A Sample

[Bright Raven]

I would like to have your results Ron. My rebreeds are not too bad but the synchronised first round if I get over 50% I am happy.

Ken

You do know my first round is natural heats???

I think that makes a big difference. Those natural heats give me more information on timing. I know I can put the semen on the sweet spot. Timing is my challenge.

 

[wbvs58]

I would like to have your results Ron. My rebreeds are not too bad but the synchronised first round if I get over 50% I am happy.

Ken

You do know my first round is natural heats???

I think that makes a big difference. Those natural heats give me more information on timing. I know I can put the semen on the sweet spot. Timing is my challenge.

Yes, I realise that Ron. I think my better strike rate on rebreeds is because they are natural heats. I don't do the statistics though Ron, just gut feelings.

Ken

 

[Bright Raven]

I would like to have your results Ron. My rebreeds are not too bad but the synchronised first round if I get over 50% I am happy.

Ken

You do know my first round is natural heats???

I think that makes a big difference. Those natural heats give me more information on timing. I know I can put the semen on the sweet spot. Timing is my challenge.

Yes, I realise that Ron. I think my better strike rate on rebreeds is because they are natural heats. I don't do the statistics though Ron, just gut feelings.

Ken

Lol. I got to tell you. There is not enough sample size here to do anything but say - yes, I got her bred. Nope, I missed that one. In fact, the long versus short don't pan out to any substantive information.

 

[wbvs58]

You do know my first round is natural heats???

I think that makes a big difference. Those natural heats give me more information on timing. I know I can put the semen on the sweet spot. Timing is my challenge.

Yes, I realise that Ron. I think my better strike rate on rebreeds is because they are natural heats. I don't do the statistics though Ron, just gut feelings.

Ken

Lol. I got to tell you. There is not enough sample size here to do anything but say - yes, I got her bred. Nope, I missed that one. In fact, the long versus short don't pan out to any substantive information.

Yes but if you keep looking at it over time you may see a trend or not to add to your gut feelings or superstitions of which I have plenty.

Ken

 

[Bright Raven]

Farm Report:

Cows: Assuming the last cow bred, passes on Tuesday. I AI bred 16 cows since Thanksgiving.

On 17 AI services, all 16 cows are bred based on observation. For a conception rate of 94 %.

In addition to the 16 cows, I bred 5 heifers. Jury is still out so I will list them individually.

Optimum Price: Bred once, has passed 2 cycles without returning to heat.

Mabel (Bred to Cowboy Cut and sold to a CT user). She stuck to second service.

Daisy: Bred once, has passed 1 cycle without returning to heat.

Summer: Bred 3 times. Waiting for her to pass her first cycle. If she comes back in. I will have to haul her to a bull.

Shear Alice: Stuck on first service. She Lost her pregnancy. Last attempt at AI, I could not get in her cervix. I even went back out after an hour and tried a second time. What is odd, is that she was easy on first AI.

Conclusion. Cows were easy. My cows are all fertile. I have cows bred to have their 5 th calves that have never seen a bull. Heifers were not as easy. 3 of 5 are observed bred.

Interesting, I usually don't observe any difference between cows and heifers. This year it was like night and day.

As far as breeding short versus long, I see no difference. Another observation, I did not always get an observable standing heat but the results were still the same.

 

[gizmom]

Do you have a defined calving season or do you just keep going until you get them all bred? If you don't want to keep a bull why would you haul one that doesn't take AI to a bull? Is that just to get her safe then move her? Just curious.

Gizmom

 

[ez14.]

Farm Report:

Cows: Assuming the last cow bred, passes on Tuesday. I AI bred 16 cows since Thanksgiving.

On 17 AI services, all 16 cows are bred based on observation. For a conception rate of 94 %.

In addition to the 16 cows, I bred 5 heifers. Jury is still out so I will list them individually.

Optimum Price: Bred once, has passed 2 cycles without returning to heat.

Mabel (Bred to Cowboy Cut and sold to a CT user). She stuck to second service.

Daisy: Bred once, has passed 1 cycle without returning to heat.

Summer: Bred 3 times. Waiting for her to pass her first cycle. If she comes back in. I will have to haul her to a bull.

Shear Alice: Stuck on first service. She Lost her pregnancy. Last attempt at AI, I could not get in her cervix. I even went back out after an hour and tried a second time. What is odd, is that she was easy on first AI.

Conclusion. Cows were easy. My cows are all fertile. I have cows bred to have their 5 th calves that have never seen a bull. Heifers were not as easy. 3 of 5 are observed bred.

Interesting, I usually don't observe any difference between cows and heifers. This year it was like night and day.

As far as breeding short versus long, I see no difference. Another observation, I did not always get an observable standing heat but the results were still the same.

Ron you keep records with impeccable detail so keeping track of early vs late should be no problem and maybe over a few years you would see a different! So I would encourage you to keep it up and see what you come up with

 

[True Grit Farms]

I would cull what doesn't work for me. Personally I'd sell before the heifers go to a bull. That way you can still sell them as open heifers, and sleep at night.

 

[Bright Raven]

Farm Report:

Cows: Assuming the last cow bred, passes on Tuesday. I AI bred 16 cows since Thanksgiving.

On 17 AI services, all 16 cows are bred based on observation. For a conception rate of 94 %.

In addition to the 16 cows, I bred 5 heifers. Jury is still out so I will list them individually.

Optimum Price: Bred once, has passed 2 cycles without returning to heat.

Mabel (Bred to Cowboy Cut and sold to a CT user). She stuck to second service.

Daisy: Bred once, has passed 1 cycle without returning to heat.

Summer: Bred 3 times. Waiting for her to pass her first cycle. If she comes back in. I will have to haul her to a bull.

Shear Alice: Stuck on first service. She Lost her pregnancy. Last attempt at AI, I could not get in her cervix. I even went back out after an hour and tried a second time. What is odd, is that she was easy on first AI.

Conclusion. Cows were easy. My cows are all fertile. I have cows bred to have their 5 th calves that have never seen a bull. Heifers were not as easy. 3 of 5 are observed bred.

Interesting, I usually don't observe any difference between cows and heifers. This year it was like night and day.

As far as breeding short versus long, I see no difference. Another observation, I did not always get an observable standing heat but the results were still the same.

Ron you keep records with impeccable detail so keeping track of early vs late should be no problem and maybe over a few years you would see a different! So I would encourage you to keep it up and see what you come up with

EZ. Thank you for the compliment and encouragement. I will send you a private report in a few years.
Ron

 

[Bright Raven]

Do you have a defined calving season or do you just keep going until you get them all bred? If you don't want to keep a bull why would you haul one that doesn't take AI to a bull? Is that just to get her safe then move her? Just curious.

Gizmom

I begin breeding on Thanksgiving. My goal is to have all of them confirmed bred by the end of January. I met that goal last year. That gives me a calving season from September 1 to October 30. This fall, all my calves fell between Sept 7 and October 22.

I don't need to keep a bull. The heifer that is on her third service is extremely nervous. She fidgets constantly. Humps her back. You go in her cervix, she jumps and out you go. Very frustrating. If she sticks the last service, I will still meet my goals. If she don't, I will either sell her open or more likely, take her to a bull, keep her and hope she is easier to breed after the first calf. The heifer that lost her pregnancy is more problematic. She is also a fidget problem. I may ask the vet to come out, administer lidocaine and then I will breed her. These heifers are extremely docile. It is only during breeding they get nervous.

 

[Bright Raven]

I would cull what doesn't work for me. Personally I'd sell before the heifers go to a bull. That way you can still sell them as open heifers, and sleep at night.

Vince, I think these two difficult heifers will do fine. They cycle regular. These heifers are much easier after a calf. The cervix becomes more rigid and larger. After a calf, they also seem to settle down.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I would cull what doesn't work for me. Personally I'd sell before the heifers go to a bull. That way you can still sell them as open heifers, and sleep at night.

Vince, I think these two difficult heifers will do fine. They cycle regular. These heifers are much easier after a calf. The cervix becomes more rigid and larger. After a calf, they also seem to settle down.

You definitely have a better feel for it than I do.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Ron
Let's see this fall how the timing relates to sex of the calf! It is said the male sperm arrives first, so if the egg is there when you breed, it will be a bull. If you go early, the male sperm die first, and the females are left, so those that you went early on might tend to be heifers....
hopefully, not a bull season for you this time around!
You are excellent at breeding, but you know why! Your detail in heat detection is why your conception is outstanding, you know when she is in heat, and put the straw where it needs to be at the right time....

 

[wbvs58]

I am truly jealous Ron, good on you.

I have had a few this year that have gone past 42 days and then come back in season, I had some early scanning done and one heifer was pregnant at 7 wks then came back a wk later another cows was scanned 12 wks then 4 wks later came back on, very annoying. My neighbour lost a couple of calves last year to confirmed Akabane virus it is insect born and can cause early foetal death as well as abnormal foetal development so could be the case here, time will tell.

It is nice to know that you are human too Ron having that heifer you couldn't do. I think you were going to use some xylazine on one of them, is that the one that went down? I find Acetyl promazine is more reliable at taking the edge off them. A couple of years ago I had a heifer that I just could not get through the cervix, I knew I was halfway but could not get through so I ended up pulling the trigger there and she ended up being the first to calve.

Ken

 

[Bright Raven]

It is nice to know that you are human too Ron having that heifer you couldn't do. I think you were going to use some xylazine on one of them, is that the one that went down? I find Acetyl promazine is more reliable at taking the edge off them. A couple of years ago I had a heifer that I just could not get through the cervix, I knew I was halfway but could not get through so I ended up pulling the trigger there and she ended up being the first to calve.

Ken

Yes, the xylazine was used on Shear Alice. I need to find something that takes the edge off but doesn't have the disadvantages of Xylazine. I would like to find something mild that relaxes them. More for their sake than mine. A couple of these heifers this year, suffered a lot of stress. That plays on my mind as I breed. I am as gentle as I can be but you have to manipulate the cervix, some are very reactivate to having their cervix handled.

I will check the Acetyl promazine, Thanks Ken.

Edited to add: Acetylpromazine is not approved for use in cattle in the US according to my Google search.

 

[wbvs58]

I'll have to look into the reason for that Ron, I know here a local vet uses it when flushing cows and he is up to date on any restrictions.

Ken

 

[Chocolate Cow]

How much xylanine (rompun) did you give her? I've used it to get a cow to take a orphan calf. Doesn't take much. 1/4cc or so.

And Congrats on your AI percentage. I don't AI but have enjoyed reading this.

 

[Bright Raven]

How much xylanine (rompun) did you give her? I've used it to get a cow to take a orphan calf. Doesn't take much. 1/4cc or so.

And Congrats on your AI percentage. I don't AI but have enjoyed reading this.

Thank you. I used 1/2 cc.

 

[wbvs58]

Ron you must have been given the wrong strength for cattle, if so that would have been equivalent to 2.5ml of the normal cattle strength (100mg/ml for horses or 20mg/ml for cattle).

Ken

 

[Bright Raven]

Ron you must have been given the wrong strength for cattle, if so that would have been equivalent to 2.5ml of the normal cattle strength (100mg/ml for horses or 20mg/ml for cattle).

Ken

I received it by the syringe. So I did not draw it from the bottle. The dose came in a 3 cc syringe. I am positive of the dose. They put a sticky on the syringe saying it was Xylazine. Did not list the strength.