BEEF CATTLE

BREEDING STOCK
MANAGEMENT
By
Jackson Muchiri
Department of Animal Production
University of Nairobi
Management focus points
1. Calf crop
2. Feeding of breeding stock
3. When to breed
4. Age at which to breed
5. Milk production potential
6. Pregnancy testing
7. Care of nursing cows
8. Culling
9. Management of bulls
10. Beef calender
1. Calf crop
• Calf crop% = No. of calves weaned x 100
• No. of cows in herd the previous year
• This is a productivity measure of the breeding herd
• percentage of 80 – 90% is acceptable.
• However the value of a breeding cow is represented by
the number of calves produced in the life time.
• The returns in a breeding herd therefore depends on:-
• Calf crop%
• Average weight of calf at weaning
• Cost of maintaining breeding cow
• Price of the weaner calf when sold
2. Feeding of breeding stock
• It’s an important management aspect especially in the tropics.
Feeding of breeding cow is neglected in rangelands where they
depend on natural grassland.
• Breeding cows need to be in good condition at:-
• Time of breeding
• Later stages of pregnancy
• 1st 3 – 4months of lactation
 Breeding cow nutrition
• Beef cattle mainly depend on natural pastures and rarely utilize
established (planted) pastures.
• The main factor determining the performance of beef cattle is Dry
Matter Intake (DMI).
• This is because the pastures utilized have low digestibility and low
rate of passage through the Gastro-Intestinal Tract (GIT).
• The nutritional management of beef cows is divided into biological
cycles i.e. breeding time, 1st, 2nd & 3rd trimesters of pregnancy and
the post parturition period.
3. When to breed (Time of breeding )
• This is selected to ensure that the breeding cow is in good condition
at the time of breeding.
• Bred when pastures have adequately grown such that the cows calf
down about 1 month before onset of rainy season.
• This calls for a controlled type of breeding.
• This is good for keeping records of cows which will be removed for
failure to breed.
• Ensures weaners are sold off before onset of dry season
4. Age at which to breed
• Usually 20 – 25% of the calves born on the farm are kept for
replacement.
• The calves should be ready for breeding at 2 years of age or about
350kg live weight.
5. Milk production potential
• Its related to growth of young calves.
• Poor milkers (cows) are also poor raisers of their calves to weaning
• weaning weight determines post weaning growth rate.
• Most zebu cattle have a short persistence of milk production
therefore require supplementation
6. Pregnancy Testing
• Identifies the animals which have failed to conceive so as to be
removed before the drought onset.
• Done about 3 months after breeding and those which have failed to
conceive should be culled
• Successful conception depends on fertility of the breeders which
depends on body condition at breeding which in turn depends on
feeding management.
 7. Care of nursing cows
• Cows should have adequate feed during the first four months after calving. This is
because they have negative energy balance. If they loose too much body
condition, it will affect their fertility and conception rate in the next breeding
season.
• They should be held in good, fresh/rested pastures to protect the calves from
diseases, and internal and external parasites.
• Young calves less than 4 weeks old (and their mothers) should be given
temporary shelter (iron sheet roofing, silvopastoralism)- protect from heat of the
sun, winds.
• In most ranches calves are not housed
8. Culling
• Done to remove sterile animals, those with frequent calf losses,
dystocia, frequent abortion and still births
• Dry season causes nutrient deficiencies, still births, retained placentas
etc, which can affect the cow in the next breeding season.
• Breeding animals with poor body condition- poor calf development
and decreased calf crop% should be culled.
 9. Management of bulls
• The ratio of cows to a bull (25 cows per bull).
• Should not be used before 2 years of age and should not be used for a period
of more than 4 years
• Growth record of 1 kg Average Daily Gain (ADG) for 12 months from the time of
birth.
• The breeding bulls should be kept under good conditions
• Kept separate from cows until the next breeding season
10. Beef calender
• An effective manager for a beef herd has to be aware of various
operations to be done throughout the year – in form of a beef
calendar, which enables the manager to identify when certain
operations should be done.
Example of a beef calendar
Factors affecting the beef calender
• Rainy and dry seasons of the region
• Fertility of cows and timely breeding
• Culling and offtake program of the farm
• Routine management practices of the farm