Reproductive Options
In terms of breeding, in today's markets, producers are presented with some options: Artificial Insemination, Embyro Transfer, or the natural, old fashioned use of a bull. When utilizing AI routes, it is important to know the viability of the semen you will be using. Whether you decide on cooled shipped, or frozen shipped, its important to realize, like stallions, some bulls freeze better than others and not all are good candidates. AI'ing is a great way to guarantee cow coverage and without a doubt you can be certain of the offsprings pedigree. It is also possible to get sexed semen and take the guess work out of trying to produce either a bull or heifer calf. In terms of embryo transfer, viability rates are much more delicate with success rates weighing in at just over 40%. However, when successful, ET proves to be a great way to expand the gene pool in your herd using hand-selected genetic combinations that may not be otherwise achievable from your current herd. No matter the breed, all cows are essentially created equal in terms of reproduction anatomy, as are bulls. In the cow, the reproductive system is fundamentally constructed as seen in the right diagram. Basic anatomy knowledge is vital in preserving herd health and ensuring breeding capabilities. By law, you do not need certification to AI your own herd, nor is it needed for Embryo Transfer. However, equipment can be expensive, prep time, money, coordinated efforts and personal gain strongly suggest high levels of reproductive system knowledge and technique mastery. Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer are both lucrative and highly marketable careers. As with cows, reproductive familiarity of the bull is just as important as both play equal parts in the initial steps of procreation. On the opposite side of the coin, if you are planning on eliminating an individual bull's ability to pass on his genes, it is essential to know the parts that play key roles. Feeding of Beef Cattle When feeding beef cattle, there are many options, opinions, techniques, as well as outliers. Though good genes are essential, it's difficult to raise a high-class champion on table scraps. Just as it is difficult to grow a light-framed, small-boned, individual into a 1,300 lb. market animal in a reasonable amount of time. When you look at today's feedlot cattle, it is rare to find an individual with Lowline breeding. Instead, what is most common are Charolais crosses, angus, hereford and the like. This is due partly to better breeding techniques, breed characteristic selectivity, and better feeding techniques. In the US, today's cattle spend significantly less time in the feedlot than in previous decades and yield higher hanging carcass weights. Good producers know that when you feed cattle, you are feeding the microbes of the digestive tract. There are two types of feeds; Roughages and Concentrates. Cattle that are brought into a feedlot bunk-feed setting off of roughages such as pasture, will need some time to acclimate to the concentrates used in feedyards. The same is true for the opposite. Cattle raised on concentrates will need to adjust to strictly a roughage diet before desired results can be achieved. Either way, when adjusting cattle to different feed styles, it is best to do it slowly in order to minimize enterotoxemia complications, probiotic therapy, as well as added stress to animal and money lost in treatment options and body condition. The goal of feeding any market animal is to produce food particles that can be absorbed and utilized by the body. In doing so, food is first processed mechanically (mastication) and then chemically (microbe and protozoal breakdown) in the body. In the mouth it is partially broken down by means of mastication and salivation where it is then passed to the rumen, where it conforms to the "layers" of feed. These layers of feed are composed of gases in the top portion, today's feed in the middle, and yesterday's feed on the bottom. The rumen walls are lined with papilla that serve to move it onward and aid in digestibility. From the rumen it passes to the reticulum, known for its "honeycomb" folds. It is in the reticulum where it is either sent back to the mouth as cud in order so the food boluses may be re-masticated or it is sent into the next stomach compartment, the omasum. The omasum is known as "pages of a book". These "pages" serve to absorb water and liquids from the food particles. Next is the abomasum, the "true stomach". It behaves similarly to the stomach of a human or pig. From there it enters the intestines and is further broken down to complete the digestion process. Before digestion can take place, the feed must first be ingested! In a feedlot setting, the bunk lends itself to discovery and adaptability. Simplistic as it seems, some cattle may have a hard time developing the habit of getting their feed out of the bunk. Some producers find it more profitable to background their calves. Backgrounding in a nutshell, comprises of conditioning calves from the point of weaning to feedlot placement. From an economic standpoint, careful records should be maintained in order to decipher whether or not backgrounding of calves is feasible dependent on certain elements which may fluctuate with markets, trends, cattle breeds and weather variants. It is a necessity that cattlemen become businessmen who trend in cattle, rather than cattlemen who trend in business. |
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