The ultimate goal of a cow-calf producer is to have cows that wean live calves once a year. Those cows that fail to meet this basic goal are very good cull candidates. Other criteria used should be based on economically important traits. Those traits that make a cow lower quality and of less value should be eliminated. The objective is to have the highest percentage of calf crop weaned as economically possible.
Open cows cause the greatest reduction to the percentage of calf crop weaned.
On the average, a cow that does not breed one time will lose 15 to 20 percent of her lifetime production potential. It will take the net return from two to three productive cows to pay for the maintenance of the open cow. Some managers may choose to give an exceptional open cow another chance if she is very young because of the cost of a replacement. Calf losses at birth also reduce the weaning percentage. Dystocia usually results from the abnormal presentation of the calf and high birth weights.