Postpartum Breeding

[Bright Raven]

What rule of thumb do most of you folks use when breeding your cows back?

In the past, I have tried to give them at least 50 days postpartum.

I have a cow in heat this morning. I just noticed she calved 10/21. So only a little over 30. This is probably her first postpartum heat. She is a straggler since most of my fall calves are on the ground by the end of September. I would like to push her back but may wait on the next cycle.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

30 days for me on the late calvers, 60 days if not. I try to bump them up in the calving season if they are calving toward the end. Seems like when they get behind its hard to catch up. I wouldnt hesitate to breed her Ron.

 

[Bright Raven]

30 days for me on the late calvers, 60 days if not. I try to bump them up in the calving season if they are calving toward the end. Seems like when they get behind its hard to catch up. I wouldnt hesitate to breed her Ron.

Thank you. That is what I am trying to do. When they get behind, it causes me lots of issues.

Last year I missed her on first service and bred her later. I try to get as tight as I can on the calving.

 

[Dsth]

30 days seems to be a little early to me. If you can look at her mucus, and it looks clear, I would breed her. if her mucus looks cloudy or has white steaks in it, I would let this cycle pass and give her a shot of LUT in ten days. I agree that when cows get behind, they are sometimes hard to get caught back up. Good luck.

 

[Bright Raven]

30 days seems to be a little early to me. If you can look at her mucus, and it looks clear, I would breed her. if her mucus looks cloudy or has white steaks in it, I would let this cycle pass and give her a shot of LUT in ten days. I agree that when cows get behind, they are sometimes hard to get caught back up. Good luck.

Thank you. Great advice. When she was jumping, she was squirting slime - clear as a crystal. I had never thought about that being an indicator of her progress in clearing her uterus. Thanks.

 

[TexasBred]

2nd cycle after calving at the earliest.

 

[Redgully]

You risk wasting a straw on first heat because it can be infertile. Any earlier is no good as still cleaning the lining of uterus. Personally I'd wait another 14 days, give her two shots of progesterone 12 hours apart and she will be in heat a couple of days later.

 

[wbvs58]

Ron, I synchronised two 3 weeks ago at about 30 days, they both are older and big cows, they came in heat well but I could not inseminate either of them, their cervix were just too big for my old hands to manipulate. I did not waste the semen, I used it on the next in line. I left these two go for 3 weeks and inseminated both of them easily on their next heat as things were a much more manageable size for me. They often need the effects of one heat to get things back to normal. I think what Dsth suggested has a lot of merit. Mind you I have done a lot successfully at 30 days and all went well.

Ken

 

[Ebenezer]

You risk wasting a straw on first heat because it can be infertile. Any earlier is no good as still cleaning the lining of uterus. Personally I'd wait another 14 days, give her two shots of progesterone 12 hours apart and she will be in heat a couple of days later.

Or use the cheapest semen you have in the tank.

 

[Bright Raven]

I started breeding about a week ago.

The cows on average are about 60 days postpartum. I have a total of 24 heifers/cows to AI. The last couple days has been amazing. Lots of cows coming in heat. As of this morning, 13 have been serviced. I suspect that a couple or three of those were bred a little too early. I hit a couple where as Ken mentioned, the cervix was large. We shall see.

 

[bse]

I'd breed her, 1 thing I know for sure no semen no calf. Worst thing you loose a straw, best thing you move her up!!!!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

This is a little late, but I agree with Dsth as far as waiting and giving her a Lut shot.
If I had already been breeding for 30 days and she came in, I would use a cheaper semen & use this heat. But, you are just getting started, so I would go with passing on her and hit with Lut, so she had a 2nd heat.

 

[Bright Raven]

I don't like the idea of using "cheap" semen. Cheap is really not the right term. I don't like using a Sire that I did not plan to use. Whether it is right or wrong, a lot of the time, the Sire sells cattle. It takes a year to put a calf on the ground, I am not going to go to all this effort and put a lesser sire in a cow or heifer. I would rather wait for the next cycle. I plan my Sires to fit the cow, I am not going to change that practice.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I totally understand. Every cow is bred on paper long before breeding season, so that I know what semen I need to purchase.
But...... I have bulls that I love to use that may cost $25-50 vs some bulls that are $200. When I breed on paper, if I choose a high dollar bull for female, I generally have a "back-up" bull planned for her.
I still use my SV Macho As U bull on a cow/heifer that I am very iffy about if I think it's a good match. He cost me all of $3/straw - with 42M live sperm after thaw. He is CE, homo black, homo polled and produces show quality cattle day in and day out bred to most any style cow.

 

[Ebenezer]

I don't like the idea of using "cheap" semen. Cheap is really not the right term. I don't like using a Sire that I did not plan to use. Whether it is right or wrong, a lot of the time, the Sire sells cattle. It takes a year to put a calf on the ground, I am not going to go to all this effort and put a lesser sire in a cow or heifer. I would rather wait for the next cycle. I plan my Sires to fit the cow, I am not going to change that practice.

Then use the most expensive. Or just wait for the second cycle like is recommended. Anytime we push the envelope there are reasons that parameters have been established and we either learn from other's recommendations and research or learn the hard way.

 

[bse]

I don't like the idea of using "cheap" semen. Cheap is really not the right term. I don't like using a Sire that I did not plan to use. Whether it is right or wrong, a lot of the time, the Sire sells cattle. It takes a year to put a calf on the ground, I am not going to go to all this effort and put a lesser sire in a cow or heifer. I would rather wait for the next cycle. I plan my Sires to fit the cow, I am not going to change that practice.

I learned to just use what i have planned, I'd change because they weren't in heat like I wanted, id use a lesser bull, and most of the time they settle. Never used anything I truly didnt like.
Inventoried yesterday, I've got some that needs to be thawed.