how long before you breed back and why?

[moloss]

I'm trying to figure what most people do for breeding back there cows....my small herd is beginning to calf and I was thinking of putting the bull back in April or May....with that being said I would never have the same calving season and I won't be having a calf crop every 12months instead it would be about every 15 months....am I losing money by waiting? How long before y'all breed back your cows?

 

[Angus Cowman]

I'm trying to figure what most people do for breeding back there cows....my small herd is beginning to calf and I was thinking of putting the bull back in April or May....with that being said I would never have the same calving season and I won't be having a calf crop every 12months instead it would be about every 15 months....am I losing money by waiting? How long before y'all breed back your cows?

I calve last part of August thru the first part of Oct and the bulls go back in the middle of November most people put the bulls within a month of the last cow calving

 

[KNERSIE]

Bulls go in 1 Oct and come out 30 November every year regardless of when the last cow calved. All opens get sold as soon as their calves are weaned.

 

[dun]

Yes you're losing money. Our calving seaons starts March 1st and breeding starts May 20th or there abouts. We quit breeding (or pull the bull) around the middle of July. Preg check in late september early october when we wean. Opens find a new home

 

[Bonsman]

I have two calving seasons. The first starts March 10 and the second starts August 1. I like calving in March and April because we have winter grass in March and the regular grass in April. It allows me to feed less hay once the calve and the cows are easier to stay in the "high" 5 body condition. I like the fall calving season to start early so the calves can get a very good start before the grass goes dormant. My cattle are extremely heat tolerant; so this breeding schedule works for me and is certainly not a one size fits all. Many people around here (western Oklahoma) like to calve in February--in part because it allows the bulls to work and breed the cows back before the summer heats arrives.

If your cows do not have a calf per year, then they need to be replaced. I have several that will calve within a week of when they calved the previous year.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

MY commercial cows start calving this week until march. I usually put the bull With the cows in March.

My brahman herd will start calving in august- october. I put a Nelore bull with them in November.

I like fall calves the best.

Although I dont have a bull with them at the time, I have had cows come in heat 3 weeks after calving.

The calves are the heaviest for us when we sell late summer. Our fall first calvers last year were brangus cross cows bred to an angus bull. These first calvers weaned 600 pounds calves. And the calves brought top price. Fall calves turn the best for our part of east texas.

And being in east texas cows breed back better in the spring.
Calves are 8-9 months old when we sell them. And the cow has about 2 months-3 months to regain any condition that she lost and will be in good shape at calving.

 

[Douglas]

My rational was to calve a month before spring green up(rye/ryegrass). So for me that was February. Calves don't pull down the cows much before they are 1 month old. Then when the calves start their growth, you have good grass which also gets the Cows in good condition before start of breeding in early May. The other idea was to have the calves ready to sell before the normal price drops in Mid Sept. It would be pretty traditional in the mid-south. You lose money if you don't stay on a 12 month schedule.
Edit: depending on your breed, summer breeding can be a real problem in the south after May. Black angus not bred by June in my experience are often not bred till sept.

 

[SRBeef]

I basically follow the same plan as Douglas with a goal of calving one month ahead of green-up (May 1) when I stop feeding hay and they can feed on grazing only. That would put calving at April 1 except I am cheating a bit this year and will start calving 2 weeks earlier on March 15th.

One requirement I have is that all calves need to be born within two cycles or 45 days after the first calf is born. I really want most of them born in one cycle which is possible in my situation. Any cow having a calf more than 45 days after the first calf is culled after weaning.

For a March 15th start of calving, my bull goes in on June 6th. He will stay in until weaning because it is easier to manage one group in rotational grazing.

Assuming most calve will be born on first cycle by April 15th, this leaves about 60 days between calving and next breeding which should be enough. Culling any cows who calve outside the 45 day window keeps the herd fertile and cycling back quickly.

Here is a good gestation chart from the AHA: http://www.hereford.org/node/316

Good luck, Jim

 

[cowboy43]

For you all that breed and then pull the bull and then palpate , year in and year out what percentage do you figure are open each year? I have heard a 85% breeding rate is about the average.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

For you all that breed and then pull the bull and then palpate , year in and year out what percentage do you figure are open each year? I have heard a 85% breeding rate is about the average.

This year we had 16 out of about 50 head turn up open.

They were mostly first calvers. First calvers take a little longer to breed back. But what hurt the most is alot came in heat during the summer. And with the 115 degree weather we had many did not settle.

We sold them for a different reason. Because of the weather we only got one cutting of hay. And something had to go. We kept the best half of the herd and the open cows had the smallest calves as well.

That bunch calved during the spring. Everything else calved in the fall. And for that reason all of our remaining cows have been moved up to fall calving. So they will breed back in the spring.

 

[novaman]

For you all that breed and then pull the bull and then palpate , year in and year out what percentage do you figure are open each year? I have heard a 85% breeding rate is about the average.

I would tend to believe that's pretty low for an average. We're 95+% every year.

 

[cowboy43]

In tx a lot of good open cows have been sold the last 3 years because of the heat and dry weather affecting the quality of the grass. In these conditions proteins and minerals need to be supplemented to supply the cows needs. Hardly anyone has the hay tested for protein and it has no or mininum fertilizer applied so the quality is low and the price is high. I have noticed with the protein I feed when the grass is good they will not eat protein and as the quality of the grass goes down the cosumption goes up. The same when feeding good hay or bad hay. Cows can starve to death eating their roughage requirements if their protein and mineral requirements are not met.

 

[dun]

For you all that breed and then pull the bull and then palpate , year in and year out what percentage do you figure are open each year? I have heard a 85% breeding rate is about the average.

This year we had 10% open most years it less then 1%

 

[Angus Cowman]

For you all that breed and then pull the bull and then palpate , year in and year out what percentage do you figure are open each year? I have heard a 85% breeding rate is about the average.

This year we had 10% open most years it less then 1%

Dun
is this on spring calvers what is your breeding dates what do you attribute this too
Last yr I ran right at 96.5% bred and I figure that a bit too low most yrs I run 98%or better
this is on fall calvers breeding season is from Nov. 10th to January 15th my small bunch (20)of spring calvers all got bred in the first 30 days
Hope I do better this yr but am worried because I had 4 bulls that went thru 3 fences to get together about 5 days after I turned them out and the got pretty banged up and were limping around for the first week to 10 days
so I am keeping my fingers crossed that they got atleast a few bred during that time
still have one limping on a front leg but I have seen him breeding a couple of times or atleast going thru the motions :lol2:

 

[moloss]

wow I guess I'm more clueless than I thought :cry2: ......I guess I need to buckle down and do a better job!

 

[dun]

For you all that breed and then pull the bull and then palpate , year in and year out what percentage do you figure are open each year? I have heard a 85% breeding rate is about the average.

This year we had 10% open most years it less then 1%

Dun
is this on spring calvers what is your breeding dates what do you attribute this too
Last yr I ran right at 96.5% bred and I figure that a bit too low most yrs I run 98%or better
this is on fall calvers breeding season is from Nov. 10th to January 15th my small bunch (20)of spring calvers all got bred in the first 30 days
Hope I do better this yr but am worried because I had 4 bulls that went thru 3 fences to get together about 5 days after I turned them out and the got pretty banged up and were limping around for the first week to 10 days
so I am keeping my fingers crossed that they got atleast a few bred during that time
still have one limping on a front leg but I have seen him breeding a couple of times or atleast going thru the motions :lol2:

Spring calving, start breeding around the 20th of May and it's wound up by the middle of July (usually earlier. Most are AIed first go round some a second time, toehrs are turned in with the bull after the first AI service

 

[novaman]

wow I guess I'm more clueless than I thought :cry2: ......I guess I need to buckle down and do a better job!

What makes you say that? Not getting very good percentages? The key to making money with cows is to have as many bred at any one time as possible. The longer they go open the more expensive they are and the less time they are making you money. I have put more and more emphasis on my reproduction program every year trying to boost my bottom line.

 

[Suzie Q]

We do not have the worry of hard winters like you do. Plus we make our own hay, so we don't have worry about feeding.

We do not pull the bull, he is out with the herd 24/7. We have calves all year round. The big guys pull the bull so they only have to put the beasts through the yards once to tag and wean, etc. We don't have that worry and it is actually easier for us to do it in bits and pieces, it just takes a lot more time. But I am at home anyway.