Failure to Conceive Culling Unproductive Cattle from
5.6. Culling Unproductive Cattle from
the Herd Successful beef breeding enterprises rely on an eicient and productive breeding herd. To achieve this, the cows contributing least productivity to the enterprise need to be identiied and removed. This practice is called ‘culling’. Low or lost productivity during a cow’s breeding lifetime can be summarised as: • Failure to conceive • Failure to produce a live calf • Failure to rear that calf to become a healthy weaner. In cases where the causes of these failures are management-related rather than genetic, culling afected animals will have limited impact on future herd productivity. Therefore, sound principles must be applied before the decision to remove a cow from the breeding herd is made.5.6.1. Failure to Conceive
In eicient and well-managed beef enterprises, most cows that are identiied as non-pregnant after being exposed to the bull for a reasonable period are culled from the herd. This ensures any infertile or genetically sub-fertile individuals are removed from the herd, and the head manager can make the most eicient use of the pasture available. However, for a cow that has successfully raised a calf previously, failure to conceive may well be due to an unfavourable environment rather than undesirable genetics, and culling her from the herd would achieve little in reducing the likelihood of future failures to conceive, if nothing is done to correct the overriding environmental constraint. Assuming fertile and physically sound bulls, cattle can fail to conceive for a number of reasons: Freemartinism: An infertile heifer as a result of sharing the womb with a male twin. She must be culled once identiied, often only as a non-pregnant heifer at pregnancy diagnosis Other Physiological Problems: Any other inherent problem that may impact negatively on conception or pregnancy. Culling non-pregnant heifers will remove these animals from the herd Infection Inhibiting Conception or Causing Abortion: Individuals known to have been afected by reproductive diseases or bacterial infections should be considered for culling from the herd as their reproductive ability may have been compromised by the infection, or they may be a source of future infection of others Nutritional Anoestrus: When cattle body condition score drops to 1.5 or less, the oestrus cycle often ceases, a situation most common in irst calvers or during periods of severe nutritional stress such as drought. Improving nutrition will overcome this issue and culling afected animals will not beneit the herd Fig. 5.17. 147 Cold Winter Climates Figure 5.17. Relationship between body condition score of cattle at calving and the time taken to return to heat. Cows in poorer condition take longer to cycle after calving, and the efect can be partially overcome by improving nutrition post- calving. Source: Graham, J. 1982 Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. 14, 309-12.5.6.2. Failure to Produce a Live Calf
Parts
» LEP Cold Climate Beef Breeder Manual 2016 (English).
» Importance of Planning LEP Cold Climate Beef Breeder Manual 2016 (English).
» Timing Trained Staff Planning for Arrival
» Quarantine Facilities Water on Arrival
» Management of Health on Arrival Feeding on Arrival
» Winter Feeding Planning for Arrival
» Monitoring In Quarantine General Health and Husbandry
» Arrival Checklist Planning for Arrival
» Paddocks and Fencing Developing the Property
» Cattle Yards Developing the Property
» Raceways Loading and Unloading Ramps
» Laneways Gates Developing the Property
» Yard Posts Electronic Scales Crush and Head Bail
» Water Troughs Developing the Property
» Modernising Traditional Winter Facilities
» Winter Confinement Feeding Sites
» Confinement Yards Winter Facilities
» Planning Requirements On-Farm Fodder Storage
» Ruminant Digestive System LEP Cold Climate Beef Breeder Manual 2016 (English).
» Feed Intake The First Limiting Nutrient
» Digestibility Fibre Concepts of Nutrition and Feeding
» Vitamins Nutrient Balance Essential Nutrients
» Water LEP Cold Climate Beef Breeder Manual 2016 (English).
» Moulds and Mouldy Feeds Cold Weather Impacts on Feed
» Body Condition Scoring Observational Skills
» How to Recognise Sick Animals
» Healthy Animal Behaviour Reading Manure Early Diagnosis and Treatment
» Prevention Rather than Treatment Nutritional Stress
» Understanding the Animal Welfare Requirement Features of Sight
» Flight Zones Education and Training
» Moving Animals Safe, Low Stress Cattle Handling
» Euthanasia Safe, Low Stress Cattle Handling
» Understanding the Animal Welfare Requirement Preventing Injury
» Features of Suitable Cattle Transport
» Preparing Animals for Transport Loading
» Loading Density In-Transit Care
» Unloading Transporting in Extreme Weather
» External Parasites Common Cattle Diseases
» Internal Parasites Common Cattle Diseases
» Diseases Affecting Reproductive Performance
» Clostridial Diseases Common Cattle Diseases
» Other Important Diseases Common Cattle Diseases
» Bloat Common Cattle Diseases
» Australian Health Status Developing a Breeding Objective
» Selecting the Most Appropriate Breed
» Crossbreeding With Local Breeds - Beef and Dairy
» Physical Evaluation of Bulls
» Structural Soundness and Body Conformation
» Penis and Prepuce Scrotum and Testicles
» Semen Sample Ability to Mate Serving Capacity
» Bull Management and Preparation for Mating Bull to Cow Ratio
» Reproductive Organs Oestrus Cycle and Heat Detection
» Mating After Calving Using Artificial Insemination in the Reproductive Cycle Pregnancy Detection
» Preparations for Calving Calving Management
» Abnormal Calving Calving Management
» Failure to Conceive Culling Unproductive Cattle from
» Failure to Produce a Live Calf Failure to Raise a Calf to a Healthy Weaner
» Cast-for-Age Culling Unproductive Cattle from
» Selecting Replacement Breeders Heifers
» Targets for Heifer Development
» Selecting Appropriate Sires for Heifer Mating First Calving
» Relationship Between Feeding LEP Cold Climate Beef Breeder Manual 2016 (English).
» Animal Identification Calf Processing
» Castration Dehorning Calf Processing
» Early Weaning Feeding Weaner Cattle
» Adaptation of Australian Cattle
» Winter Management Essentials LEP Cold Climate Beef Breeder Manual 2016 (English).
» Bedding Managing the Welfare of Cattle in Winter
» Water Managing the Welfare of Cattle in Winter
» Feeding in Confinement Opportunities to Manage Cattle
» Winter Grazing Opportunities to Manage Cattle
» Managing Winter Grazing Opportunities to Manage Cattle
» Grazing Stockpiled Forage Swath Grazing
» Bale Grazing Opportunities to Manage Cattle
» Developing a Winter Feed Budget
» Traditional Indoor Winter Backgrounding
» Finishing LEP Cold Climate Beef Breeder Manual 2016 (English).
» Plant Adaptation Forage Species
» Legumes Forages in Farming Systems
» Grasses Forages in Farming Systems
» Selecting the Right Species Anti-nutritional Factors
» Preparation for Sowing Seed Quality
» Area Required Stocking Rate Grazing
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