You won’t regret it
I think we all have regretted something we did, or didn’t do, at some point in our lives. Maybe you have regretted buying that truck, because it has only been problems. Or you regretted eating that piece of pie after you’d eaten your fill and it put you over the edge. Or you regretted not going back to make sure you chained the gate.
Living with regret isn’t fun, and it often comes with consequences. Finding out you had more opens this year compared to years past isn’t fun either. So what can you do to help avoid that? Management and nutrition.
Many factors come into play when it comes to pregnancy rates and breed-backs. Bull breeding soundness, semen quality, cow body condition — the list goes on and on. What I will focus on here is supplemental nutrition that can help avoid the regret of not supplementing.
Minerals
When it comes to fertility, a complete mineral supplementation program will help drive success.
Phosphorus is a macro-mineral that plays a role in a variety of metabolic functions, and when metabolism and hormone levels are maintained, improved conception rates result. Phosphorus deficiency directly impacts reproductive performance, often resulting in infertility, irregular estrus cycles, silent heats or delayed conceptions.
Trace minerals are also important when it comes to improving cattle fertility. Four Bioplex® organic trace minerals — zinc, manganese, copper and cobalt — are available in Blueprint® products and in the newly reformulated Crystalyx Balanced line of products. These Bioplex organic trace minerals are more bioavailable to the animal, allowing them to be more effectively and efficiently utilized to help drive reproductive success.
- Zinc repairs the reproductive tract, allowing the cow to get ready to conceive again. It’s essential for proper functioning of reproductive organs.
- Manganese is an important contributor to necessary reproductive hormones, in order to produce viable eggs and reduce inflammation of the recovering reproductive tract.
- Copper helps in shortening the calving interval and is a critical component for early embryonic survival.
- Cobalt increases fiber digestibility of the forage to extract more energy for the animal. Used in the rumen to synthesize vitamin B12, it ultimately gets absorbed and used for glucose production and energy metabolism.
Consumption
Outside of the nutrition itself, mineral supplementation is only good if the cattle will consume the product. This is where Crystalyx® wins hands down. Previous research has tracked cows using GPS collars and found that 95% of grazing beef cattle consumed a Crystalyx mineral supplement, compared to 55% of cows consuming a conventional dry mineral. Imagine what it can do for your pregnancy rates if more cattle are actually consuming the mineral you are providing to them! With its improved palatability and weatherability, yet being a natural self-limiter through the hardness of the block, you won’t regret the minimal waste and overall consumption of Crystalyx getting to your cows at a controlled intake.
Other additives
Crystalyx brand supplements are also good at multitasking. One way this holds true is that various Crystalyx formulas can provide additional additives, such as Bio-Mos® 2, fly control, high magnesium and so on. Additives have their time and place, and especially during breeding season, it is important to utilize these technologies and added ingredients to increase your success rate on the reproductive performance of your herd. Don’t regret not using these additives during the breeding season and into the summer months.
We know calf prices are high, and with reproductive efficiency being the main profit-driver in a beef cow operation, we’re confident that supplementing your cows with Crystalyx will provide the needed nutrition for the greatest breeding success. It’s something you won’t regret come preg check time, or down the road as you sell more calves.
Find Crystalyx barrels at your local dealer and get them out in front of your cows today. You won’t regret it.
