Breeding season prep isn’t just another thing on your to-do list—it’s one of the most essential parts of your ranch’s success. For cow/calf producers, the steps you take before the season starts can make or break your calf crop. At the end of the day, it’s those good-quality calves that bring in the income and keep your operation moving forward. A healthy, consistent calf crop isn’t luck—it results from solid planning and management.
As a rancher, you wield more control over the breeding season than you might realize. The decisions you make before and during calving season significantly influence the outcomes. By being proactive now—by ensuring proper nutrition, maintaining herd health, and checking your breeding stock—you can set a strong foundation for the season. However, falling behind could mean spending the entire year playing catch-up. Every action you take, from nutrition to vaccination, sets the stage for your herd’s health and fertility.
One key number to keep in mind is 80 days. That’s how long you’ve got after a cow calves to get her bred again if you want her to produce a calf every year. Sounds doable, but remember—she won’t even come back into heat for at least the first 30 days after calving. That means your actual window to get her rebred is shorter than you think. To stay on track, there are three big areas to focus on: nutrition, vaccinations, and breeding soundness exams. Let’s break each one down to help you set up for a productive, profitable breeding season.
Feed Her Right, Breed Her Right
Establishing a robust nutrition program is the first and most crucial step in preparing for any breeding season. This program should include specific types of feed or supplements to meet the substantial
nutritional requirement for growing a calf and providing milk once it is born. If you are dealing with first—or second-calf heifers, this requirement is even higher because the cow will still be growing. The responsibility of ensuring a good nutrition program cannot be overstated.
How much will her nutritional requirements change during this time? After calving, cows will need 25% more energy and 41% more protein. Suppose you are lucky enough to have good quality forages. In that case, they will be adequate to meet these increased demands, but honestly, how often does everything work perfectly in ranching?
Attention to their mineral needs is also essential because they will require more. Providing a balanced mineral supplement is crucial as it helps meet the increased mineral needs of cows during the breeding season. A balanced mineral supplement ensures that cows have the necessary nutrients for optimal health and fertility, reducing the risk of mineral deficiencies that can lead to reproductive problems.
Importance of BCS
If her nutritional demands are not fully met, other areas will be affected, such as breeding. Things like her body’s maintenance will take priority over reproduction. Cows that lose weight between calving and breeding season will be delayed in their 1st estrus.
It is easier to have them at a good BCS, usually at a 5 or 6, at calving and then maintain it until breeding season. Since she will have a nursing calf at this time, any additional feed you provide here will mostly go to milk production rather than improving her BCS. Maintaining a good BCS is crucial as it directly impacts the cow’s reproductive performance. Cows with a good BCS are more likely to cycle and conceive earlier, leading to a more compact calving season and higher calf crop.
Vaccines: Protect Now to Profit Later
Vaccinating your cowherd is not just a task; it’s a key strategy to keep your entire operation running smoothly. Think of it as giving your cows the tools they need to stay healthy and productive. Just like you wouldn’t want to go into flu season without some protection, your cows need a strong defense against the diseases they might face—especially during the stressful times around breeding and calving. A good vaccination program is not just a routine; it’s a shield that protects both the cows and the calves they’re raising.
Healthy cows are simply better performers. They’re more likely to breed back on time, raise strong calves, and avoid costly setbacks. When you skip or delay vaccinations, you’re opening the door for sickness to sneak in, and that can lead to poor conception rates, weak calves, or even losses. It’s a simple step that pays off big in the long run, and the good news is that once you’ve got a plan in place, it’s easy to stay on top of year after year.
When you vaccinate your cows, it is usually for three reasons:
- To prevent any diseases in your cows.
- To protect the newborn calf from diseases via the colostrum.
- To protect the unborn calf from any illnesses that may cause abortion.
Depending on where you are located will determine which vaccinations you will need to administer, but here is an excellent general guideline to follow:
Cows and Bulls
- A long-acting vaccine that includes at least IBR and BVD
- Long-acting Vibrio/Lepto vaccine
- De-wormer
- 7-way clostridia booster (optional)
- For bulls, you will need a Trich booster
- Any other vaccines that are necessary for your area (talk with your local veterinarian)
Replacement heifers (pre-breeding)
- Modified-live IBR, BVD, PI3, and BRSV
- Vibrio and 5-way lepto
- De-wormer
- 7-way clostridia booster (optional)
- Brucellosis (this can be optional and must be given by an accredited veterinarian before one year of age)
- Other vaccines that are necessary for your area
Administer pre-breeding vaccines 14-30 days before the start of the breeding season. Giving the vaccines then will provide them with enough time to take effect but not entirely out of their system.
If you are using heifers and/or yearling bulls, you must administer the vaccines a little earlier than the rest. Both doses should be given 21 to 30 days apart, with the second dose administered at the 14-30 day window.
Vet Checks That Save You Headaches
Before you turn your bulls and heifers out for the breeding season, it’s smart to make sure they’re ready to do the job. Reproductive exams are a simple but powerful way to check that everything is working as it should. You don’t want to wait until months down the road to find out a bull was shooting blanks or a heifer wasn’t even cycling. These tests give you peace of mind and help you catch any problems before they affect your calf crop.
Now, the type of exam you do depends on whether you’re testing a bull or a heifer. Bulls typically need a breeding soundness exam, which checks fertility and physical health, like ensuring they can cover ground and do the work. Heifers might need their pelvic area measured or their reproductive tract scored to see if they’re ready to breed. Taking the time to do these checks now can save you a whole lot of headaches—and lost income—later.
Bulls
Getting a breeding soundness exam done on your bulls 30 to 60 days before the breeding season is one of the smartest moves you can make. That window gives you enough time to handle any surprises—whether it’s replacing a bull or treating an issue—without throwing off your entire schedule. It’s a lot better to find a problem early than to discover months later that your bull didn’t settle many cows.
During the exam, your vet will look at two big things: soundness and fertility. The soundness part is all about whether your bull can physically do the job—walk long distances, mount cows, and handle the work that comes with breeding. If his legs or feet are giving him trouble, he might not cover enough ground or cows. The fertility part includes a semen evaluation to check sperm quality and a scrotal circumference measurement, which can tell a lot about his reproductive health. Your vet will also palpate the testicles to check for any lumps, swelling, or other abnormalities that could hurt his fertility.
This quick checkup can save you from a bad calf crop down the road. It’s a small investment of time and money for something that plays a major role in your ranch’s bottom line. And don’t forget—this is just one piece of the puzzle. Other ways to prep your bull for the breeding season include managing his nutrition, preventing injuries, and avoiding heat stress. If you’re interested in digging into those, be sure to check out my post, “5 Tips to Prepare Bulls for Breeding Season.”
Heifers
Courtesy of Beef Improvement Federation
When it comes to getting your heifers ready for breeding season, a pelvic area measurement is one of the most reliable tools in the toolbox. This simple exam helps you determine whether a heifer is physically able to deliver a calf safely. If her pelvic area is too small, she’s at a higher risk for calving difficulties. Which can be stressful for both the animal and the producer. As a general rule, heifers with pelvic areas smaller than 140-150 square centimeters at yearling age—or under 150-170 square centimeters at breeding—should be considered for culling. That way, you’re not setting yourself up for trouble come calving time.
Another useful test to consider is reproductive tract scoring, which was developed by Colorado State University and is now widely used in the cattle industry. This test gives you a good snapshot of where your heifers are in terms of reproductive maturity. It involves palpating the ovaries and uterus, similar to a pregnancy check, but instead of checking for a calf, the vet is feeling for how developed the reproductive organs are. Heifers are scored on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being immature and 5 being fully cycling and ready to breed. Ideally, you want your heifers to score a 4 or 5 before breeding season. If any score a 1 or 2, they may not be ready in time—and might be better off being culled or held back.
These simple checks can make a big difference in your breeding success. It will help you make smarter decisions for your herd long-term.
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