Basic rules for mating cows
How to mate in cattle? This is a topical issue, especially for novice farmers. It is very important to have healthy and strong animals in the herd, and thanks to planned mating, the appearance of weak and sick offspring can be prevented. It is also important that the more calves are born, the better for farming. If only 1 calf is born per year, measures should be taken to increase the number of livestock, as this figure is very low. In this article, we will analyze in more detail how cows are mated.
Mating cows and bulls
How do you know that a young male is ready to mate?
As a rule, an animal is considered sexually mature at the age of 8 months. In heifers, puberty lasts longer, the readiness to have offspring occurs at 10 months of age.
- Before mating, a young bull must gain a body weight of at least 70% of the weight of an adult.
- It is recommended to check the ability of the animal to produce good offspring, as it provides an increase in the farm.
- On the first mating with animals, you should not count on success: young animals may not start mating. But don't worry, it's better to try to repeat the mating after a while.
How to determine if a horned animal can become an inseminator
This is a rather lengthy process, and often the bull himself does not live to see the quality of his semen being determined. If his daughters in relation to their peers at the same level have the same level of productivity, then the bull is neutral. In the case when the daughters of a bull on the farm have a productivity lower than that of their peers in the herd, it means that he is the reason for him - such a bull is not used for insemination, his sperm is utilized. Well, if the daughter gives a good offspring, then the bull receives the status of an inseminator, his sperm is frozen and stored for a long time.
How to tell if a cow is ready to mate
To give healthy calves, the cow must get stronger, gain at least 70% of the main body weight and reach at least ten months of age. The first signs of readiness for mating appear when the heifer becomes agitated and restless: loudly hums and jumps on the backs of other cows. The cow begins to discharge (estrus), which lasts from 2 to 5 days, at which time the animal does not eat well. During hunting, the vulva of the animal is slightly edematous, the inner surface of the lips is pinkish, hyperimaned, slightly mucous. A more accurate answer to the question of whether a cow is hunting or not will be given by rectal examination.
How a cow is hunted can be clearly seen on video on the Internet. Veterinarians do not advise to rush to divorce offspring if the heifer is very young. It is better to wait until she gets stronger and gains strength, and only after that you can start mating, otherwise early pregnancy is fraught with weak offspring.A cow may produce little milk after calving.
How is the mating process
For farmland, the insemination of heifers is the most important and responsible process. It is important to regularly mate cows with bulls, combining with artificial insemination to achieve high results. If livestock numbers are low, it is necessary to start breeding animals as early as possible. At the same time, the terms of bearing the calves are taken into account. There are several different methods of mating animals.
- First method: mating occurs while the herd is grazing. In this case, the bull is able to inseminate up to 40 females. Animals mate involuntarily. There is a possibility that the bull will not fertilize a sufficient number of females, this method does not allow controlling the mating of cows with bulls.
- Second method: planned mating of cows. The method is more acceptable when you want to keep breeding offspring, for example, if you have a dairy breed. Here it is important to preserve the relative mating of bulls. To obtain healthy and strong calves, a large bull inseminator of large breeds is selected.
- The third method is artificial insemination of the heifer by hand. A plastic bag containing bull semen is placed on the tip of the syringe. A rubber cover is put on top so that the metal surface of the syringe does not come into contact with the genitals of the cow. A glove is put on the hand for rectal examinations. The rectum is cleared of stool. It is also necessary to pre-massage the uterus, to stimulate it. The syringe is gently inserted into the vagina. You need to get into the hole - the entrance to the cervix, and then - into the body of the uterus. To do this, you should help yourself with your fingers to move the tip of the syringe. The cervix has 3 folds and a blind sac at the entrance to the cervix. These are the main obstacles to the syringe. Once in the body of the uterus, you can push the plunger and squeeze out the semen. In this case, it is necessary to carefully monitor the introduction into the body so as not to injure the uterine lining. Then the uterus is also massaged. The cow is allowed to sniff with a rubber cover that was put on the syringe that was being inseminated so that she knows the smell of the bull. An illustrative video can be found on the Internet.
How to know if a cow will calve
There are several signs by which it is realistic to understand that the cow will soon calve: you need to look down the tail of the cow. Somewhere a day before calving, a cow develops a characteristic discharge of 15-20 cm. The heifer licks her sides and hums. Before calving, the cow's udder swells, becomes hard, but the milk is not yet flowing. The animal stops eating.
After calving, it is recommended to continue feeding in the usual volume for the animal. The process of giving birth to a calf can be viewed on the video on the Internet. The horse demonstrates the same manipulations.
Let's summarize
How to care for a newborn calf? After birth, the mucus is wiped off the calf's muzzle. The umbilical cord is treated with iodine solution. In the first hour after birth, the baby should be fed with warm milk. Cows and horses get along well with each other.
Young stallions can be in the stall with the calves, but when puberty comes, the animals are seated. You need to carefully monitor your pets, comply with all requirements, and then it will really be possible to achieve the desired result.