Hauling after AI

[okiek]

I've consulted 3 people who should be knowledgeable on this issue and got 3 answers I'll post below. Thought I'd throw the issue out here and see what I get from you all. I AI'd heifers through COBA Select Sires to an RA Brown Red Angus bull yesterday. Those heifers are slotted to be moved to a pasture for the summer roughly 100 miles away. I asked the COBA guy who did an awesome job for me on insemination his thought on how long to wait (If any) before hauling these heifers. He seemed unsure, so I put a call in to a neighbor who manages close to 1000 head and does AI. No answer so I called my cow vet and asked him. He gave me his definitive opinion which differed from the COBA rep. Immediately, the neighbor called back and gave me his opinion which was different from the other two. That being said, The neighbor seemed most certain, with studies he didn't have time to share to back his opinion. Here are the three opinions:

1- Wait 2 weeks to let them ovulate and settle
2- Wait 24 hours then haul them
3-I should wait 42 days but definitely don't move them in two weeks which will be the most fragile time. If I can't afford to wait 42 days, I'd be better to move them pretty immediately because two weeks will be a critical time for attatchment of the fetus.

Thoughts?

 

[Bestoutwest]

We have ours done at the vet's office. We have to pickup the same day they're AI'd. It's a 20 mile drive home for us. Out of 3 times I have had it stick 1 time. However, these were LH's and I have heard they have a harder time being AI'd than other breeds. Since it's anecdotal, take it for what's it's worth.....

 

[NEFarmwife]

I've been told if you're going to move them, do it within two days. Otherwise yes, you're waiting.

If you're moving them from pen to pasture, their feeding regimine can also cause stress as well. It's suggested the most crucial time for a cow to settle and be stress free is atleast two weeks but we try for 30 days.

We just finished our AI of purebreds and insemintation of our donor. We have 6 recips ready as well. This bunch will stay home and out to graze a pasture adjoining our pens.

Everything else has been AI'd for atleast a month or better, that won't go to pasture until we get this next AI set finished. Have 120 head we purchased recently that should show heat next few days. They'll stay until mid June.

For what it's worth, I think our conception rates have a lot to do with the timing in which we move them to pasture. We sit at roughly 80-86% on AI for last 4 years.

A guy we AI for, we AI in his pasture after they've been there a couple weeks. He calves much later than us. There is no way we could do that in our own operation but if you could get them to grass and then AI (if u need them moved sooner than later), I'd follow his approach. Depends on number of head.

 

[True Grit Farms]

#3 is what I've always been told.

 

[Son of Butch]

This topic was covered a couple years ago on this forum.
If I remember correctly 10-16 days was the worst time to move as that's the time period they're deciding to keep the pregnancy or discard and cycle again and if they had to be moved the best time was 1-6 days.

 

[hornedfrogbbq]

If you have to move them, I have heard option 3 from most old timers and the guys that do the AI tech stuff down here for thousands of dairy cows. They always advised planning on a 30-40 day stay right by where you AI them. The less stress the better.

 

[bse]

option 3 is spot on, load em right out of the chute, or wait

 

[Phil A.]

Every year we have to haul our heifers to their pasture after AI. It is a very short haul say less than 5 miles. Literally we AI and load straight to the trailer and have them moved with in 1 hour of the straw thawing. Not sure if it is right but it is what we do. Every thing else we have built facilities where we can AI right in the pasture the cows will stay in for the summer. I have always been told 7-45 days is the absolute worst go before or go after.

Phil A.

 

[LCBulls]

I believe that Butch is correct according to all the studies done. (ASAP Day 0-5) or after 45 Days.
Unfortunately it's not possible for some, including us sometimes.

 

[okiek]

Thanks for the interest. It seems most agree with the neighbor. For these heifers to flourish, I really needed to move them. I could've easily moved them 30 days ago and found someone there to AI, but don't have the facilities there to accomplish it and don't have a relationship with a vet there. The neighbor and I are going to go over the study he cites on this matter as soon as we both have time. It was covered in a breeding seminar he attended.

 

[Dave]

I snyc'ed and AI'ed 60 heifers and hauled them the next day. I did that 4 years in a row. We bred the heifers on a Saturday in the afternoon. Gathered them first thing Sunday morning and hauled about 8 miles. It never caused an issue. I would either do it right away and wait over a month.

 

[torogmc81]

Don't haul between 4 and 40

 

[NEFarmwife]

This popped up on Genex news feed.

Very in-depth.

https://www.facebook.com/GENEXBeef/post ... 7885543198

 

[okiek]

Thanks for sharing that Farmwife!! That was an excellent read and paired almost exactly to my neighbor's advice. Sounds to me like I hauled at the right time (Since I felt like I needed to haul). Hopefully I'll end up with some nice replacement heifers born next spring!!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Here is another article:
http://www.wylr.net/livestock/239-cattl ... ancy-rates

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Also, if your heifers are on a feedlot environment (grain & hay), it is recommended not to turn them out to un-supplemented pasture for 30 days after breeding.

 

[VirginiaCattle]

From what I've read on the issue it seems the consensus is move them immediately or after breeding season. Around 48 to 72hrs seems to be a horrible time to stress them.

 

[elkwc]

I've only had a few AIed. Was told to move them within two days of when they were AIed. It was a day later but less than 24 hrs when we moved them. None settled but just figure that is the chances when only dealing with a few head. Don't blame the hauling or the techs that did it.

 

[SPH]

Here's some research done on this topic by South Dakota State University: https://www.wlj.net/top_headlines/preve ... f2310.html

Our summer pasture is just a mile north of our main farm, the lack of fencing and some of the hills steep ditches along the road we could just drive them down along with the challenges of driving younger calves we just load them on the trailer to summer pasture for convenience so it's not a long haul but the whole process probably still has some level of stress. This year we hauled all the AI pairs to summer pasture within 48-72 hours of service and only saw 1 of the 13 serviced come back in heat and she was in the group that stayed on the main farm and did not get hauled to the back pasture. Usually still have some that we don't see in heat even when we are looking for it 3 weeks later so will be interesting to see the results this year compared to last year where we hauled about 2 weeks after and still had one of our better conception rates.

There are so many factors that go into AI any 1 thing can contribute to conception rate. Did you service the cow at the right time during heat, how good of a technique does your tech have, and possibly when and how you transport them after service. You get 1 shot with AI service while the bull can follow her around for hours and likely settle her during first heat.