Nutrition
Nutrition Articles
Going for the Top in Conception Rates for Beef Cows
According to Alberta Agriprofits https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/781f2072-bdb5-40be-a7df-a0a44a760017/resource/c214e679-f81d-4bca-adb7-ff2e072fcc48/download/agi-itrb-economic-productive-financial-performance-alberta-cow-beef-2018-2022.pdf over the years 2018 to 2022 the average conception rate in Alberta cow herds was 86%. The target is 98% so there is room to improve. Let’s also look at the breeding window of 42 days as opposed to 6o days or more. Calves born at the end of the breeding window has many less days to grow over the grazing period resulting in less pounds of calf for sale in the fall after weaning. Combining these two factors requires a close eye on nutrition to generate results. The breeding period coincides with peak lactation and the recovery after calving. Pasture conditions for most March calving herds for 2024 are doing well. Rapidly growing grass legume pastures will supply the needed energy and protein for mature cows and heifers but minerals like phosphorous and magnesium can be short.
Efforts here in doing everything reasonable to encourage the intake of minerals will generate improvements in conception rates pushing us towards one calf from every cow every year. If there has been an historical herd conception rate below the target then consider using a more expensive but more readily absorbed organically bound mineral for the period of one month prior to calving until one month after the breeding season. Once the egg is fertilized it takes 7 to 10 days to travel to the uterus and implant in the wall. No stress should be added during this period and for two weeks afterwards. For animals that receive handling during artificial insemination it should be conducted as gently as possible with the animals returned to the herd quickly. Low stress for the animals increases implantation rates and reduces early embryonic mortality which can contribute to the higher conception rates. Preplanning as always makes everything go better and boosts results.
The improvement in conception rates means more calves in the 42 day target herd breeding/calving window. Look at an example of a calf born after the desired breeding period by two weeks. Fourteen days less growth means on average 30.8 less pounds using the above Alberta table average of 2.2 pounds per day of age for the calf group. This underestimates the loss but gives us an idea of the scale of what is happening. If the fall sale price of calves is estimated at $4/lb then the 30.8 pound shortfall is $ 123.20 less revenue per calf in this group. In a 400 cow herd where 25% of the calves are in this group the total lost revenue is $12,320.
We have time for this year to improve BCS and mineral status with special attention to growing bred heifers that will help achieve a conception rate of 97% to 98%. Other factors also have a role in achieving this goal like easy access to good quality water and bull readiness, but these other two are big contributors when done properly. Supplementation can be helpful where BCS is less than desirable so evaluate the cow herd every two weeks and act accordingly. Highline’s line of high quality mixers can assist in delivering these supplements to your cows efficiently.