First year results

[NolanCountyAG]

I've just recently finished having calves from my first year of doing AI. I went to the Bovine Elite school in July of 16. I was able to go to Oklahoma that fall and got to breed 60 cows. So I felt like I had a good understanding of what I was getting into.

I bred 16 2yr olds with their first calf on them to Conneally Capitalist. I synched and watched heats and got 10 stuck.
I was happy with the results of this group. I did have 3 that never showed signs of heat and ended up not inseminating them.

Next was a group of 25 heifers that I used the fixed 7 day protocol on. Bred to Back To Basics. Ended up only covering 12 with AI, I wasn't pleased with my conception rate on this group but also didn't know what to expect with the heifers. My arm just wore out and I think that really hurt with technique.

Last was a group of 41, 4 yr olds. Bred to Conneally Impression. Used the Fixed time 7 day protocol. I had 30 calves AI sired out of this group. Cervixs on this group just seemed so easy. I think by this point I had just gotten in to a routine.

Overall all for the year, I enjoyed it and glad that I have started AI work in my herds. I just bred a group of heifers last week to Broken Bow and felt a lot better this time around.

 

[Bright Raven]

Congratulations. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[wbvs58]

They are very good results, you did a great job. You seem to have got over that hump of low confidence that beginners often have. Those 60 cows you did in Oklahoma was a good move.

Ken

 

[Stocker Steve]

I bred 16 2yr olds with their first calf on them to Conneally Capitalist. I synched and watched heats and got 10 stuck.
I did have 3 that never showed signs of heat and ended up not inseminating them.

What are explanation(s) for synched and patched heifers that do not show any sign of heat - - but then settle to the bull during their next cycle?

 

[MRRherefords]

I bred 16 2yr olds with their first calf on them to Conneally Capitalist. I synched and watched heats and got 10 stuck.
I did have 3 that never showed signs of heat and ended up not inseminating them.

What are explanation(s) for synched and patched heifers that do not show any sign of heat - - but then settle to the bull during their next cycle?

If we protocol them then we AI them regardless of signs we follow the protocol. Often times they are actually in heat and just not showing it real well. We go ahead and AI and often they will take. If I go through the expense of syncing and buying straws, I will go ahead and try instead of doing nothing and just turning her over to the bull.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Often times they are actually in heat and just not showing it real well.

Why?

 

[MRRherefords]

Often times they are actually in heat and just not showing it real well.

Why?

Because often times we may not be there to see it. Or sometimes with us if they are lower on the pecking order, then they tend to shy away and may not be active in mounting or being mounted.

 

[Bright Raven]

Often times they are actually in heat and just not showing it real well.

Why?

Because often times we may not be there to see it. Or sometimes with us if they are lower on the pecking order, then they tend to shy away and may not be active in mounting or being mounted.

I agree with that. I breed on natural heats. I notice toward the end of breeding season, that the bred cows stop participating in estrus behavior. As Ken says, it takes two to tango.

It is worth emphasizing the pecking order. I got a high ranking girl that will jump other cows when she is in estrus behavior but will not tolerate another cow mounting her. Thus, I don't see any rubbed chalk or tail head. I have to guess when to breed her. I stuck her on first service this year but last year I did AIed her AM and PM.

 

[NolanCountyAG]

I bred 16 2yr olds with their first calf on them to Conneally Capitalist. I synched and watched heats and got 10 stuck.
I did have 3 that never showed signs of heat and ended up not inseminating them.

What are explanation(s) for synched and patched heifers that do not show any sign of heat - - but then settle to the bull during their next cycle?

If we protocol them then we AI them regardless of signs we follow the protocol. Often times they are actually in heat and just not showing it real well. We go ahead and AI and often they will take. If I go through the expense of syncing and buying straws, I will go ahead and try instead of doing nothing and just turning her over to the bull.

At that point i didn't know enough or realize to just go ahead and stick them and give a dose of Gnrh.

Weather was real nice when i set them up and was supposed to stay nice. The day they were supposed to start coming in, a cold front hit and it went from 60's to teens with 20 mph winds. I feel as they weather played a part in some not showing signs of heat.

 

[Stocker Steve]

1) they were all patched
2) none were bred
3) weather was the same for all

Pecking order is an interesting point. Some girls just want to have fun.

 

[True Grit Farms]

That's why it's called a timed AI protocol, you breed when you're supposed to. Following the procedures when you AI is of the upmost importance. If you think a cow is early or late breed her then also, you can't get a cow bred if you don't put the semen in her.

 

[NEFarmwife]

I bred 16 2yr olds with their first calf on them to Conneally Capitalist. I synched and watched heats and got 10 stuck.
I did have 3 that never showed signs of heat and ended up not inseminating them.

What are explanation(s) for synched and patched heifers that do not show any sign of heat - - but then settle to the bull during their next cycle?

If we protocol them then we AI them regardless of signs we follow the protocol. Often times they are actually in heat and just not showing it real well. We go ahead and AI and often they will take. If I go through the expense of syncing and buying straws, I will go ahead and try instead of doing nothing and just turning her over to the bull.

If we blind heat, we go with a cheaper straw but have a lot of success in it. As he said, you already got the expense into it.

 

[NolanCountyAG]

That's why it's called a timed AI protocol, you breed when you're supposed to. Following the procedures when you AI is of the upmost importance. If you think a cow is early or late breed her then also, you can't get a cow bred if you don't put the semen in her.

I wasn't using a timed protocol on the group that had the 3 that didn't show heats.

 

[NolanCountyAG]

On the first group that had the 3 head that didn't show heats, I was using the SelectSynch+CIDR. So if one doesn't show heat when using that, when should you breed them?

 

[True Grit Farms]

On the first group that had the 3 head that didn't show heats, I was using the SelectSynch+CIDR. So if one doesn't show heat when using that, when should you breed them?

I would of waited 6 hours and bred them. I've breed a heifer 3 times in a 24 hour period, and she took. I've often thought I should of used a different bull each time, but that's hard to do after you finally made your mind up in the first place.
Someone like BSE or CP would know a lot better than me when to breed them.

 

[NolanCountyAG]

On the first group that had the 3 head that didn't show heats, I was using the SelectSynch+CIDR. So if one doesn't show heat when using that, when should you breed them?

I would of waited 6 hours and bred them. I've breed a heifer 3 times in a 24 hour period, and she took. I've often thought I should of used a different bull each time, but that's hard to do after you finally made your mind up in the first place.
Someone like BSE or CP would know a lot better than me when to breed them.

Waited 6 hrs to breed from what? Protocol says to watch heat from day 7-13. So I'm not sure what point in that time frame you would breed a non responder.

 

[True Grit Farms]

On the first group that had the 3 head that didn't show heats, I was using the SelectSynch+CIDR. So if one doesn't show heat when using that, when should you breed them?

I would of waited 6 hours and bred them. I've breed a heifer 3 times in a 24 hour period, and she took. I've often thought I should of used a different bull each time, but that's hard to do after you finally made your mind up in the first place.
Someone like BSE or CP would know a lot better than me when to breed them.

Waited 6 hrs to breed from what? Protocol says to watch heat from day 7-13. So I'm not sure what point in that time frame you would breed a non responder.

I've never tried anything like that, it's always a 7 day AI protocol. But I sure couldn't wait past 10 days to see one come in heat around here. It's easy to re breed one if you see her in heat, but impossible to go back.

 

[NolanCountyAG]

I would of waited 6 hours and bred them. I've breed a heifer 3 times in a 24 hour period, and she took. I've often thought I should of used a different bull each time, but that's hard to do after you finally made your mind up in the first place.
Someone like BSE or CP would know a lot better than me when to breed them.

Waited 6 hrs to breed from what? Protocol says to watch heat from day 7-13. So I'm not sure what point in that time frame you would breed a non responder.

I've never tried anything like that, it's always a 7 day AI protocol. But I sure couldn't wait past 10 days to see one come in heat around here. It's easy to re breed one if you see her in heat, but impossible to go back.

It's the bottom one.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Waited 6 hrs to breed from what? Protocol says to watch heat from day 7-13. So I'm not sure what point in that time frame you would breed a non responder.

I've never tried anything like that, it's always a 7 day AI protocol. But I sure couldn't wait past 10 days to see one come in heat around here. It's easy to re breed one if you see her in heat, but impossible to go back.

It's the bottom one.

I have a good friend that's the SS rep for central Georgia and does AI and palpation for a living. I do like he does, not that it's the only way just his way. There's a big SS meeting - convention going on Alabama right now and everyone is being schooled on some new AI protocols. The new protocols can supposedly increase conception rates 5 to 10%.

 

[NolanCountyAG]

I've never tried anything like that, it's always a 7 day AI protocol. But I sure couldn't wait past 10 days to see one come in heat around here. It's easy to re breed one if you see her in heat, but impossible to go back.

It's the bottom one.

I have a good friend that's the SS rep for central Georgia and does AI and palpation for a living. I do like he does, not that it's the only way just his way. There's a big SS meeting - convention going on Alabama right now and everyone is being schooled on some new AI protocols. The new protocols can supposedly increase conception rates 5 to 10%.

I plan on sticking to the timed protocols from here on out. Maybe someday I'll have the time to watch heat, but I'd rather get them all done at once and turn a bull in. I'll keep an eye out for the new protocols, my rep hadn't mentioned anything.