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I agree. I wouldn't even give it a second thought UNLESS I actually SAW a heifer calf in standing heat. That's a simple fix..either lute at weaning or draw blood and test. We've had a handful of heifers that young stand over the years. Out of hundreds of calves, we have never, ever had a...

I would guess with 90% certainty that she's open. No side, no flank, and no bag. Of course, the only sure way to know is to have her checked.

I think if you actually weighed your calves you'd be surprised. Most calves are heavier than they look.

What kind of reputations do your vets have when it comes to palpating cows? Finding a uterus isn't rocket science unless she has a microscopic repro tract. Which could absolutely be the case.

Most of the ranchers around here put hay out when it gets really wet. We didn't; hindsight is 20/20.

Farmerjan, I think we are on the same page! Great minds think alike. :) We usually toodle our fall heifers along and breed them in the spring with our just-yearlings and always have more of the fall heifers breed, breed back, and wean bigger calves. The only extra cost we usually have in them...

Yep. They were in a 150 ac Jiggs hay pasture. Here on the coast, a lot of rain just waters down the grass so they really don't get much nutrition out of it. Our cattle look the best when it gets dry. If we get a lot of rain, they can be standing in grass belly high and look awful.

What kind of body condition were they in when you started breeding them? Were you feeding them pretty heavy? Trying to AI first calf heifers 45 days post calving is a little too soon unless they were in really, really good shape. Throw in that the bull was out during the summer and that's...

How do you test for tenderness with ultrasound??

x2 If we all tried to do every single thing that has MAYBE been proven to improve fertility, we'd be worn out. The cattle business is stressful enough without making mountains out of molehills. Assuming the bull is healthy and tested, cow BCS should be priority #1 when it comes to improving...

14 days is pretty good.

If they were that incompetent to begin with, how certain are you that she's actually bred, and doesn't just have a large uterus? I'd be taking that preg check with a grain of salt!

AMEN.

We helped put CIDRs in at a friend's place several years ago. Had 1 heifer in about 100 that we just could not get a cidr into. I wasn't good enough to palpate tracts then, but it never occurred to me at the time that it could have been a freemartin. I think that probably explains it, though!

It's like a lottery ticket - scratch off. Put it on the tailhead and it scratches off and shows a color when they mount each other.

Buy cows that are suited to your area, *have really good temperaments*, and have had their tracts examined. Ideally, they've been AI'd successfully before, or have at least had a gun passed through their cervix. If you want to go a step further, especially if you are using them for high dollar...

Are you referring to F1 Brahmans or Brahman influenced females?

Buying females from a place that routinely tests their herd bulls for trich would be a good place to start!

I don't think it's that big of a deal if you have a pretty small herd. Helps not having to worry about keeping the bull separate, also. If cattle are someone's business, however, I think it's a pretty poor way of doing it. Doing the little things are what adds value to your calf crop, and not...

YES.