Beef Cattle Repro management Flashcards
What percent of greenhouse emissions is due to livestock?
About 5%. Within that cattle contribute the largest amount
What type of gas is methane?
A flow gas- will stay stagnant over time as they are destroyed at the same rate as emission
What is the goal of beef cow-calf production?
To wean one heavy, healthy calf with the greatest genetic potential to perform per cow every year
Define reproductive efficiency
The optimization of pregnancy rate early in the breeding season and the development/selection of replacement heifers that are highly fertile at the lowest cost possible
What is the cost of infertility?
6.25$/cow exposed for every 1% decrease in pregnancy rate
What factors affect fertility in beef females?
Postpartum anestrus, suckling stimulus, age, genetics, nutrition, body weight, body condition score, reproductive management, plane of nutrition, body composition, animal handling
What is the number one factor affecting management?
The manager- they need to care, details matter, they need to form partnerships with their vet, extension, and other cattlemen and make data driven decisions
What are the minimum requirements for record keeping in a cow-calf operation?
Dam ID-sire info
Date of birth
Birth weight
Weaning weight
BCS at calving and breeding
Health records
Temperament
Breeding
21 day pregnancy rate
Overall pregnancy rate
Calving Weight
Weaning weight
What is the cow and heifer job description?
They must calve by 24 months of age, must have 1 cow per year, must calve without assistance, calf must be genetically capable to perform, cow must provide sufficient resources for the calf to reach its genetic potential, cows must retain their BCS, and they must not be crazy
What is the number of days postpartum ideal for higherpregnancy rates?
> 72 days
What should be the goals of your breeding season?
Have it be defined!
Should be implemented to maximize the number of cows pregnant at the beginning of the breeding season in order to maximize the number of calves born at the beginning of the calving season in order to achieve the highest possible weaning weights
How do you implement selection pressure on a herd basis to increase efficiency.
-Establish a selection criteria
-Select heifers to get pregnant early (First 30 days of breeding season- They will calve early and wean heavier calves)
-Use data to make selection decisions
-Cull females that don’t fit the selection criteria
-Use genomic tools to identify potential replacements
What percent of producers perform BSEs on their bulls?
less than 1/3
What are some examples of reproductive technologies that can help to increase efficiency?
Breeding season management, breeding soundness exams, pregnancy diagnosis, early weaning, culling open females, crossbreeding, AI, estrus synchronization, fixed time AI embryo transfer, IVF, somatic cell nuclear cloning, transgenic technologies
What are some of the benefits of AI?
Disease prevention, widespread selection of bulls, proven genetics, improves overall herd genetics, reduces costs associated with bull maintenance, uniformity, crossbreeding potential
