Thanks to Megan, I have a few pics of the AI process with our heifers. I mentioned this was going on when we pulled CIDRs the other day. Yesterday was my regular day at the library, so I missed the first day of AI. Today, I decided to watch the five kids and let their moms go help, so I planted most of my garden and mowed while I supervised the littles.
We’ve begun doing our A I while they are at their winter feedlot. Yes, we used to keep them here and grain them, but we’re really not set up for it. We’ve discussed building a bigger, new set of corrals to let us do that, but it is clear that having the corrals and access to trucks and feeders and the feed itself, well, it was just easier to hire it done.
The girls are well cared for and well fed, which brings more of them into season.
(If you look very closely, you will notice the silver “scratch off” stickers I put on the other day.)
We also used to bring them home, and then AI them here. We thought maybe that was stressful and that it might lower their conception rate. So, we’ve tried AI-ing them in their temporary home over in Worland and then bringing them home. They will be turned out to pasture tomorrow morning. Time and statistics will tell.
See how the silver has been rubbed off to show hot pink? I think this is a great photo! Cows will attempt to mount each other when estrus is going on… and that’s how the silver gets rubbed off.
I’m sure the guys and girls are tired from the hard work they’ve put in the last few days… and just to make it even more fun, we will start gathering our badlands pasture tomorrow, a few days early. The weather is supposed to be in the 90’s next week, so we’re hoping we can get much of the work done before the heat slams us!
Great photos especially your girls – the human ones. I’m sure less stress will prove much better for the cows. And yes, go get that work done before the heat comes. We’ll be lucky to get low 70’s this holiday weekend.