Cow mating: age and insemination, coating problems

Reproduction is an integral stage in the livestock breeding process, including when breeding cows. Without mating, not a single calf will be born, there will be no procreation. To properly prepare for mating cows, you need to be able to determine the period of hunting in females, choose males and females that are suitable for each other, control the mating process, and also know what problems you may encounter.

Natural instinct

Sexual arousal and mating in cows are regulated by instinct. If the animal is he althy, it comes into a state of hunting at regular intervals.

Bull and cow ready to mate

Heifers can happen at the age of 1.5 years, although physiological development allows them to become pregnant from about 7-8 months. However, at this age, young females still continue to grow rapidly, so pregnancy is undesirable. Bearing a calf will not benefit either the heifer or the offspring, it will slow down the development of the mother's body, the calf will be weak, small, prone to disease.

Bulls do not have sexual cycles, they are ready to mate continuously, starting from the age when they have puberty. Bulls can be born from 1.5 years of age.

Cow mating in nature

If cows are constantly together in the same herd, then mating occurs under the influence of instinct. The bull has the ability to monitor the condition of each female and inseminates when they come into heat.

Signs of hunting

Mating in animal husbandry is carried out at the moment when the body of females is ready for conception. It is possible to determine the state of sexual activity by the behavior of cows that become restless, eat little, moo, motor activity increases, milk yield decreases. Hunting begins in heifers at the age of 7-8 months, lasts 0.5-1.5 days, every 18-25 days it is repeated. If mating takes place during the hunting period, the probability of fertilization will be maximum.

Methods for detecting heat in cows

The efficiency of cattle breeding depends on the rate of reproduction of the cow population and is associated with the effectiveness of fertilization, which, in turn, affects the productivity of livestock, the number of calves received. It is possible to achieve excellent performance in this direction only if the rules of control and mating are observed. In addition to external signs, such as changed behavior and secretion of mucus from the genitals, it is possible to determine the onset of hunting using several methods.

Measuring body temperature

Cows in a state of heat increase in temperature. In cattle, it is measured using a thermometer, which is inserted into the rectum or vagina. The disadvantage of this method is that an increase in temperature may not be the result of sexual arousal, but of inflammatory processes.

Probe Bulls

The readiness of females for breeding is determined with the help of castrated bulls, which are released into the general herd to cows. Those individuals that allow them to approach themselves and allow them to jump on themselves are more likely to be on the hunt.

Instrumental method

Based on the fact that in the state of hunting, cows allow other individuals, both bulls and cows, to jump on themselves.For heifers and adult females, a bright paint of different colors is applied to the root of the tail, which is erased when animals contact. So you can find out if an individual exhibits sexual behavior. This method is not considered reliable, so you should not rely on it alone.

The degree of maturation of the follicles is determined by rectal or vaginal examination. During the examination, you can notice obvious signs of hunting - swelling and redness of the genital tract, changes in the ovaries and uterus.

Pedometry

A walking cow shows increased physical activity, so electronic pedometers are put on the legs of animals. Devices record measurements 2 times a day, process data for the last 3-5 days. Some models of pedometers indicate increased activity with a red glow.

Heating detector

Pressure-sensitive devices are attached to the animal's back, between the pelvic bones. The device detects when a cow is mounted and changes color from white to red.

How to prepare a female for mating

One and a half year old heifers are allowed for the first mating when they reach a body weight of 70% of that which they will have in adulthood. Already giving birth cows happen in 1-3 first hunts following the next calving.

Only females in the state of hunting are allowed to mate, which can excite the male, after intercourse with which fertilization occurs with the maximum probability. Mating is carried out in the middle of the hunting period, approximately 9 hours after it starts.

Mating heifers is recommended before insemination of cows, as they can overmature calves. This period is 2-3 weeks.

How to choose a bull for mating

The bull is selected taking into account the breed, its meat or dairy characteristics, the weight of the animal, fertility and the ability to transmit desirable traits to offspring. With manual insemination, the moment of mating can be recorded in order to calculate the date of calving. For best results, 2 matings are carried out with an interval of 12 hours (the bull covers the cow in the morning and evening).

In case of natural mating of cattle, before the start of the breeding period, it is necessary to conduct an examination of the genital organs of the sire and his limbs. It is not uncommon for fertility problems to occur due to poor sperm condition or lack of desire to mate due to leg pain.

At the end of the breeding period, the effectiveness of covering cows with a he althy bull should be 85-90%. At the same time, the bull itself loses a lot of energy and live weight. During mating, it is fed with grain mixtures, vitamin and mineral premixes.

Process of mating

In the household, cattle are inseminated, using natural mating and artificial. With a natural bull and the cows intended for him, they are left on the pasture, where the male himself determines the time, when and with whom to mate. This method has disadvantages - not all females can become pregnant, it is difficult to determine the exact date of coverage, and hence the birth. In manual mating, the bull covers the cow when he is brought to her. The effectiveness of this method is higher, you can keep records of cases, calculate the date of calving.

You don't have to keep a bull to cover a cow. For a long time, artificial mating has been used on farms and in private households. In this case, the bull does not inseminate the cow directly, she is injected with his sperm. Advantages of this method: it is possible to obtain offspring from thoroughbred animals, which will have improved characteristics, more calves can be obtained from one dose of semen from one bull than usual, it is easier to control the process of insemination, the effectiveness of the method is higher than with natural mating.

Possible problems

Intensive use of cows often has a negative effect on their reproductive function. Some have to be inseminated during not one, but several heats. Cows that cannot conceive after 3 consecutive matings are considered problem cows. Moreover, their sexual cycle proceeds normally, hunting occurs at the right time, but the animal is not fertilized.

The reasons for this state of females may lie in hormonal abnormalities (in problematic individuals there is a higher level of progesterone than usual), in a change in the uterine environment that rejects the embryo. Embryonic mortality may be the cause.

Bad living conditions, insufficient nutrition or, on the contrary, excessive feeding when animals get fat - all this also leads to disturbances in the reproductive sphere of cattle.

Mating of cows should be carried out at a certain time, when the animal's body will be maximally prepared for fertilization. To determine the date of mating, you need to monitor the manifestations of the sexual cycle of cows, carry out mating during the hunting period. At home, natural and artificial insemination methods can be used to successfully breed cows. Which one to choose depends on whether there is a bull on the farm, and on the number of livestock.

Recommended