Don't Feed Open Cows All Winter: Use Your Preg-Check Results

Preg-checking doesn't save money just because you know which cows are pregnant. The value comes from what you do with that information next. If open cows, late-bred females, thin cows, and on-time bred cows all go back into one group with the same winter feeding plan, you're leaving much of the value of pregnancy checking on the table. In this video, we follow a hypothetical 100-cow herd through a September preg-checking day and turn the results into practical winter-management decisions. You'll learn how to: Sort cows into open, late-bred, and on-time bred groups Calculate what carrying open cows through winter could cost your operation Use your own daily feed cost, feeding days, and number of open cows Group bred females according to different nutritional and management needs Recognize when multiple open cows may justify investigating a larger breeding problem Use chute-side observations like body condition, ID, age concerns, udders, feet, and lameness to improve decision-making Turn preg-check results into an actual winter feeding plan The goal isn't automatically selling every open cow or feeding every bred cow differently. It's using the information you've collected to decide which cattle fit your operation and match winter feed to actual needs. 💬 How do preg-check results change your winter management plan? Let us know in the comments. 👍 Subscribe to West Texas Livestock Growers for more practical cattle nutrition, grazing, and ranch-management content. Hashtags #Ranching #Agriculture #BeefCattle #PregChecking #CowCalf #CattleManagement #WinterFeeding #CattleNutrition #BeefProduction #CowHerd #ReproductiveEfficiency #BodyConditionScore #RanchManagement #CattleProducers #LivestockManagement