A breeding indicator is a self-adhesive sticker that's applied between the hip and tailhead of a cow's back, perpendicular to the spine. As mounting activity occurs the indicator’s silver-and-black surface ink is rubbed off by the friction of mounting. That will reveal the indicator color -- red or orange, green, blue, yellow or fuchsia. Once a certain amount of color is exposed, the animal is considered in standing heat and ready to breed. Breeding indicators are consistent. The sticker is always the same size and shape. So there’s no guessing what was there to start with. And there’s no variation by cow or person applying it. Breeding indicators have easy-to-read bull's-eyes to help quantify estrus intensity. When the bulls-eye or equivalent area is rubbed off, it indicates a cow is ready to breed. Research shows cows with activated bulls-eyes are as many as three times more likely to result in a confirmed pregnancy. A bulls-eye provides calibration and allows producers to make quick cow-side decisions. For cows that don’t have the bull's-eye rubbed off, producers might put in a less-expensive straw of semen or choose not to breed at all. Cows with the bull's-eye rubbed off are the best candidates for a successful pregnancy.