Getting Her Bred Continued from Page 67
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Advice for ensuring your females breed with ease. by Christy Couch Lee h, if only there was a magic wand to ensure Oa female — whether a first-calf heifer or a mature cow — would breed on the first try, every time. Alas, there is not. “Successful breeding is a combination of things done way ahead of breeding season, and things done at the moment of inseminating a female,” says Max Stotz, GKB Cattle, Waxahachie, Texas. “But there is no magic key. It’s simply a combination of many things that I’ve found over the years to be helpful in accomplishing the goal.” Through trial and error and decades in the business, Stotz; Marty Lueck, Journagan Ranch/ Missouri State University (MSU), Springfield, Mo.; and Kyle Gillooly, CES Polled Herefords, Wadley, Ga., say they’ve discovered what works for their operations and for their regions of the country. Stotz has been involved in the Hereford industry since childhood. After graduating from The Ohio State University, he began working for Ace Cattle Co., which became Star Lake Cattle Ranch. Last year, he began managing the cow herd at GKB. For 32 years, Lueck has overseen Journagan’s 3,300 acres and 480 purebred and 150 commercial cows Getting with four employees. Each year, the operation hosts an annual sale and markets up to 100 bulls through the sale and private treaty. Gillooly was raised in the Hereford and Angus business in Indiana. He met his wife, Jennifer, while showing Herefords, and when they were married in 2006, he began managing her grandfather’s Her Bred cattle operation. 66 / May/June 2015 Hereford.org Currently, the CES herd consists of 200 Hereford cows, “Successful breeding is a combination of things 150 Angus cows and 600 commercial females. They are done way ahead of breeding season, and things typically 60% fall calving and done at the moment of inseminating a female. 40% early spring calving. But there is no magic key.” These men say nutrition, vaccination, handling and — Max Stotz bull quality all factor into a successful breeding program. “Our mineral is custom made,” Gillooly begins grazing cattle Necessary nutrition he says. “We did tests on our on rye from December through Lueck says by April they are forages to determine what we early April. He also has conducted preparing for breeding with a lacked. Soil tests can also help you testing on his ground to ensure he strong focus on nutrition. determine what is lacking — maybe supplements only what is needed — “Our idea of nutrition is to make it’s copper, zinc or selenium. We and nothing more. sure they’re on a gaining plane,” think mineral is important and “Depending on the environment he says. “We maintain a mineral feed it year round.” and region of the country, selenium program year round, and by April, Stotz says finding a good should be supplemented,” he says. the grass is hopefully coming.” mineral program can take some “However, in our area, we can A post-calving body score of 4.5 time and patience. get too much selenium with the to 5.5 is ideal, Lueck says. “We’ve gone three or four routes grasses grazed, causing toxicity and “This allows for enough backfat and always come back to the same breeding problems. We’ve known to help make the reproductive one,” he says. “Find something that producers who supplemented with transition,” he says. works for you, and something you high-selenium mineral, and they Heifers at CES begin grain can afford.” dealt with deaths and sicknesses. It’s supplementation at weaning, Gillooly says mineral important for producers to know which continues through breeding, supplementation should never be the minerals they need.” Gillooly says. underestimated. A strong vaccination and “Depending on the time of year, “Minerals are a key issue,” he health program is also essential. we also rely on winter grain — says. “Sometimes, I wonder if Stotz recommends establishing a rye,” he says. “We try to balance it people know just how important relationship with a veterinarian out in the fall with grain through mineral supplementation is. They who can help develop a health breeding. We typically move to rye get tied up with things, and forget protocol for your herd. after we get them bred.” to make sure minerals are on site “You want to be sure the cattle All three men agree — mineral year round. Not just for first-calf are vaccinated against IBR/BVD/ supplementation is critical. And not heifers, but for females getting bred PI3/BRSV, leptospirosis 5-way and just any mineral will do, Lueck says. back, as well.” continued on page 68... Hereford.org May/June 2015 / 67 ...Getting Her Bred continued from page 67 At nine days after timed AI, seven-day CIDR program in groups “Minerals are a key CIDR®s (controlled internal drug of 40-50,” he says. release) are reinserted. CIDRs are And, Gillooly says, the program to issue. Sometimes, left in for seven days, at which point choose is the one that works for you. I wonder if people they are pulled. “We have used different know just how “We visually watch those cattle protocols, and it all goes back and breed what comes in off to what works,” he says. “I am important mineral natural heat,” Lueck says. “Most will straight heat breeding, because supplementation is.” come back into heat within a two- I didn’t have a lot of success to five-day period. We end up with with timed breeding in our — Kyle Gillooly 80 to 90% being bred.” part of the country. But that’s When possible, Gillooly says, not the case for everyone.” natural heats typically result in What works well at one operation vibriosis,” he says. “You also need better breeding results on his may not work well at another. As a good worming protocol, and operation. He has increased well, what works for a mature cow this all should be done 30 days conception rates by 10%, simply may not work for a first-calf heifer before breeding season. Timely by watching cows for three weeks when it comes to breeding. applications of vaccines and straight and breeding naturally, breeding go hand in hand.” before programming begins in The cow versus the heifer Once a nutrition and the fall. Lueck says his operation keeps vaccination program is established, “We try to breed off natural first-calf heifers and mature determining the best breeding heats,” he says. “Mother Nature’s cows separate. protocol for your operation is key heat cycle is better than any “It’s not that we’ll pamper them,” to successful breeding. manmade heat cycle, from what he explains. “But we can take them I’ve seen.” into a drought, if necessary, and Proper protocols However, breeding protocols get them on a bit better plane of At Journagan Ranch/MSU, Lueck also are greatly dependent on the nutrition. The mature cows should says, timed breeding protocols amount of labor available on the be tough enough to be able to are used. All heifers are bred via operation, Gillooly says. breed back.” artificial insemination (AI) twice, “We aren’t ‘over-employed’ on In the past, Lueck says, he often and, sometimes, cows are bred our operation, so for those not bred supplemented 6 to 7 lb. of grain twice, too. on natural heats, we typically do a to heifers per day. Today, that has dropped to 2 to 3 lb. “After that process, we have more 2 year olds breeding back,” he says. “They may not look as pretty, but they get enough. And we have a 93-94% pregnancy rate, which is way above the national average for first-time heifers.” Stotz says many producers try to breed first-calf heifers to calve 30 days before mature cows begin to allow for extra attention to be given to those heifers. Although he doesn’t practice that theory, he does recommend separating 2 year olds from mature cows. “Grouping 2 year olds and harder-doing cows together can be good,” he says. “Sometimes, they need a little extra nutrition and energy, more than the mature cows.” The same is true at GKB, Stotz says. Mature cows are kept on grass, while first-calf heifers are separated to be given extra Grouping cattle and supplementing 2-year-old and harder-doing cattle together can help increase attention, if needed. conception rates. 68 / May/June 2015 Hereford.org “Younger cattle who may be temperature to come down before When the timing is right for thinner or harder doing will be I go in with a straw of semen and breeding, proper heat detection is supplemented with grain to keep expect it to work,” he says. “Last needed — a skill more critical than body condition up,” he says. “We year, we didn’t make it to Denver. some might imagine. like to see the females in a gaining We had lined up fall-calving cows state during the breeding process.” for breeding in January. The week Honing in on heat In addition to proper care and we pulled CIDRs, the weather Stotz says heat detection can be attention, Stotz says, facilities are turned 75 and 80 degrees — it a great challenge in breeding, also important for breeding success. increased 20 degrees in a matter primarily for the time that can of days. Cows were hot and be involved. Cool and collected coming into heat, and it’s the worst “Many people have another job, “Keeping the facility as dark as conception rate we’ve had since I’ve and they don’t have the time to possible, out of sunlight, can be been in Georgia.” sit and watch their females several beneficial,” he explains.