Strategies to Improve Pregnancy Rates in Cow Herds

For many producers and veterinarians, it’s time to line up PG and ultrasound appointments to establish a pregnancy rate and sort off open cows. It can be a nerve-wracking day until it’s over — and even then ranchers may not be entirely satisfied with the outcome.

So, what can ranchers do if they aren’t satisfied with their herd’s pregnancy rates?

It’s beneficial to look at both an industry average and a herd average in these instances.

“If you have a 60 to 80 day breeding season and are over 90% for pregnancy rate, you are doing pretty well, according to previous North Dakota surveys,” says Lacey Quail, North Dakota State University extension livestock management specialist. “If you have a shorter breeding season, you can expect that percentage to be a little lower.”

Next, take a look at your herd records from previous years.

“If you get your PG or ultrasound results and aren’t happy, it implies you have previous records to compare it to,” Quail says. “We need to keep herd records so we can dig out something that might go under the radar and potentially cause profit loss.”

Fertility is multifactorial, which can sometimes make it challenging to pinpoint one specific cause.