vet is not needed, the producer can take the blood themselves.