MANHATTAN, Kan. 鈥 For cow-calf producers, knowing the pregnancy status of the cows is important information to have as they decide which animals they are going to keep and which ones they are going to sell, according to the experts at Kansas State University鈥檚 Beef Cattle Institute. This was the topic for a recent discussion on the Cattle Chat podcast.
鈥淎s forage availability becomes more limited, pregnancy checking in the first 60 to 90 days of gestation allows producers to make the culling decision sooner rather than later, and that helps keep the feed costs down,鈥 A. J. Tarpoff, K-State Research and Extension beef cattle veterinarian, said in a news release.
Along with knowing if they are pregnant or open, K-State veterinarian Bob Larson also stresses the importance of knowing when the cows are conceived.
鈥淚 want as many cows as possible to get pregnant in the first 21 days of the breeding season because they will raise the biggest calves to sell at weaning,鈥 Larson said. The cows that calve early are more likely to resume their heat cycles on time for the next breeding season.
Another benefit of bringing the cows off the pasture for pregnancy checking is that producers can evaluate body condition, said K-State beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster.
鈥淏ody condition scoring the cows at weaning allows producers to make decisions about how to manage the cows nutritionally ahead of the calving season,鈥 Lancaster said.
If the cows are thin at weaning, there is still time for them to add weight ahead of calving, Lancaster said.
鈥淚t is a lot cheaper and easier to put weight on the thin cows going through the fall than in the winter when bad weather can make it a challenge,鈥 he said.
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Body condition is one factor that can be evaluated when the cows are pregnancy checked.