ABSTRACT
Reproduction is essential for successful cow-calf and dairy production and the most important economic trait for cow-calf producers. For efficient reproduction to occur in beef herds, cows or heifers must conceive early during the breeding season, maintain the pregnancy, calve unassisted or with very little assistance, rebred in a timely manner and wean a calf every year. In the case of dairy cattle, cows or heifers are expected to become pregnant, maintain the pregnancy, and calve every 12 to 15 months to produce milk. Interruption of that process leads to delay or total loss of production. Although fertile bulls are required to achieve reproduction, they come with potential risk of transmitting disease during breeding.
Subject(s)
Cattle Diseases , Sexually Transmitted Diseases , Pregnancy , Cattle , Animals , Female , Male , Reproduction , Fertility , Milk , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/veterinary , SeasonsABSTRACT
As approximately 94% of beef cow-calf operations use only natural service for breeding their cows and heifers, replacement bulls are a significant, necessary cost of producing beef calves. The value realized from beef bulls includes number and quality of calves sired, weight of calves sold, production value of daughters retained, and the bull's salvage value. Considering the importance of maintaining and recouping the cost of this significant investment, there is little information in peer reviewed literature about maintaining bulls in the off-season to prepare the bull for optimum performance in subsequent breeding seasons.
Subject(s)
Animal Husbandry , Animals , Cattle , Male , BreedingABSTRACT
Veterinary assessment of the condition and needs of livestock and their owners in an emergency is an essential element of the disaster response. The emergency response for livestock has 4 critical components: assessing the need for and attending to the immediate medical needs of injured or affected livestock, determining the resources available to meet the needs, including feed and facilities, identifying any ongoing threats or potential hazards to livestock health and welfare, and appropriate documentation of damages and actions by responders. Information gathered from cattle assessments by veterinarians is used to prioritize resources and plan for anticipated needs.
