Any ideas as to why?...

[mommy_2_parks]

We bought a small herd of 7 Scottish highlands: 1 bull, 1 cow (3 years) and the rest heifers, 2 of them supposedly bred. Well, in September we took them all to get preg checked...nothing. So, we sold our bull thinking he was just a dud. We rented a bull in October and along with him bought 2 heifers. The heifers were not bred, but we thought with the bull, they would breed eventually. We returned the bull a month later, and got a heck of a deal on a beautiful 3 year old white bull to put with our girls. We have bought other cows here and there, but the bottom line is that the only pregnant cows that we have, we bought that way -- no cows have gotten pregnant on our property since we bought them 7 months ago. We have had three different bulls out there with them (actually 4 as we have an immature bull out there, too) and the bulls have definitely shown intrest in the girls. We have had them wormed and given them antibiotics on the reccommendation of our vet. These cattle are very well taken care of. What could be the problem?

 

[Sara]

When you had them pregnancy checked did the vet say everything felt right? Did you actually see the bull breed them? If these are really hairy is it getting in the way of the bull actually breeding them? Are the heifers cycling? What signs of heat do you see? You should see mucous when they come into heat. Watch for them to bleed off about two days after.

 

[mommy_2_parks]

The vet didn't say anything about any problems. We only got the older heifers preg checked as some of them were only yearlings. I have seen one of the heifers mount the bull but that is the only sign of heat I've seen. But, we live on about 160 acres where they roam and so I don't get to see them all the time. Also, they are hairy, but their privates are exposed and easy to see and access. As for the bull being too hairy, the bull we have has bred other cows before he came here. The bulls are constantly sniffing the females rears and curling their lips up. I've seen the young bull mount once (of course, it was one who was bred )

 

[Imissmygirls]

Different breeds mature at different times. You need to ask a highland breeder what is the normal breeding time for a highland heifer.
For instance, Jerseys should be bred by 1 yr of age. If you wait til 15 months or more, you have more problems with them.
Are they fat? Fat heifers often do not breed well.

 

[mommy_2_parks]

We have talked to several breeders and theyve all said around 2 years old they should be ready to breed. All of ours are 2 or older with the exception of 3 of our yearling heifers. I'm not really sire what to consider fat. Our website has pictures of all of them, if you wouldn't mind giving your opinion...

 

[jhm47]

There are several venereal diseases that might be the cause. There is vibrio, lepto, and trichomoniasis. Might have your vet check the bulls for those. Trich is the worst one, and if you have it in your herd, it will probably be best to depopulate and start over.

You can vaccinate for Lepto. Consult with your vet.

 

[mommy_2_parks]

There are several venereal diseases that might be the cause. There is vibrio, lepto, and trichomoniasis. Might have your vet check the bulls for those. Trich is the worst one, and if you have it in your herd, it will probably be best to depopulate and start over.

You can vaccinate for Lepto. Consult with your vet.

Thanks. Is it possible that the small herd we started with could possibly have one of those diseases and have now spread it to the other cattle along the way?

 

[jhm47]

Definitely could have gotten it from any of the bulls. However, it most likely came from the first one. Any other bulls that bred infected cows/heifers would also be infected. Do not sell any of them for breeding. Trich has wiped out some herds in our area, and they had to start over with new stock. Cost some of them lots of $$$!

 

[mommy_2_parks]

Ok. We also pick up cattle from sale barns and craigslist and the like. Soo we are never exactly 100% sure where they come from. We will load the herd up hopefully this week (if the snow ever stops and it dries up enough) and get them to the vet.

Another thing I've heard is our land may not have enough nutrients in the soil for them. Is that a possibility?

 

[jhm47]

If you're feeding a goodvitamin/ mineral, your land should be OK. Actually, all you really should need to test is your bull. If he's positive, you are in trouble. There is a vaccine, but I've never seen anyone have much luck with it.