Tips for a successful breeding season

Feb 27, 2023


Breeding season is here, or has begun for some producers. As the grass starts to green up and the tractors start rolling we can tend to forget about planning ahead for breeding season. If you have not put out a breeder mineral for your cows and bulls then now is the time. Yes don`t forget about the bulls. We've asked a lot of our cows over the past few months. Calving, raising a calf, maintaining body condition, and in most cases doing all this while battling the mud!

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
  • Breeder Mineral (Performance Minerals)
  • Vaccinations 30 days prior to breeding date or first day of bull turn out
  • Body Condition Score cows ahead of breeding to determine if more nutrition is required
  • BSE for your bulls, yes they have been resting for a while now but if they are not working then they are going to cost you a lot more than the BSE exam!
Now another issue during this time of year is that as the grass greens up cows are going to pasture instead of being fed dry hay or a TMR. This is a huge change in their diet which can make getting them bred or keeping them bred a challenge. Here are a few things to do to help with this.
  • Put a dry bale of hay out in the pasture
  • Take grain or TMR mix to the pasture to transition the cattle off their current diet
  • Utilize Tubs to balance nutrition
  • Using a High Mag tub and keeping a high quality mineral out free choice to help with breed back

If you plan to use AI this season then work out a plan with your feed salesmen, vet, and AI tech. The more you plan the more success you will have. Making sure proper nutrition is in place, correct protocol is selected and followed, the better return on your investment you will get. One mistake I see made each and every year is incorrect needle size being used to administer GnRh and PG. ALWAYS use 1 ½ in long needle to ensure the drug gets into the muscle. Just some food for thought as we go into the breeding season. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to us.