Heat detection pads not sticking suggestions?

[Josher]

We just started using heat detection pads in our Aiing as an aid in watching for natural heats. Problem we had was they didn't stick very well to the hide last year. Probably about a 1/3 of them we're still hanging on by the end of the 21 days. I'm wondering if anyone has any tricks to making them stick better or a particular brand that they prefer. I always had them against my skin before I put them on to keep them warm before I peeled and applied. Or do I need a heat gun to get them good and warm before applying?

 

[Stickney94]

I used Estrotect. I placed the stickers (still on the sheet) in a small-6 pack cooler that I had placed 3 bottles of HOT water. Just open the cooler, take sticker off backing sheet, apply sticker to cow (make sure you clean the area on cow) and then put the sheet of stickers back in the cooler with the warm water bottles.

We forgot to remove a sticker from a cow and it was still going strong 60+ days after applying.

 

[Josher]

I think we used estrotect as well. I had a small cooler with a hot bottle in there but I was pulling the pack of 6 stickers out at a time I guess I should just do one. Also another variable does it make a difference if cows hair is short or longer?

 

[T & B farms]

Spray can of 3m adhesive. Spray it in the cow, let it set 15-20 seconds depending on the temps. Then stick the patch on. Works like a charm, been doing it 2 years now.

 

[Stickney94]

I think we used estrotect as well. I had a small cooler with a hot bottle in there but I was pulling the pack of 6 stickers out at a time I guess I should just do one. Also another variable does it make a difference if cows hair is short or longer?

Fair question on hair length -- in all honesty my cows were in fall clothes, so some hair, but not winter coats. When you get the adhesive activated well, I don't think it would matter. I used rubber gloves and quite honestly the stickers were adhering within a second to the glove, so I needed to be careful.

I just went and looked at the "help videos" online and there are definitely animals with winter coats being shown, imo.

The post mentioning spray adhesive is a good suggestion.

 

[slick4591]

I use the high heat windshield defroster of my truck to get them hot.

 

[bse]

I use estrotec, never needed any extra glue, things are black with hair when I pull them. I keep em between my shirt and t shirt, try to put on at least 5 at a time, some need pliers to pull them. All lengths of hair.

 

[Josher]

Thanks for advice all. Seems like the key is to keep them hot. About the hair.. our cows had fairly dusty dirty hair because we had such a dry spring and no rains until I put them on then the monsoons came lol. The first 2 cows I was trying to wipe some of dust off with a damp rag and then dry it off but that wasn't helping and it was taking too long. So we just stuck them on as is. Some weren't quite done shedding there winter hair so I may have lost some from that as well. This next year I'm gonna make sure they stay on. I'll be sure to have some adhesive close by too in case I need it.

 

[bse]

If you buy a whole pk, it comes with a sticky cloth to wipe a few if needed

 

[wbvs58]

I use a nobbly rubber curry comb to vigourously rub the tail head down first then the oily cloth that comes with them. Most of my old tarts really enjoy the rub down so makes one pass through the race enjoyable for them. I think they also enjoy the insemination when on heat.

Ken

 

[Briar Ridge Angus]

I'm not sure what kind of operation you have but we bought a cheap hair drier from Walmart and heat them with that after applying to the tail head. We have never lost a patch.

 

[Dsth]

I use to warm the estrotec patches up inside my coveralls to warm them up, but that did not warm them up enough. I started heating up a rice bag in the microwave and putting that and the patches inside a one gallon thermos. That seemed to help a lot. I breed in early spring (March), so cows have their longer winter coat yet, so I started cutting the hair down with a couple snips of a sharp scissors before placing the patch. that also helped. adding the 3M adhesive sounds like a good idea. I may try that myself.

 

[VaCowman]

I'm with slick! Throw them in the dash of the pickup with the defrost heat on HIGH. Give em a good 5-10 min and they will be so slimy sticky they'll cling to anything. I have done that for years and some have even held on until preg check at ~90d! We didn't have said luck this year...those things wouldn't stick for crap, even heated up! Weather wasn't overly cold, I just think it was a bad batch of glue on that run. Thinking of using the spray chalk next year. I know a guy that used it this year and he said it's cheaper and better than the patches. I've never used the spray or rub on chalk stuff, but may consider it.

 

[GoWyo]

A little squirt of Sullivans Tail Adhesive works well. Prime Time will work too. Haven't fitted cattle with glue in about 5 years, but the glue cans still spray.

 

[WB Angus]

We use estrotec too. We put them in a small cooler with a few packs of hot hands and seems to work well. In my opinion though i go to our local Co Op and buy marking crayons. They work good enough for us and are considerably cheaper.

 

[LCBulls]

Getting them warm definitely helps. If you want to be sure that they stay on, we also put tag glue ( Kamar) or the kind that auction yards use on tags. They almost always stay on. Also put pressure starting from the middle and squeeze them out to eliminate air pockets and get good contact all over.

 

[Josher]

Ya I was gonna put an update on here. This year we had them in a small cooler with a few hot water bottles. Also had some all-weather spray on adhesive. We've only lost a couple and that was on cows that had been rode all day. The rest stuck on real good. So my conclusion is that they have to be good and hot and a little adhesive of some sort is good insurance.