WalnutCrest
Well-known member
This is a fun scenario I like to discuss with thoughtful people about how to build a reputable program known for having great stock. Just curious how the group here sees it.
Scenario: You start with 12 proven females you think are really great; any of whom you'd be willing to use as an embryo donor cow. They're out of four largely unrelated, fall-calving herds, where each herd is known for at least a reasonable amount of inbreeding/linebreeding. You have hands-on experience with calves and bulls out of each herd, and while there are differences between them, you're pretty much equally impressed with the quality of the cattle from each operation. Since you're spring-calving, you arranged to purchase all 12 females as open cows after they've weaned their most recent calf. Also, you start with semen on five very proven bulls of the highest quality you'd like to use as the foundation of your herd; some of the semen is really rare, some more common; all five bulls are dead and any other semen is too expensive to even consider buying -- this is all the semen you'll ever have on these five bulls. The first four bulls on the list were foundation bulls for each of the four herds you've purchased cows out of; the fifth bull is another largely-unrelated bull that you have hands on experience with and are also very impressed with. In order to kick-start your program, you're planning on AI's and embryo work to get you where you want to go ... but, due to the cost of the initial 12 females and the semen you've purchased, you only have enough money left for six attempted flushes (at 2 units of semen each), six attempted IVF procedures (at one not more than unit of semen each; you can use one unit across up to five females if you synch the at the same time) and 12 recips (confirmed bred with your to-be-created embryos), each of whom are young enough that you think you can use them in future years as recips, too. Since your 12 cows are all open, they're ready to flush/IVF/AI as soon as you'd like to start. When you've reached your goal, you will have a herd of 200 mama cows and are producing replacement females for yourself and others, and bulls for yourself and others.
The five bulls are ranked from best to worst based on your criteria (whatever the criteria might be isn't really that important for this exercise) and the number of breeding units you have to use:
Bull 1 = 35 units (foundation bull for herd 1)
Bull 2 = 5 units (foundation bull for herd 2)
Bull 3 = 15 units (foundation bull for herd 3)
Bull 4 = 20 units (foundation bull for herd 4)
Bull 5 = 150 units (this is the closest thing you have to a true 'heifer bull'; largely unrelated to the others, he's a great-great-great grandson of bulls 2 and 3)
None of the semen is already sexed.
In today's market, with current cattle prices ... how do you start your program? Do you start with flushes and do IVF later? Do you do IVF now and flush later? Both now? Both later? If you do any embryo work out of the gate, do you decide which embryos get used and which ones get frozen for future use? Do you make embryos to day and wait to use them in the future? Or, make them and use them as fast as you're able?
Do you run four different cow families, one for each of the four herds you purchased from ... or ... do you look to integrate all four groups of females into a single herd as soon as you're able?
How do you decide which calves you're going to keep for the next generation as you expand numbers? How will the criteria change once you're at capacity (200 mama cows)?
Do you use up all of your semen on your best bull before going down the list, or do you use a little of this and a little of that?
Etc.
I hope this discussion is as interesting as I think it might be...
Scenario: You start with 12 proven females you think are really great; any of whom you'd be willing to use as an embryo donor cow. They're out of four largely unrelated, fall-calving herds, where each herd is known for at least a reasonable amount of inbreeding/linebreeding. You have hands-on experience with calves and bulls out of each herd, and while there are differences between them, you're pretty much equally impressed with the quality of the cattle from each operation. Since you're spring-calving, you arranged to purchase all 12 females as open cows after they've weaned their most recent calf. Also, you start with semen on five very proven bulls of the highest quality you'd like to use as the foundation of your herd; some of the semen is really rare, some more common; all five bulls are dead and any other semen is too expensive to even consider buying -- this is all the semen you'll ever have on these five bulls. The first four bulls on the list were foundation bulls for each of the four herds you've purchased cows out of; the fifth bull is another largely-unrelated bull that you have hands on experience with and are also very impressed with. In order to kick-start your program, you're planning on AI's and embryo work to get you where you want to go ... but, due to the cost of the initial 12 females and the semen you've purchased, you only have enough money left for six attempted flushes (at 2 units of semen each), six attempted IVF procedures (at one not more than unit of semen each; you can use one unit across up to five females if you synch the at the same time) and 12 recips (confirmed bred with your to-be-created embryos), each of whom are young enough that you think you can use them in future years as recips, too. Since your 12 cows are all open, they're ready to flush/IVF/AI as soon as you'd like to start. When you've reached your goal, you will have a herd of 200 mama cows and are producing replacement females for yourself and others, and bulls for yourself and others.
The five bulls are ranked from best to worst based on your criteria (whatever the criteria might be isn't really that important for this exercise) and the number of breeding units you have to use:
Bull 1 = 35 units (foundation bull for herd 1)
Bull 2 = 5 units (foundation bull for herd 2)
Bull 3 = 15 units (foundation bull for herd 3)
Bull 4 = 20 units (foundation bull for herd 4)
Bull 5 = 150 units (this is the closest thing you have to a true 'heifer bull'; largely unrelated to the others, he's a great-great-great grandson of bulls 2 and 3)
None of the semen is already sexed.
In today's market, with current cattle prices ... how do you start your program? Do you start with flushes and do IVF later? Do you do IVF now and flush later? Both now? Both later? If you do any embryo work out of the gate, do you decide which embryos get used and which ones get frozen for future use? Do you make embryos to day and wait to use them in the future? Or, make them and use them as fast as you're able?
Do you run four different cow families, one for each of the four herds you purchased from ... or ... do you look to integrate all four groups of females into a single herd as soon as you're able?
How do you decide which calves you're going to keep for the next generation as you expand numbers? How will the criteria change once you're at capacity (200 mama cows)?
Do you use up all of your semen on your best bull before going down the list, or do you use a little of this and a little of that?
Etc.
I hope this discussion is as interesting as I think it might be...