Six Months Without Breeding Back?

[GotMyHandsFull]

I've mentioned in another post that I recently inherited 45 cows, 20 calves and one registered bull from my uncle. The bull stays with the herd year-round. However, this week I noticed the bull breeding two younger, smaller cows that had calves born last May. According to the records I have, these cows have only had two calves each, so I'm guessing that would make them 3 years old or so? What are the most common reasons for such a long delay in breeding back? Thanks for your help.

 

[Hook]

Nutrition, genetics, cysts, poor bull, abortion...could be anything.

 

[highgrit]

Do the cows have free choice minerals?

 

[branguscowgirl]

Hook and HD pretty much covered it all, except vaccination and worming program.
Did or do you have one?

 

[backhoeboogie]

High grit is on the right track. Loose mineral needs to be out constantly.

Since you are calving year round, I feel the bull should easily take care of business.

If your cows go thru the mineral in a hurry, there is a deficiency. Once they catch up, they'll taper.

 

[ANAZAZI]

You asked before about culling, these two cows might be candidates to cull.

 

[GotMyHandsFull]

I took over the herd last summer and put out free choice mineral mix with Aureomycin and Altosid. Once fly season died down, I switched to traditional salt/mineral blocks and starting in late November I began putting out free choice 2/1 range meal. They've been wormed twice with Ivermectin pour-on. During the spring, summer and fall, they have plenty of good pasture. Most people who have visited the place tell me I need to run more cows on it. I do know from the records that these two cows were purchased together from another rancher and were pregnant with their second calves when they came here. Could the stress of being sold and relocated and trying to fit into another herd have played any role in the delay in breeding back for these two? Or did this fellow unload two bad cows on my uncle? They did raise good calves.

 

[talltimber]

I'll throw my two cents in, if it's worth two cents idk.

IMO, it very well could have been part of the issue, like so many other things. I just turned a cow back in with the main bunch that I had pulled back about November or so, so she could calve relatively unbothered. They acted like they've never seen her, butting and pushing around, sometimes rather harshly. I had to take a sorting stick and break them up. Idk how long this will go on, this was yesterday, and it may already be over.

I bought six hd back in the summer, it was hot, shipped them about an hour, one slipped a calf a week later. If it had something to do with it I have no idea, but I'm guessing it did.

Maybe some of the more experienced can weigh in on that.

I may have missed it, but is it hot where you are? That might help to know your location?

 

[JW IN VA]

A good place to start would be with the vet.They can pull a blood sample and test for mineral defiency and other diseases which may be a problem.I would pull the bull out at some time during the year and rest the cows.

 

[Supa Dexta]

I've got 2 here, that should have been bred for their 3rd calf but showed up open. I find more that miss getting bred the 3rd time than the 2nd for whatever reason. They get bred the first time no problem, and breed back on time.. But then slip on the 3rd. If they make it past then, they don't miss a beat usually after that.

My mineral supply is up now in any case, I'll have that stuff always out, where ever they go.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Once fly season died down, I switched to traditional salt/mineral blocks.

Most of those blocks are 97% salt. 50 pound block has 1 1/2 pound of mineral. That's just not good.

If you want to cull some, do it. There's no second guessing after they're gone.

 

[GotMyHandsFull]

Once fly season died down, I switched to traditional salt/mineral blocks.

Most of those blocks are 97% salt. 50 pound block has 1 1/2 pound of mineral. That's just not good.

If you want to cull some, do it. There's no second guessing after they're gone.

I didn't know that about the salt/mineral blocks. When that time of year rolls around again, I'll definitely try something different for the minerals. Thanks for the heads up on that.

 

[dun]

Pour on wormers are also believed to be pretty much only semi-effective. Injectable, drench or even the safegaurd stuff they eat would be better options.

 

[bigbull338]

you can do 2 easy things to start with on those cows.1 get them on salt and a good mineral program.i would prolly cull those 2 cows when you wean their calves.

 

[TexasBred]

I've mentioned in another post that I recently inherited 45 cows, 20 calves and one registered bull from my uncle. The bull stays with the herd year-round. However, this week I noticed the bull breeding two younger, smaller cows that had calves born last May. According to the records I have, these cows have only had two calves each, so I'm guessing that would make them 3 years old or so? What are the most common reasons for such a long delay in breeding back? Thanks for your help.

Where are you located?

 

[Tim/South]

Were the cows in good condition to breed back?
Even on good grass a calf can pull a momma cow down. I also agree with free choice granulated minerals. We no longer use any type of pout on dewormer, went back to safeguard paste wormer. Better fecal count and better condition on the momma cows.
If the cows were being pulled on hard by the calves they may not have been in enough condition to breed back.