Managing Postpartum Anestrus in Beef Cows for a Successful Breeding Season

Kacie McCarthy, UNL Cow-Calf Specialist Beef cows must recover from the nutrient and physical demands of calving and lactation and will have 80 to 85 days to return to estrus after calving to potentially maintain a yearly calving interval. Photo credit Troy Walz. Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/unlbeefwatch into your podcast app. As calving season…

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Cattle Chat: Keeping calves healthy

Providing a clean environment where calves less than a month of age are not in close-contact with older calves is the best way to keep scours from developing in the herd. | Download this photo. K-State veterinarians offer ways reduce risk of calves developing, sharing scours MANHATTAN, Kan. — The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” coined by Benjamin Franklin rings true for many of life’s situations. And…

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Late-Term Reproductive Losses in Beef Cattle: Diagnosing the Cause

Russ Daly Professor, SDSU Extension Veterinarian, State Public Health Veterinarian Written collaboratively by Russ Daly and Taylor Grussing, former SDSU Extension Cow-Calf Field Specialist. Reproductive losses account for $1 billion in lost revenue to the beef industry each year. All the way from conception to birth, we depend on a lot of things to go right, whether we are talking about natural or artificial breeding programs. Nevertheless, reproductive failure whether presented as early…

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How Often Should You Check Cows During Calving Season?

Russ Daly Professor, SDSU Extension Veterinarian, State Public Health Veterinarian The routine “calving check” is one of the most important tasks on the list of beef cattle producers during calving season. Most producers have their own plan for how often they give their calving herd the once-over, but some may have not considered how their animals’ physiology should guide this schedule. Incredible advances in technology have made it easier for producers to perform…

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Feed at Night, Calve During the Day

Adele Harty SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist As cattle producers begin thinking about calving season and management practices to ease the work load a bit, night feeding is something to be considered. Producers have questioned whether or not time of feeding affects time of calving, and the answer is “Yes.” What Research Shows Research indicates that feeding cows later in the day and evening will increase the number of calves born during daylight…

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Cattle Chat: Managing mother’s milk

K-State beef cattle experts say the first 24 hours after birth is an important time for calves to absorb colostrum. | Download this photo. K-State veterinarians discuss the importance of a calf nursing in the first 24 hours of its life MANHATTAN, Kan. — The old phrase “Milk Does A Body Good” is an advertising slogan from the 1980s but still rings true today not only for people but for cattle as well. And…

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Calving Management and Reducing Calf Losses in Beef Herds

Steve Niemeyer, Nebraska Extension Educator Becky Funk, DVM, Animal Health Teaching and NE Extension Specialist Factors contributing to calving problems fall into three main categories – calf effects, cow effects and fetal position at birth. Photo credit Chandra Giles. Factors Causing Calving Difficulty Every year a significant number of calves are lost at birth due to complications of parturition (calving).  The most common factor in loss due to dystocia is time delay of…

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Calving Season – Not the Time to Skimp on Nutrition

Karla H. Wilke, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Because feed resources have likely been tight this winter, now is a good time to assess BCS of the cows and send feed samples to a commercial laboratory for nutrient analysis. Photo credit Troy Walz. The 2020 drought across the Great Plains has made hay scarce for many producers. Additionally, the pandemic has affected oil prices which in turn has impacted ethanol production and…

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Understanding parturition a risk management tool for cow-calf operations

By Donald Stotts  STILLWATER, Okla. – A review of the stages of parturition can help lessen anxieties of cow-calf operators and protect producer investment in their animals during the upcoming calving season, said Oklahoma State University Extension experts.  There are three stages to parturition. It is not unusual for stage one – the dilation of the cervix – to occur completely unnoticed, but stage two – delivery of the newborn – and stage…

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Preparing Your Cows for A Successful Breeding Season

Dr. Les Anderson, Beef Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky A successful breeding season begins with management decisions made prior to calving. As we move into the winter-feeding period for spring-calving cows, cattlemen need to review their management plan to ensure optimal rebreeding and success. Rebreeding efficiency can be optimized by focusing on body condition score (BCS), early assistance during calving difficulty, scheduling a breeding soundness exam for the herd sires, planning their herd…

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