SG_USA_July_2022

POSTPARTUM– A CRITICAL TIME FOR FEMALE FERTILITY SANTA GERTRUDIS Product ion

By Randy L. Stanko, Ph.D., Texas A&M University-Kingsville I f cows are scheduled to breed back

is still growing and also losing her baby teeth or a mature cow calving in poor body condition (BCS < 4.0) will also require more postpartum days before rebreeding because both types of females will experience a delay in the resump tion of estrous cycles, mostly due to the nutritional demands of lactation. In most instances, however, by 50 days post partum the uterus will be fully contracted to normal size, free of any inflammation, ready to receive bull semen (naturally or artificially) and fully prepared to facilitate successful reproduction. Based upon the average gestation length and an on-time annual calf crop, beef cattle production systems necessitate that our beef cows get re-bred within 80-days of calving. The good news is that most cows can handle this schedule with out delay. Most cows in a typical, well-managed beef herd can rebreed within an 80-day window ( ± 15 days) and still maintain optimum annual productivity. The point of this month’s topic is to remind us how remarkable our beef females are, how good they are at producing beef for humanity and why we need to allow them plenty of time (at least 50 days) to recover, lactate, resume estrous cycles and get ready for the next pregnancy.

in fewer than 50 days post-calving, fertility may be compromised. I know there are some females that can “get ‘er done,” but most cannot. This is an especially tall task for first calf heifers. Hence, it has been a long standing recommendation to breed virgin heifers at least two weeks prior to the mature cow herd. This manage ment practice is designed to provide first-calf heifers additional time (two to four weeks) postpartum to physically prepare for the subse quent breeding season (their second). Both mature and young females have a lot going on during those first 50 days postpartum. For example, beginning at parturition and continuing through 60 days postpartum, a female’s milk production level will be increasing at a steady and steep incline. The maximum milk production (peak lac tation) in both dairy and beef cows occurs at approximately 60 days postpartum, regardless of individual genetics for milk production. From 60 days postpartum until weaning, a beef cow’s daily milk production will slowly decease and the slope of this part of her lactation curve is not nearly as “steep” as compared to her first 60 days of lactation. Simultaneous to lactation, the uterus is also shrinking in size and undergoing tissue renovation/repair. Previous to parturition, the uterus was large enough to contain a 60- to 100-pound calf, five to eight gallons of fluid and 10 pounds of additional fetal tissue (placenta). This super-sized and specialized organ must eventually return to “normal size,” equivalent to a small football, sometime between 35 and 50 days postpartum. Most of the reduction in uterine size will remarkably occur over about two to three weeks post calv ing. However, microscopic changes to the uterine lining and removal of any remaining blood leakage, fetal fluid or possi ble exudate and inflammation from a minor uterine infection will be ongoing and take additional time. Moreover, the sites of placental attachment (caruncles) also must undergo a size reduction. At the time of parturition these caruncles can be 3 inches by 5 inches in diameter, and by day 50 postpartum will be no larger than a dime. Any reproductive complications prior to or at parturition, such as an aborted fetus, a difficult calving or a retained pla centa, will add additional days to the “normal” postpartum waiting period. In addition, a 2-year-old, first-calf heifer that

Photo courtesy WindCrest Farm, Leitchfield, Ky.

George West, Texas (361) 566-2244 lacampanaranch.com campana@granderiver.net

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