Breeding beef cattle is relatively easy as compared to breeding dairy cattle. Because breeding beef cattle is all about getting cows bred for producing calves to sale either for replacements or for beef.
And you don’t have to think much about many things such as genetic improvement, increasing milk production etc.
You also don’t have to think much about artificial insemination method, because you can easily breed your beef cattle by using bulls.
Breeding beef cattle
The main aim of breeding beef cattle is to produce offspring that are mainly used for the beef market. However, here we are describing more information bout breeding beef cattle.
Determine your Breeding Program
There are two different options for breeding beef cattle; by using bull or by using artificial insemination method. Here we are describing about both method.
Select Bull
You should always select quality and healthy bull for improving your herd (because your selected bull will be providing half of the genetic potential of your calf crop).
Fertility and live calves are the key to profitability, and a quality bull can help you to achieve your goal.
Keeping and using a bull for breeding is a good idea if your herd size is of more than 10 cows.
Actually a healthy bull is enough for breeding around 25 cows. But sometimes bulls with high fertility and high libido can service around or up to 50 cows, without drop in conception rates.
Generally a bull reach it’s peak fertility by it’s 20 months of age (although the age can vary depending on the cattle breed), and it remains fertile until it’s 6-7 years of age.
Artificial Insemination
Artificial insemination is an effective way for breeding beef cattle if your herd is too small.
AI also a very good option if you don’t want to deal with bulls, and also if you don’t want to bear the extra expenses for raising bulls. You can call an AI technician for breeding your cows.
Breed Your Cows
You need to know when your cows go into estrus and you should keep records of this.
Breeding beef cattle is done through artificial insemination 12 hours after the cows have showed signs of estrus. You can call an AI technician and he/she will do the rest.
But in case if you are raising a bull in your herd, then you will not need to worry about when your cows go into heat. The bull will do the rest, you just need to keep records when your cows have been bred.
Monitor You Animals During Breeding Season
You need to monitor your cows and bulls during the breeding season. Keeping too many bulls in the herd is not a good idea.
Because there may be more fighting than mating if you keep too many bulls in the herd. You also need to monitor the cows on your herd.
Your cows have been bred successfully within the last 24-48 hours, if you notice their tails being held out or crooked tails when they are walking.
Keep Records
You should always keep records of everything from the estrus to the time when your cows have been bred successfully.
Some Tips for Breeding Beef Cattle
Pulling the bulls out after 2-3 months will be good if you don’t want year-round breeding.
Bulls can be aggressive sometimes, so keeping them separated from the herd will be a good decision. All the best!
