We are getting ready to wrap up our fall breeding season. And since we are a registered operation, we have to keep records on which cow is with which bull and the time period they were together. Very romantic. So Mom and I went through all the pastures and checked our list to make sure everything was accounted for and where it was supposed to be.
We also took a body condition score on the cows when we checked them. Research and experience has shown that cattle that are too thin or too fat are less likely to become pregnant than animals that are “just right.” So we evaluated each animal and gave them a score of 1-9. One being extremely thin and 9 being extremely obese. Our cows were in the range of 4-7 with most of them being 5 or higher, which is what we were after.
We had a really fun time doing this and had very lively conversations on various topics. We came up with a list of things that needed done in various pastures such as cut cedars, fix fence, and my personal favorite, replace the barbed wire gate latch with smooth wire. Ouch!
Mom and I also thought it was cool that we saw bald eagles at two of the pastures we checked. They were just watching over the herd. I only hope they weren’t sitting there condition scoring Mom and me! Ha! I’m afraid Mom would have to go in the “Needs Extra Feed” pen. Lol.
Have a great day!