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The Importance of Pregnancy Checking Cattle

By Travis Meteer

Pregnancy checking cattle is beneficial to any operation. Culling open animals allows for saved feed costs and potential profit. Keeping a tight calving window increases the importance of pregnancy checking. When checking, if cattle are bred and don’t fit your desired calving season, they can typically be marketed at a higher price. If cows or heifers are identified as open in a timely fashion, producers then have time to grow and market those animals. History has shown that cull cow prices can be 5-10% higher in August compared to October and November.

Source : illinois.edu

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The Hunt for New Life: Fall Calving at Pride Ranch Episode 1

Video: The Hunt for New Life: Fall Calving at Pride Ranch Episode 1

Fall calving season is officially underway here at Pride Ranch. Today I’m walking the pastures, checking udders, watching behavior, and hoping to find the first newborn of the season. Some cows look close… others are still holding out.

That’s ranch life. A lot of patience. A lot of walking. And sometimes, no calves when you expect them.

In this episode:

• Pasture checks and cow behavior

• Signs a calf is getting close

• Where cows like to hide newborns

• The first official hunt of the season