STOCKTON, Mo. — Preparations are being made for the upcoming breeding season. Patrick Davis MU Extension Regional Livestock Field Specialist urges cattle producers to make sure replacement heifers are ready for the breeding season. Below, he shares some heifer management strategies that should lead to proper conception rates resulting in optimum profitability of the cattle operation.
From a nutritional standpoint Davis says, “feed heifers to reach 55% to 65% of their mature body weight prior to the breeding season.” This is the optimum weight for heifers to be cycling and therefore heifers reaching this target should conceive early in the breeding season. “Research shows that heifer that conceive early in the breeding season stay in the herd longer and are more productive in their lifetime,” says Davis.
“Have a veterinarian do a pelvic examination on the heifers, which evaluates reproductive tract score and pelvic area, approximately 30 days prior to the breeding season,” says Davis.
The reproductive tract score evaluates reproductive tract development on a 1 to 5 scale. Heifer tracts that score a 1 are immature while tracts that score a 4 or 5 are cycling and these heifers are eligible to breed. Heifer tracts that score a 3 are approximately 30 day away from cycling while tracts that score a 2 are more than 30 days away from cycling. “Ideally 50% of your heifers should score 4 or 5 during the examination,” says Davis. Heifers that score a 1 or 2 are less likely to become pregnant during the breeding season so Davis urges producers to cull those heifers.
Heifer pelvic area evaluation at prebreeding time determines if the heifer’s pelvic area is large enough to have a calf with ease. “Pelvic area at prebreeding time should be 150 cm2 or larger,” says Davis. However, if the heifer pelvic area is slightly less than 150 cm2 recheck the pelvic area at pregnancy check time within 90 days after the beginning of the breeding season. At this time the pelvic area should be greater than 180 cm2. Davis urges cattle producers to cull heifers that don’t reach that mark because of potential calving problems down the road.
“Replacement heifer development is an expensive part of the cattle operation,” says Davis. Therefore, implement these strategies to make sure that heifers that begin the breeding season are reproductively sound and that their pelvic area is large enough to have a calf with ease. For more information please contact your local MU Extension Livestock Field Specialist.
— Patrick Davis
Regional Livestock Field Specialist
University of Missouri Extension
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