Breeding

A cow has to be in heat. A bull in her corral can settle her, or you can use a BIK. The calf carries genes from both sides. Close relatives have a harder time producing a sound calf.

The clocks

A breeding moves through three waits. The lengths are part of the live game and can be tuned. The usual clocks are:

• A short dormant wait, a few minutes.
• Gestation, measured in minutes.
• The calf stage, about 9 to 11 hours, before the animal is on its feet as a calf you can move.

A bull can only cover so many cows in a season. When he hits that limit he rests for one season, seven real days, before he breeds again. Over a lifetime he also wears down. Most bulls go low-count after 30 breedings and sterile after 45. Skybrand bulls wear out sooner. Read Origins.

Where it happens

In a corral, the bull has to be in that pen with the cow. With a BIK, the bull does not have to be present, and the cow still has to be in heat. On land, a cow and a bull standing on the same tract can settle without a pen. That calf is born on the tract. Read Breeding on land.

Each successful breeding spends one of the cow's calving counts. When those are gone she is broken-mouthed and done.