Managing reduced-fertility beef herds.
Many beef herds with less than ideal reproductive efficiency have an 85-90% pregnancy rate, a breeding season longer than 90 days, and less than 60% of the calf crop born in the first 21 days of the calving season. The previous years' fertility levels should be used as a guideline for estimating calf losses and assessing improvement after implementation of reproductive programs. Acute infectious causes of reproductive inefficiency tend to be expressed as abortion or delayed conception. Management-related reproductive problems are common and involve inadequacies in nutrition, replacement heifer development, bull fertility and cow culling.
D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy