Preg Checking the Heifers

Pregnancy Testing is done every year on the ranch for a number of reasons. Today, Mike explains the process and the reasoning behind preg checking.
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Join us on our journey as we leave a life in corporate america to come back to Wyoming and help on the family ranch.
Our Wyoming Life features our Wyoming ranch and our ranch family. Giving you a look into the workings of ranching from raising cattle to raising and harvesting crops. Erin will join you weekly out of the garden, showing you how she helps provide for our family through growing produce and selling at local farmers markets, and Mike will take you along as he tends to the animals and land of ranch, from calving to fencing to planting and harvesting hay.
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Please watch: "Calving and Technology on the Ranch"
• Calving and Technology...
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[@fwa54321]

As someone currently learning/teaching myself the process of cattle farming (in order to start my own farm) videos like this are of great help! Thank you very much and keep up the great work! - James

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thanks James. Our goal is to show people what goes into bringing food to their table and videos like this definitely help get that message across. Thanks for watching. -Mike

[@coreybarnes9507]

Good to see a KZbin channel that shows everyday life on the farm. We enjoy watching this channel.Barnes Five Star Farms

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thanks Corey and thanks for watching - Mike

[@april_hardeman]

My husband and I are currently living over in Germany because this is where he was stationed. We have been planning on moving to Wyoming when he gets out in a couple of years and would love to start our own farm. We know there is a lot of work ahead of us. We have loved watching all your videos and will continue to do so.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hi April, thanks for watching. My parents lived in K-Town for years, enjoy it. Yes its a lot of work, but very rewarding. Thanks for watching ! -Mike

[@andrewflynn8542]

😶😶😶😶😶😶🤣

[@debcarpenter8519]

Good Sunday morning Mike and Erin!! Have a great week!

[@OurWyomingLife]

Good morning Deb. You also. Thanks - Mike

[@jessiejames2266]

Mountain of work but u guys have the life i have always wanted for my family we have a small hobby farm ...love the videos

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thank you very much! - Mike

[@cherylcampbell7495]

The cycle of life..Your a good man. Bless you and your family.🙏💕

[@cjhill1833]

From all the authors writing cowboy romance, we thank you for your videos!

[@zach_hewitt]

I love seeing different Vets laptops. The stuff caked on those ultrasound laptops and they still run. To bad all computers aren't that tough. I'm just starting & learning the cattle stuff with a small herd of 11(1 bull and a mix of cows,heifers & calves) and your videos are a great info source. Keep up the good work! I'm gonna have to get a spray nozzle for my ivermectin after seeing yours.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hi Zach, yeah the spray gun works well. Gives you a precise dose as well. If I took my laptop outside it would die of dust poisoning in about 5 minutes. I was looking at Kyles computer also, crazy they go and go and go. We are still waiting to see your cow moving dance! -Mike

[@JordanJames316]

Love y'alls channel! So glad I came across it! Always learn new things an love how y'all explain everything y'all do so well!

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thanks Jordan, glad you found us. Thanks for watching- Mike

[@xaadfarooq]

Mike your story of coming to the ranch is so inspirational, I immensely love cattle as well and hope to get into ranching one day hopefully Being a huge fan of your channel I got a few questions for you - how much acreage do you need per animal - how big of how herd do you need to be a full time rancher - average cost of hay bales - how do you feed water to the cattle out in the pasture in the winter Hope you have a great day :))

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hi Saad, the normal stocking rate for our area is about 25 to 30 acres for a cow/calf pair. As for the size of herd it depends on the operation, some people make due with smaller herds because your herd and your operating expenses can be hand in hand. If we buy hay from an outside source we are running between 160-180 per ton delivered. If we are able to cut our own hay then that cost is obviously a lot lower. As for water we have water lines run all over the ranch with frost free hydrants so we are able to keep the cows in water. Thanks for watching - Mike

[@jamesgrimm8678]

Mike , I know a man from Springfield Nebraska that hauls his horse to Wyoming once a year to help with cattle drive .

[@OurWyomingLife]

Very cool. Thanks - Mike

[@46rambo49]

Congress should have to watch you videos and voters should have to watch CSPAN 4 hours a week to get a dose of the real world and what really goes on. It would be an enlightening experience for both.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Wouldn't that be nice! -Mike

[@TexFarmer]

Your radio background really sets your videos apart from other youtubers, exceptional production value. Do you read from a script or teleprompter? I just found your channel and have watched a good number of your videos, don't think I've heard you say the word "Umm" yet.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thanks Tex, Our goal with our channel was really to do something different that we hadn't seen any other ranchers or farmers doing. Really explain what is going on, and more importantly, why. The radio background really helps. A majority of good radio broadcasters will write down what they are going to talk about at the breaks, making notes about the points they want to hit. " That was Garth Brooks from 2001 off the the scarecrow album, a duet with George Jones called Beer Run, if you are making a beer run tonight, make sure you have a designated driver, up next we check in with Kenny Chesney and later on Miranda Lambert joins us in the studio, stick around." That is what I do with these videos also, notes help and occasionally I will tape them to the tripod to keep me on track. I hope that makes sense. Thanks for watching! -Mike

[@OurWyomingLife]

By the way, if you watch closely, you can see me glance at the notes every once in a while. :)

[@williamdunn2525]

Interesting video Mike. To bad you don't get any revenue off those oil wells, make financial operations alot easier on the ranch.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Yes it would. haha. Thanks for watching - Mike

[@ih8042]

Very helpful

[@PAFarms]

Reminds me of the circus it was when the hoof trimmer came to the farm.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Oh I bet that was fun, I've seen it done but never been around for it. Do they really just lay there when they flip them on their sides? -Mike

[@PAFarms]

Our Wyoming Life we had tie stall cows that weren't used to leaving the stalls. We had to put the halter on and pull them out of the stall, then they would try to run up the alley so we had someone to go in front. We got them to the chute and the hardest part was getting them to go in. The hoof trimmer would pull the halter from the outside. Some went in, younger cows needed persuasion. The hydraulic neck gate would hold them then the floor came up at the stomach. Once tipped on the side they would kick and carry on for a few minutes. Then the trimmer had straps to go around the feet. Then they pretty well didn't move. I can still smell the hoof trimmings. Then a quick heat blast to remove udder hair. Needless to say milk production was usually down that night.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Wow. And it all looks so easy haha

[@fuzzball57]

Thanks Mike! Great video, those ladies are quick of foot and feisty, eh? I've watched them run after that 'cake' and can appreciate the level of common sense needed to deal with them. Take care.

[@OurWyomingLife]

They are quite feisty, I've found that younger cows just have more energy. The older ones are just happy go lucky but the younger they are they more they want to push those boundaries. Then I go home and have 3 kids under the age of 6 that try the same thing, haha. Thanks for watching Larry. -Mike

[@bettykuykendall2083]

AWESOME BLOSSOM🌻 It looked like there wasn't too much wind today. Yeea

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thats Betty - Mike

[@aldemir6127]

you have whole world of animal kingdom to deal with. good luck and more power to you.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thank you very much, we did have someone offer to give us a zebra, we politely declined lol :) - Mike

[@calebmanuel17]

Al Demir there’s no animal kingdom

[@aldemir6127]

@@calebmanuel17 Some humans are even worse.

[@ReapWhatYouSeauxLeJeune]

Enjoyed the video!!

[@MattPritchard]

Cows are bred, people are pregnant, they dont have girls or boys, they have bulls or heifers and they eat feed, people eat food, great video, Thanks!

[@OurWyomingLife]

:) Thanks for watching Matt - Mike

[@johnkoopman1433]

I beg your pardon, sir, I am not pregnant, never have been and never will be!!!

[@dbjerrum]

Matt Pritchard Then why do you preg check a cow

[@justinhampton2394]

What kind of ear tags are you using? I like them they look like they won't fade out.

[@OurWyomingLife]

They are made by Cal Tag caltaginc.com/ Thanks for watching - Mike

[@chadhazekamp6952]

it is always a favorite cow that has a problem been there.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hi Chad, that's always the way it goes. But it's life. -Mike

[@benjaminbauer4883]

Here on my family farm my father pretests cattle him self

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thats alway a great skill to have, thanks Benjamin - Mike

[@MrGkoplitz]

Do you ever keep the defective heifers for your table instead of selling them?

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hello, not usually. We keep a few steers back each year to finish and butcher for farmers market and our table as well. Steers grow faster and put on more weight, thats why we choose steers. Thanks for watching! -Mike

[@AndersonCattleCo]

I wouldn't feed the empty hfr I would just have my daughter pick out a new one that did get bred in 2 cycles but maybe I'm just mean. Thanks for the vid

[@OurWyomingLife]

Well Grace is 4, she picked out that heifer and she has worked with it and named it. I will figure out how to feed it. When she is older and this kind of thing happens it may not be the same result but for now I'll let her be 4 and keep Anna for another year. Thanks -Mike

[@787Earl]

I was born in 1953.In 1956 my dad let me pick a female calf. April was a red white face with a red star above her right eye she failed to have a calf the first year that she was planned but she had many healthy calves. My Dad sold the ranch land in 1976 but April is still my favourite cow.

[@claytonterry44]

Do you guys ever have issues with getting cattle threw that curved alley? I'm building new a new corral and like y'alls set up

[@OurWyomingLife]

not at all, instinct for cows is to turn around, so they think they are turning around and headed the other direction. Thanks for watching - Mike

[@T1up4me12385]

Love the vids

[@tracyhoffman-ideus5313]

Us in nebraska we preg check with out a stick just the hand

[@OurWyomingLife]

Very cool, thanks Tracy - Mike

[@Trapezius8oblique]

After a cow has given birth, how many months, do you wait to breed her again.?

[@OurWyomingLife]

A cow will cycle again in about 60 days a heifer can be up to 90. Thanks for watching -Mike

[@Trapezius8oblique]

Our Wyoming Life thanks Mike, but do you breed on cycle,, with the bull staying in paddock, or do you pull out the bull, and wait longer for more healing of the mother cow’s uterus, for less birthing trouble?

[@margueritedaly2828]

Good man

[@mwmwmwmwmmdw]

so the main product of the ranch is calfs and adult cows that can no longe be part of the calf making process? where do the calfs usually get sold to? and do the adults usually go to a meat processing facility?

[@OurWyomingLife]

Around here all cows and calves go to an auction. The cows we remove from the herd go to one and the calves will go to another. Cows are usually sold directly to slaughter and calves will go to a feedlot to be fattened. Thanks for watching! - Mike

[@mwmwmwmwmmdw]

thanks for the great reply, how long do the calfs usually stay at the feedlot for before they can be slaughtered? and what do you do with the chicken and pigs you also have? finally of chickens, pigs and cow which would you say has the highest profit to time+work ratio?

[@OurWyomingLife]

Most calves are butchered before they hit 31 months old, thats per government regulation. Chickens are raised only for their eggs, the pigs are processed at a USDA butchery and we sell the meat at farmers markets. As for profit. Chickens lose us money, Pigs make money and calves make money in good years and lose money in bad years. Calves depend on the market. -Mike

[@rob2004]

So when the cows are born how do you decide which to keep to be the heifers next year? is it every female cow or ones with certain traits? Love the videos!

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thank you very much, its kind of a guessing game sometimes. What we usually do is when we bring cows and calves in to sort off calves to sell in October we look at the group of heifers. There are certain traits we are looking for. We usually select older or earlier born heifers because they are going to be more developed at breeding time, we also look at their pelvic size. We do look at their moms as well and use their moms breeding history as an indicator as well. Some of it comes down to just gut feeling as well. I hope this answers your question. Thanks for watching! -Mike

[@clarissajimenez4108]

When a veterinarian preg checks cows, in what situation would the vet inject prostaglandin and why? When would the veterinarian inject gonadorelin (mimics GnRH)?

[@ronalddominguez6641]

Mike, Hi, Just wondering... There used to be a lot of talk about cloning animals. Is any cloning ever done with heifers today or is it mostly "natural" as your video showed? ( I understand that apparently cloning never turned out that great for the most part but I was wondering about its presence in the cattle trades,) Regards, Ron

[@OurWyomingLife]

Good question Ron, cloning is still happening although I have not dealt with it all. Cattle cloning is expensive, around 15,000$ per animal and seems to be pretty limited to high end bulls and dairy animals. We will stick to the old fashioned way, probably better anyway. Thanks for watching. -Mike

[@JS-hk4hc]

@@OurWyomingLife freaking sick

[@philxdev]

I bet one of these vets working around groom lake startet the all the rumors of probing aliens ^^

[@OurWyomingLife]

Very true, could be. Thanks - Mike

[@tortaboy]

Hi Mike, When the vet is sexing the fetus', are you hoping for males or females?

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hello, we usually don't keep heifers back to finish as they don;t grow as fast as steers and require more food to get to slaughter weight, and as for sexing, no we aren't hoping either way. In fact, I don't even right down the sex of the calf. Its just one of those things that are interesting to know. Thanks! -Mike

[@johnAdams-vm9vp]

I love your vids, but read a couple times you don’t like feeding out heifers? They may not have the growth of steers and the higher weights but in my experience they lay down fat quicker and are actually “market ready” quicker, eating far less feed. A lot of the farmers market goers like smaller portions. With heifer calves being worth less at stock yards you may consider trying to feed some out. I prefer a corn fed heifer steak myself. You’re good with numbers and I would encourage a small trial on a group of fat heifers in the future, may only hang 600-700 vs 750-850 of a steer but put the numbers to it on time & feed savings. Seems like I’m able to finish them at 15-18 months. I’m curious you’re feed ration too. Good luck!

[@MrDonfrans]

How many acres have ye

[@OurWyomingLife]

Over 5000 acres. thanks for watching - Mike

[@LrbinMT]

Any reason you don't try to get your daughters heifer pregnant again by putting her in with the bulls? Might be a late calf but better than no calf I would think.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hi there and thanks. We could do that but a late calf means that she will breed back even later the following year, its a never ending cycle. We really try to have all of our calves ready to sell by fall. Having them all get pregnant and calve about the same time ensures that. We are better off to hold on to her and let her try to breed back next year at the same time with the rest of the cows, getting her back into the normal calving cycle. I hope that makes sense. Thanks for watching! -Mike

[@LrbinMT]

Yes it does make sense. Thanks for the reply.

[@jackkilbane9209]

Irish viewer here , ever consider a limousine for your herd?

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hi there Jack. Actually we have. Limos have a great immune system and wonderful weight gain. Yup until now we have only purchased registered Angus bulls. It might be something we do in the future. In this area and seen to go the best at auction but we have been talking to buyers about the possibility. Thank you very much and thanks for watching. -Mike

[@jackkilbane9209]

Thanks Mike, just started calving here , so the long nights are in , it's all ahead of ya ! Hope the winter doesn't go to hard on ye , best of luck with the calving, a few more moocalls would take the pressure off, irish made so they have to be good !

[@OurWyomingLife]

I do like them. They work great and I'm sure we will use ours again. :)

[@BeatriceOfMontreal]

Is it just me or does it seems like Heidi (not sure how to spell that) was lame coming in from the pasture? What do you do in those cases?

[@OurWyomingLife]

Hello, you are correct, 80 did have a little limp. Normally she would have been sold already but she is a special case. She belongs to my mother-in-law and is a special cow to her. She is not ready to let go of her yet so we will keep her around on the ranch for a while longer. Thanks for watching. -Mike

[@BeatriceOfMontreal]

Our Wyoming Life Thank you for you quick answer! I didn't catch that 80's name was her tag number haha! I love watching your videos and see how you care for your herd and your family :)

[@michaelwalker4230]

Stopp the staples wrap a piece of thinner wire around posts I ain't bo farmer try it it works in S A ZA

[@larrymoore6640]

I feel sorry for Grace and her heifer. Mike I guess the cost of a vet out ways the cost of feeding and taking the chance that the bull did his job.

[@andybateman2478]

I hope your friend is payed well, no thanks to that ultrasound procedure

[@OurWyomingLife]

I think he makes more money in bulk, he only gets a few bucks each cow he ultrasounds, but I'm sure it adds up! Thanks -Mike

[@gabrielloeb4731]

Hello Mike. I am a have ben watching your vids for about 2 weeks now and i was wondering if you could tell me what breed of cattle you rase

[@OurWyomingLife]

Well they are kind of a mix. We do buy only registered angus bulls. Black and red. The cows are a mix of red and black angus, but they are not registered. I think that some also have a mix of hereford in there, thats what causes some of the cows to have white on them or what faces. Thanks for watching Gabriel. - Mike

[@gabrielloeb4731]

Our Wyoming Life thank you so much Mike. The reason I am asking is because my grand father has about 700 acres of land in kansas and one day I wold like to start a small cattle ranch on it.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Thats awesome. I like angus cattle. They are pretty resilient and seem to have less problems than other breeds. Of course it all depends on who you ask, every breed has their fans!

[@gabrielloeb4731]

Our Wyoming Life absolutely. Thank you so very much mike

[@nebraskafarmer9015]

We run mostly black/black baldie cows with Charolais and Angus bulls. The Charolais add size and muscle while the Angus allow us to select replacement females. We are careful to choose bulls that have moderate birth weights. The feedlots like the Charolais cross and bid up on them.

[@kellymulcahy450]

Okay

[@inmotion81]

What if the cow just did not have sex my wife says not tonite all the time about 360 days a year could be same just saying.

[@barbjarvi6543]

❤️🐄

[@genarocastro199]

Mike, dont you use artificial insemination? Its a better strategy to get more cows pregnant and better calves.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Nope we sure dont, always an option someday thanks - Mike

[@stepabove2136]

How much per cow for preg cking

[@davidmiddlebrooks929]

Ah, the original "corporate America". If it ain't making you money, it's costing you money! Another reason to NEVER name an animal on the ranch.

[@OurWyomingLife]

Exactly, thanks for watching - Mike