
Today’s cattle tip addresses how to improve your second-calf heifer (or H2s as we call them in Ranch Vision) outcomes by paying a little extra attention to your first-calf heifers (or your H1s).
Here’s the top line: By putting your bulls in early with your H1s/your first calf heifer group, you could see an enormous difference in profitability for your cow-calf operation.
Here’s why.
Ranch Vision Definitions: H1s, H2s, and H3s
First, a quick reminder of what these terms mean:
-H1s are first-calf heifers. They will be bred for the FIRST time this upcoming year.
-H2s are second-calf heifers. They will be bred for the SECOND time this upcoming year.
-H2s are mature cows. They will be bread for the THIRD time or more this upcoming year.
Note: Some producers wait an additional year to breed their heifers, so their heifers fist calve at 3 years old, not two. For those producers there is an additional designation: H0s, which will be bred for the first time NEXT year.
Your second-calf heifers (H2s) are always the problem group.
Your second-calf heifers always have a lower pregnancy percentage than your H1s or your mature cows, often by 5-10%.
We even break them out separately in Ranch Vision for this reason.
We typically see a 5-10% lower conception rate in the H2 group.
I see this all the time in my practice. The reason is simple. This group faces more challenges.
Your H1s are young heifers that have just calved for the first time. They are growing, they just started lactating which takes a lot of caloric energy. In order to stay on track for their second breeding season, they have to clean, cycle, and settle, and they have to do all that within 80-90 days. That’s a really tough turnaround.
This means that heifers in their second breeding season will always be your toughest group.
What happens when my H2s are late?
Once they are late, it is almost impossible to bring them back down. They just have too much catching up to do.
Often they will either miss that season altogether and be open, or they will be late which puts them into a shorter breeding season for the next year. It’s easy for them to just fall off their cycle.
My recommendation: Put the bulls in with your H1s early to give your first-calf heifers more time.
A very simple management solution to deal with this program is to put the bulls in with that first-calf heifer group 30 days before the rest of the herd.
When your heifers are about to enter their first breeding season, giving them this head start will put them on a great track.
If they can settle on time that second breeding season, it will make a huge difference down the line.
By breeding them early that first season you can avoid the problems most producers run into down the line with their second-calf heifers.
How can I test this management change out in Ranch Vision?
You can easily see how a better pregnancy percentage for your H2s would help your operation by adjusting your conception rate estimates in Ranch Vision!
Under "Statistics," improve your conception rates for your H2s by 5-10% to see how this tip would impact your operation.

You’ll see adjustments to many reports, including your replacement costs, herd numbers, profit & loss, cash flow, and more!
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