I know there are cattlemen who run their bulls during breeding season for about 3 months for various reasons. One so that their calfs will be born close together usually right before Spring. I have some tell me they do that sort of a trail period to determine how well the cow will breed back. I have been told by a few people if a cow won't conceive during that three months they consider it infertile, and get rid of it.
I like the idea of getting all of my cows calving around the same time of the year. Usually in early Spring, instead of middle of the winter when the elements could possibly kill the calf.
I have been pulling my bulls around the end of October. Turning them in on cows around June. Thats about 5 months instead of 3. But out of 29 cows using 2 bulls until last breeding season when i cut back to one bull. Things worked out ok but not perfect. A couple of times had 2 or 3 cows that didn't breed back. Instead of getting rid of them i would give them another chance and they all bred back.
Well i had a cow to prolapse through the night while calving. Calf made it but the cow bled out and died during the night. Found her dead the next morning.
So that cut me back to 28 cows. Well this breeding season i had 12 out of 28 to not have a calf. Until today i had a calf born. With me pulling the bull off last October that could shouldn't have been able to of gotten bred. I had it on my winter paster where i fed all winter. No neighbors bull could have gotten to her. Plus their are no other cattle within miles of my place. The only bull on the place was mine. BUT !!! I keep him in his own private pad dock srperate from the rest of the herd. Along with usually 5 or 6 cows that he had ran with all summer that should have already been bred to begin with. So i am guessing this cow, one of the 12 that hadn't had a calf must have been one that wintered with him.
So i am going to rethink this pulling bulls to get all of my cows to calf about the same time.
I know people who wont consider trying to sink thier heard because of possibly cows not breeding back in a 3 to 4 month period. They say sometimes if it is a hot Summer and 3 or 4 cows come in heat all at the same time. And if your running just one bull on a small herd like mine. That a bull might lay up in the shade due to the hot weather and miss one or two of the 4 that all came in heat at the same time.
I like the idea of getting all of my cows calving around the same time of the year. Usually in early Spring, instead of middle of the winter when the elements could possibly kill the calf.
I have been pulling my bulls around the end of October. Turning them in on cows around June. Thats about 5 months instead of 3. But out of 29 cows using 2 bulls until last breeding season when i cut back to one bull. Things worked out ok but not perfect. A couple of times had 2 or 3 cows that didn't breed back. Instead of getting rid of them i would give them another chance and they all bred back.
Well i had a cow to prolapse through the night while calving. Calf made it but the cow bled out and died during the night. Found her dead the next morning.
So that cut me back to 28 cows. Well this breeding season i had 12 out of 28 to not have a calf. Until today i had a calf born. With me pulling the bull off last October that could shouldn't have been able to of gotten bred. I had it on my winter paster where i fed all winter. No neighbors bull could have gotten to her. Plus their are no other cattle within miles of my place. The only bull on the place was mine. BUT !!! I keep him in his own private pad dock srperate from the rest of the herd. Along with usually 5 or 6 cows that he had ran with all summer that should have already been bred to begin with. So i am guessing this cow, one of the 12 that hadn't had a calf must have been one that wintered with him.
So i am going to rethink this pulling bulls to get all of my cows to calf about the same time.
I know people who wont consider trying to sink thier heard because of possibly cows not breeding back in a 3 to 4 month period. They say sometimes if it is a hot Summer and 3 or 4 cows come in heat all at the same time. And if your running just one bull on a small herd like mine. That a bull might lay up in the shade due to the hot weather and miss one or two of the 4 that all came in heat at the same time.
