I. Age-appropriate breeding
The initial mating age of beef cattle is 1.5 to 2 years old, at which point the cow's body has matured and meets the breeding requirements. It is not advisable to breed beef cattle too early, as the weight and age of young cows have not reached a suitable level for breeding, which can affect normal reproductive function and the quality of calves produced. Premature breeding can also affect the physical development of the cow and have a detrimental effect on its production performance.
II. Reproduction obstacles and prevention
When a cow reaches estrus, if it does not mate with a bull for a long time, the cervical mucus plug will increase, and the mucus will become thicker, making it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus. The long-term presence of the mucus plug can also cause cervical stenosis, making it difficult for the cow to conceive. In order to prevent reproductive disorders in cows, farmers should try to keep the estrus cows and bulls in the same pen to stimulate the cow to estrus.
III. Estrus synchronization
Synesthesia refers to the technique of treating a group of cows to estrus at the same time. Synesthesia enables cows to be concentrated for breeding and calving, which is beneficial to improving the level of breeding management and reproduction. In production, hormone treatment is commonly used to achieve synesthesia. Placing progesterone (such as progesterone and ethinylestradiol) in the cervical mucosa can reduce the secretion of uterine gland, which affects the activity of sperm and eggs and inhibits ovulation. After withdrawal of the drug, a peak of estrus occurs. When injecting progesterone into the cow, at the same time, injecting 100 micrograms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH-a) intramuscularly for every 50 kilograms of body weight can shorten the treatment time and improve the conception rate.
IV. Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination is an advanced reproductive technology that uses instruments to collect semen from male animals and inject it into the reproductive tract of female animals in estrus to achieve pregnancy. Artificial insemination can improve the breeding efficiency of excellent male animals, reduce the chance of inbreeding, and help improve production levels. Artificial insemination generally uses the rectal grasp method to insert the vas deferens into the cervical canal for insemination. During insemination, the following points should be noted:
Before semen transfer, it is necessary to check whether the semen has been disinfected and diluted to the appropriate concentration.
During semen transfer, a sterile wet towel can be used to wrap the head of the vas deferens to reduce irritation, while avoiding breaking or damaging the urethra.
The speed of semen transfer should be slow rather than fast to reduce the stimulation and damage to the reproductive tract of the female animal.
After semen transfer, the date of semen transfer and pregnancy status should be recorded in time for early pregnancy diagnosis.
