Everything You Want to Know About Cow Breeding
Cow breeding is a type of science if you are looking for certain traits in your cows. It is not something that you are going to enter into lightly if you have never been around cows before.
You should have an understanding of what you are doing and what to look for if you are going to begin breeding cows. This article is going to highlight some of the key points that you need to know and keep in mind.
The first thing that you want to do when cow breeding is purchase the cows that you want to mate together. You will want to examine each cow in order to determine if it has the traits that you are looking for in your final result.
You can maximize the chances of your cows getting pregnant if you purchase more than one male and one female cow. This is because cows enjoy spending time in herds. If you place them where they are comfortable they are going to be more relaxed and happier.
It is very important for you to have a mineral box for your cows if you are going to be breeding them. Your mineral box is going to consist of hay and grass as well as minerals with oxide in them. These things are very important for the cow’s health, as well as for the calves that have been produced.
If you have gone through a long winter and your cows seem to be feeling the effects of this, you may want to add extra minerals to the box to help them deal with the stress related to the winter.
Once your cows have bred, and they produced their calves, you are going to want to wean them off of their mother and separate them from the rest of the cows if you plan to breed them with your bull. Once again you are working to get the traits that you desire.
If you are going to continue cow breeding you are going to want to keep an eye on the cows that have the traits that you desire.
The best heifers to keep are the ones that were born within the first 21 days of the breeding cycle. You also want to watch for heifers that are cycling within eight to ten months after they are born. This is a sign that you want to keep this cow as well.
Other things you want to look for are low birth weights and those that have wide rumps and a deep heart girth. This last tip is very important because wipe rumps work very well when they are reproducing.
If the cow has a deep heart girth she is going to be low maintenance. You are going to appreciate these things if cow breeding is something that you are going to continue to do. You want the process to be as easy for you as possible.
As you can see, cow breeding can be very complicated. As previously mentioned, it is almost like a science. You want to fully understand what you can expect, and what you need to be prepared for in, order to ensure that your cows and their calves are healthy.
If you have never bred cows before you are going to want to talk to someone that understands how this works.
You need to be educated before you begin. This point can not be stressed enough. Take the time to learn about cow breeding so that you feel comfortable with the process. There is no reason for rushing along and doing things incorrectly if you are only going to harm your cows.
Related Resources: