bred???

[dbc]

can someone put some pics of bred cows and unbred and explain to me how you can tell the difference? i would really appreciate it

 

[Larry Sansom]

Wouldn't we all love to "look at them" and tell if bred. Sorry, but it involves a rectal exam or the new blood test that is just out. Sort of like women - never - never - never say anything about pregnancy or how many days until due --- unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure the woman IS preg! Ya just CAN'T tell by looking!

 

[dbc]

i know you cannot be 100% sure but i have seen where somepeople have said she looks bred or something to that affect

 

[Texan]

Wouldn't we all love to "look at them" and tell if bred. Sorry, but it involves a rectal exam or the new blood test that is just out. Sort of like women - never - never - never say anything about pregnancy or how many days until due --- unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure the woman IS preg! Ya just CAN'T tell by looking!

Gee, Larry. How times have changed in a few months. Maybe you've been spending too much time on the computer lately? On July 25, you were a lot better cattleman:

Spend a little time "looking" at your cows rather than just gazing at them - I can tell if they are bred by looking at the hair, also can tell the sex of the calf by the hair (hint- look at the hair on the tail). Sure gives you an advantage when buying and selling. Not perfect - but Very High %. Less time on the computer and more with cows and knowledgeable cattle people pays dividends.

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 342#108342

 

[Scotty]

Texan your on one tonight. Hard to tell, for me anyway, to know for sure. I put a bale of hay out for some pour cows and they all look bred today. Not to calve until March(checked rectaly). Larry, reach in an dig deep.


Scotty

 

[Larry Sansom]

Wouldn't we all love to "look at them" and tell if bred. Sorry, but it involves a rectal exam or the new blood test that is just out. Sort of like women - never - never - never say anything about pregnancy or how many days until due --- unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure the woman IS preg! Ya just CAN'T tell by looking!

Gee, Larry. How times have changed in a few months. Maybe you've been spending too much time on the computer lately? On July 25, you were a lot better cattleman:

Spend a little time "looking" at your cows rather than just gazing at them - I can tell if they are bred by looking at the hair, also can tell the sex of the calf by the hair (hint- look at the hair on the tail). Sure gives you an advantage when buying and selling. Not perfect - but Very High %. Less time on the computer and more with cows and knowledgeable cattle people pays dividends.

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 342#108342

Sure "I" can do it - but a NEW cattleman that has to ask the question will have no clue. Have you looked at the hair on the cows top line and on tail yet and made your decisions on bred or not and heifer vs bull??? Try it - you might even suprise yourself!

 

[J&T Farm]

wheres the hip wadders.

 

[Texan]

Sure "I" can do it.....

Sure. :lol:

 

[milkmaid]

Have you looked at the hair on the cows top line and on tail yet and made your decisions on bred or not and heifer vs bull??? Try it - you might even suprise yourself!

How????????

I haven't yet been able to tell if a cow is bred or open...although I've made some educated guesses...figure I've got a 50/50 chance. :lol:

 

[la4angus]

Sure "I" can do it.....

Sure. :lol:

Larry, how much per hd do you charge and what percentage correct could a rancher expect.. How many hd.per day would you check.

 

[Larry Sansom]

Have you looked at the hair on the cows top line and on tail yet and made your decisions on bred or not and heifer vs bull??? Try it - you might even suprise yourself!

How????????

I haven't yet been able to tell if a cow is bred or open...although I've made some educated guesses...figure I've got a 50/50 chance. :lol:

Gerald Fry has some pretty wild ideas on linear measurements, etc for forage cattle - but his system DOES work on the hair on preg cows. I was a non-believer until I tried it. No - I paid to learn it and am not about to tell you how for free. You can figure it out on you own by the 2 keys I have given you above.

 

[la4angus]

Larry, how much per hd do you charge and what percentage correct could a rancher expect.. How many hd.per day would you check.

 

[milkmaid]

The only thing I find is...

Mr. Fry, with his forty years experience in A. I. breeding and palpating, can be an excellent teacher for his client. Mr. Fry will teach his client Artificial Insemination and palpating at their ranch, in their own environment, with their own cattle and in their own facilities. With intensive training, in most cases, Mr. Fry's clients will be trained in one day how to A. I. and palpate cows. Mr. Fry utilizes visual aids for the female reproductive tract, ovaries and forty five day old through 4 month old fetuses for his clients to practice on and see with their eye what their fingers will have to do in the dark.

All of the training can be done as Mr. Fry is breeding his client's cattle in a synchronized program, or Mr. Fry can train his client with open cows. Mr. Fry is able to meet the specific need of his client. (from- http://www.bovineengineering.com/ai.htm)

I see training on how to palpate cows...not look at their tail hair...?

Preg check costs me $3/head. Very accurate. How does this tail hair thing compare?

 

[jersey lilly]

This only works if they cow is into the last trimester. But if you can observe her grazing, look on the right side, sometimes, not always, you can actually see the calf move, look right below the hip bone area and a little to the front. just sit there and watch........This won't work looking at the cows left side, that's where the rumen is.
Other than that, ya hafta palpate. Or have it done.

 

[DD RANCH]

Watch her close when there are 2 feet sticking out you know for sure she's bred but at that point she won't be for long :lol2:

 

[Susie David]

Have I missed something...and made alot of cow's lives less pleasant and wasted thoes shoulder gloves. So what is the secret of looking at a cow and telling the bred status. I must really look forward to taking the plunge and chuting the o'l girls.
Will admit, I miss some and the vet confirms either way...but these days with all the new technology I'm open to learning the check by sight method. Easy to let the bull decide, no interest three weeks after turn-out with a regular cycling cow and I don't go to the trouble of making a cow's day turn bad. Haven't missed yet...I hope!

 

[milkmaid]

This only works if they cow is into the last trimester. But if you can observe her grazing, look on the right side, sometimes, not always, you can actually see the calf move, look right below the hip bone area and a little to the front. just sit there and watch........This won't work looking at the cows left side, that's where the rumen is.
Other than that, ya hafta palpate. Or have it done.

And, if you can get your hands on the cow, you can usually 'bump' a calf on the lower right side if she's over 180 days bred.

 

[stocky]

on cows bred 6 months or more, you can make do a pretty good job of telling whether they are bred or not by their width through the middle, their fullness appearance, and how they are getting fuller under the tail area. you can "bump" a cow when she is bred 5 months or more most of the time---sometimes it is closer to 7 months if it is a small calf. This involves being on the right side of the cow and pushing in with your hand behind and below the rib cage and you can feel the baby inside. If you can feel the baby, you know for sure she is bred. If you cant feel anything, she is either bred a shorter time or open. I havent learned any other visual manner other than this one

 

[la4angus]

Watch her close when there are 2 feet sticking out you know for sure she's bred but at that point she won't be for long :lol2:

I Don't know of any case where this method has failed. I have gotten 100% accuracy using this method.

 

[Brandonm2]

i know you cannot be 100% sure but i have seen where somepeople have said she looks bred or something to that affect

Telling whether a 1100-1500 pound mature cow is bred or not by sight is pretty difficult and I would not give an opinion there. HEIFERS can be a different story. Obviously, eyeballing heifers is not as good as running her up into the chute and preg checking her; but IF you know what you are looking for you can spot a heavy bred heifer or even some 2nd trimester heifers. When she starts carrying her gut low (like a cow) instead of up and tight like a racehorse, her milk vein is swollen, and especially when there is some noticable udder development it is probable that the heifer is settled. Obviously if they are your heifers you would just run them up in the chute and palpate them. IF you are at the stockyard buying heifers you know nothing about, to stocker or breed you want to avoid bred heifers since you don't want her to die having an unexpected calf sired by a bull (who probably was NOT a low birth wt Angus) at 20 months old and you don't want to have to lutalyse her and lose 50 pounds you just paid for. The stockyard isn't going to let you palpate her before you bid so you are FORCED to eyeball.