Heat detection systems

[showing71]

We've decided to give up on CIDRs, and want to move to heat detection systems. I have looked at the HeatWatch system. Has anyone used this? Does anyone know of any other systems?

 

[redcowsrule33]

My eyeballs are paid for. As far as I'm concerned there is no replacement for good, diligent heat detection. We have excellent luck using CIDR's and heat detection. We just synch so the cows come in when we're home. Still check every morning and night. And I work 6 days a week. If you are never around your cows enough to do decent heat detection, KAMARs and a gomer or just use a bull. The money you would put into any automated system would never be justified in my book. Will it catch the heifer that never stands but bellars all day when she comes in? THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR KNOWING YOUR COWS.

 

[showing71]

My eyeballs are paid for. As far as I'm concerned there is no replacement for good, diligent heat detection. We have excellent luck using CIDR's and heat detection. We just synch so the cows come in when we're home. Still check every morning and night. And I work 6 days a week. If you are never around your cows enough to do decent heat detection, KAMARs and a gomer or just use a bull. The money you would put into any automated system would never be justified in my book. Will it catch the heifer that never stands but bellars all day when she comes in? THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR KNOWING YOUR COWS.

We've done that route already. In the past we've used gomars, worked fine except for knowing exact standing times. Our CIDR conceptions the past couple years have gone down, and we're not sure why. We check the cows during breeding season anywhere from 4 to 5 times a day. We have been getting more cows that come into a silent heat and only get rode once or twice. We need a system such as this to catch more cows at the right time, as our purebred sales rely heavily on AI calves.

 

[jkwilson]

We use CIDRs and heat indicators on the animals. Works very well for us. The CIDR shortens up the time we have to watch closely. If you check every few hours, and look closely enough to see the patch, you will rarely miss one.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Our CIDR conceptions the past couple years have gone down, and we're not sure why.

What is your overall conception rate? Pregnancy rate?

We check the cows during breeding season anywhere from 4 to 5 times a day.

How much time do you spend when you check? What time of the day?

Have you done breeding just based on heat detection with CIDRs or have you timed-AI the non responders? What products do you use? Do you re-use CIDRs?

 

[showing71]

Our CIDR conceptions the past couple years have gone down, and we're not sure why.

What is your overall conception rate? Pregnancy rate?

We check the cows during breeding season anywhere from 4 to 5 times a day.

How much time do you spend when you check? What time of the day?

Have you done breeding just based on heat detection with CIDRs or have you timed-AI the non responders? What products do you use? Do you re-use CIDRs?

This is the thread that I talked about our CIDR problems. viewtopic.php?f=19&t=57131&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Usually when we check, it's at early morning (6 or 7), lunch time, mid-afternoon, and then some time after supper, maybe more often if there are more cows coming in. On average, the person checking spends anywhere from a half hour to an hour or more, again depending on if there's any activity.

We breed some on heat detection if the cows have came into heat before we put in CIDRs. We time AI'd before. We use the GnRH method with CIDRs, and we've never re-used them.

Last spring, I went on a field trip for my beef production class and we talked to a breeder in South Dakota that uses the HeatWatch system and he said he got the best response to AI with that.

 

[Cattleman200]

HeatWatch is a definite expense up front but I have a friend that uses and sells them and he swears by them. He gets a very high conception rate on AI and ET work. I have been considering buying one myself. I have used everything from gomer bulls ,patches monitoring cattle several hours a day. If you really think about it all of your protocols give you definite hour ranges to breed cattle by. If you check cows right on dark and all is well and the next morning 5 have red patches you have a huge range of time there. If your protocol says breed 12 hours after standing heat you have no idea if those cows stood at 9 P M last night or 4 A M this morning when do you breed? There is no way you know what time of night they stood. I think if utilized correctly a HeatWatch system would pay for itself in conception rate, semen purchase and just in general getting cattle bred in a timely manner. The system when attached to your computer tells you exactly when a cow stood the first time and if/when she stood 25 times during the night. I have a decent conception rate now but I think more every day about getting a system. The expense incurred up front would just be the main concern I think. JMO Good Luck,

Circle H Ranch

 

[dun]

I talked to the vet about the heatwatch system. He has 2 clients that have and use them. Both of their conception rates have gone down since they quit observing heat.

 

[Cattleman200]

Report this postReply with quoteRe: Heat detection systems
by dun on Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:23 pm

I talked to the vet about the heatwatch system. He has 2 clients that have and use them. Both of their conception rates have gone down since they quit observing heat.

Did the vet give any details or is that all he said? Does he have any clients using them that are happy? There will definitely be some change compared to just monitoring heat such as keeping all the equipment in working order. The system also requires the cattle to be within range for the system to work. I know people that are very happy using the system.


Circle H Ranch

 

[dun]

Report this postReply with quoteRe: Heat detection systems
by dun on Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:23 pm

I talked to the vet about the heatwatch system. He has 2 clients that have and use them. Both of their conception rates have gone down since they quit observing heat.

Did the vet give any details or is that all he said? Does he have any clients using them that are happy? There will definitely be some change compared to just monitoring heat such as keeping all the equipment in working order. The system also requires the cattle to be within range for the system to work. I know people that are very happy using the system.


Circle H Ranch

Our hills and hollers are not conducive to radio signals, that's the only things we could figure are the problem. Those are the only 2 he has that use it

 

[showing71]

Where we'd use this, we don't have to worry about hills. The calving and breeding pastures are for the most part flat and pretty close to the house. I won't solely rely on the system. Dad and I are still planning to check constantly, we were just hoping this would be able to narrow down the right AI time a little better.

Circle H, is there any other programs like HeatWatch? The only other ones I have been able to find don't seem to compare.

 

[Cattleman200]

Circle H, is there any other programs like HeatWatch? The only other ones I have been able to find don't seem to compare.
I think there are one or two others but the only thing I know about one of them is a man in Oklahoma invented it. It is a hand held unit that is quite a bit cheaper but you have to actually go through the cattle with the unit to read if there has been any heat on the cows. The Heat Watch system can be checked from your home when its raining and would not be ideal weather conditions outside. I wish I could tell you more about the other ones but I dont know enough to give information on them.


Circle H Ranch

 

[showing71]

Has anyone else had any experience with heat detection systems? Good, bad, or otherwise?

 

[edrsimms]

We've decided to give up on CIDRs, and want to move to heat detection systems. I have looked at the HeatWatch system. Has anyone used this? Does anyone know of any other systems?

Try a different protocol when using CIDR's
Day 1 Cidr in + 2 mls of Cystorellin
Day 7 Cidr out 5-6 mls Lut + another 2 mls of Cystorellin
Breed everything that you havent seen in standing heat by hour 80


Ed