Preg Checked the Herd today & Lessons Learned

[SRBeef]

Vet came over this morning and together we worked the herd, ran them all through the alley and chute, weighed everyone, booster shot vacinations & deworm for those not being processed in the next few weeks. A few replacement heifers got their Bang's vac. We weaned them by directing the calves to a different field as they exited the chute and headgate. The cows circulated back into a holding pen until we were done.

As I mentioned in MM's thread below, I have a bull with the herd full time and have seen no signs of heat in any of them since the end of August or thereabouts. I really questioned taking the additional time to preg check the cows...(I knew they were all pregnant!)

However, at MM's suggestion and after discussing it with my vet (he said we should preg check also) we also preg checked.

We found one of the first calf cows (or is it heifer?) that has a very nice calf this year and has been exposed to a bull continuously since early July was OPEN! I asked the vet if he was sure, at which time he looked at me and said he has been doing this for many years and she was really open... I really felt dumb. He is a wonderful, experienced, large-animal vet with his own beef herd and I am a beginner...stupid question!

He said at 80-110 days pregnant like the others he should be able to tell pretty clearly. Says he can usually tell after 30-35 days.

So we circulated back one of the other first-calf cows that I was going to process for other reasons, preg checked her and she was 90 days. She then got booster and pour-on and won't be rib eyes after all!

Finding just one open out of the bunch is not too bad statistically but very expensive feeding an open cow over the winter in the north while a pregnant one goes for hamburger! Finding one open paid for the additional cost ($5 per head additional) of ALL of the preg checks many times over.

I learned several lessons to day - most important is to always preg check even when I am sure they are all pregnant!

Thanks to MM and others for their suggestions.

 

[rockridgecattle]

this year we are preg checking the whole herd. Just for that reason and short on feed. No sense feeding dead weight this year.

 

[Angus Cowman]

In this day and time I don't see how anyone can not preg check because it cost too much money to run an open cow I cull very hard if they are open they are gone no second chances here I had a couple slip calfs they don't get to try again if they don't produce they are gone

 

[CattleHand]

The next step is learn how to do it yourself. It isn't that hard and practice makes perfect (or as close as you can get). It paid off to preg them didnt it.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Worked a friends herd today. Another reason to check your bulls. Over 30 head were open.

 

[CattleHand]

Worked a friends herd today. Another reason to check your bulls. Over 30 head were open.

Ive never pregged a bull. Must be something they do up north?

But 30 head thats going to be disappointing.

 

[Angus Cowman]

few yrs ago a good friend of mine that is a vet was doing some good in the community had some new kids from the city move in and the vet was in a program with the schools to do a job shadowing course the kids would go work with different people to help them make career decisions he had this kid with him one day that i doubt had ever seen a cow when we were semen testing I thought this poor kid was gonna get sick when the vet put his arm up the rectum and then he almost passed out when he inserted the probe I don't think Vet med was in this kids future He said we were sick human beings and we were violating those cows and bulls I bet he would really of passed out if he had seen us castrating

back to the subject a little time spent semen and preg checking saves alot of money in the long run

 

[Onthebit]

We had ours preg checked when we called the vet about the old cow w pink eye. Wasn't THAT expensive, and we now know we will be having 100% calf crop. Im very excited! We got our first cow at christmas and now have 4 pregnant cows! Along with 3 2008 calves, a new bull and a couple steers we have a total of 10! and 2 in the freezer....Ya we cattle barons now! lol

 

[I luv herfrds]

cattlehand you smarty pants you :lol2:
All the heifers except for 2 were open. He never had his bulls tested to see if they were still good.
Did get the vet to do a quick preg check on a steer though, not often we can get him. Did get the guy on the head catch told him this one was open and needed a tag after he let him out. Poor guy about had a stroke. Til we told him it was a steer. :lol2:

 

[Jogeephus]

After the vet pregnancy checked my cows I learned they were all open. Sold all my bulls and replaced the angus bulls with hereford bulls. Results were amazing! I learned that hereford bulls only require a 90 day gestation time and all the calves were black. I guess you got to breed them the second time to get the white faces but I sure wish I could go back to that 90 day gestation period. :nod: I don't pregnancy check anymore. For me, its too expensive.

 

[Angus Cowman]

After the vet pregnancy checked my cows I learned they were all open. Sold all my bulls and replaced the angus bulls with hereford bulls. Results were amazing! I learned that hereford bulls only require a 90 day gestation time and all the calves were black. I guess you got to breed them the second time to get the white faces but I sure wish I could go back to that 90 day gestation period. :nod: I don't pregnancy check anymore. For me, its too expensive.

Jo don't be giving our secrets away on the imbalancer !!
sounds like you needed a new vet BTW Jo vet is short for veterinarian not the same type as the vets at the VFW hall

 

[Jogeephus]

sounds like you needed a new vet

Lot easier said than done. Ah, but I do have plenty to choose from in my poodle breeding enterprise. :banana:

 

[SRBeef]

sounds like you needed a new vet

Lot easier said than done. Ah, but I do have plenty to choose from in my poodle breeding enterprise. :banana:

Does your cattle vet happen to sell bulls???

Thinking about it though, if you have a larger herd, multiple bullS, and are in the south with a short winter and a lot of your own hay maybe the cost of having 1% or 2% of a large herd open over the winter is not such a big deal. Maybe preg checking in that case is not so important.

However with a smaller herd in a cold, long winter area feeding mostly purchased hay having 1 or 2 open cows can be costly.

I am fortunate to have a good vet (he was giving me pregnancy numbers in 5 day increments - the shortest being 80 days the longest 110 days with most at 90 or 95 days). He was very close last year. Watching him, you can see it takes a true love of cattle to be a good large animal/cattle vet. He has that love. I wonder how many younger vets have that love of cattle.

 

[Onthebit]

I wonder how many younger vets have that love of cattle.

MM I would say!

 

[6M Ranch]

Blood test from BioPryn is only a couple of bucks per head, supposed to be over 95% accurate. The other advantage is you can check at 30 days. I think SEK is also marketing this test. I received a flyer in the mail the other day. I think I'm going to try it next year. Has anyone tried it this year?

 

[Katie]

I blood tested 2 head that the vet said was open. I knew when they were in heat and had not seen them back in sure enough they were bred. I

 

[Jogeephus]

Our local Young Farmers Club is getting an ultrasound this week. I think I'll give this a go.

I am fortunate to have a good vet (he was giving me pregnancy numbers in 5 day increments - the shortest being 80 days the longest 110 days with most at 90 or 95 days). He was very close last year. Watching him, you can see it takes a true love of cattle to be a good large animal/cattle vet. He has that love. I wonder how many younger vets have that love of cattle.

In my opinion, I think there is more art to palpation than there is science. I think you got to have the feel for it as well as the desire. We had an older gentleman who was wonderful. He would give you the number of weeks till calving and was surprisingly accurate. From his inspection, he would also suggest which cows to cull due to scar tissue, etc. He was jam up and at $3/head he was a bargain.

 

[dun]

Palpation even by a vet that is really good at it can still be wrong. It seems like it's as mcuh an art as a science.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I do most of my own and am usually 95% If I am in doubt I will wait a few weeks on the open one and recheck and if I feel something odd i will call the vet and have him check them it isn't that hard just got to know what you are feeling for I have seen too many vets that are in a hurry and don't do a good job

 

[Jogeephus]

I do most of my own and am usually 95% If I am in doubt I will wait a few weeks on the open one and recheck and if I feel something odd i will call the vet and have him check them it isn't that hard just got to know what you are feeling for I have seen too many vets that are in a hurry and don't do a good job

I hope to learn to do it myself too. I have a friend who is willing to teach me and I think it would surely be handy skill to have.