Is an AI program right for me?

[GuySanders]

As I am retired now and only run 15 head I am seriously considering artificial insemination.
I have never used artificial insemination nor do I know much about it.

Could you please explain the procedure to me step by step including the time required to accomplish each step along with a cost estimate.
I now breed year round and would like to sell my bull if AI can work for me starting in the spring.
Thanks
Guy

 

[Nesikep]

I don't know much in this area, but it first starts with either synching the cows (giving them a couple shots of Lute), or watching them to know when they're coming into heat

when the time is right, you run them into the chute and glove up,...I'll let someone else go into that part of it.

For 15 cows, you could do it either way. having a bull is less work (when you probably have other things to do like haying, etc), but you have to feed him.. If you were to lease a bull for fall calving, that could work well for you too if you have someone closeby with similar desires in a bull

 

[bse]

If you calve year round it may not be practical for you, unless you do your own work or want to get everything synced and narrow your calving season.
It doesnt take that long for 15, it will be 3 times through the chute at 30 minutes each trip if everything is ready to go.
Cost:
Cidr $10
2 doses gnrh $4.40
1dose pg(prostaglandin)$2.00
1patch $1.00
Semen $25.00 average
Looks like $42.40 for product to sync them.
Someone to do the work, $6.00 per head each trip through the chute so $18.00 per head plus trip charge depending on distance for the tech.
Your at $62.40 plus trip. Id guess around $70 to $75 per head to hire it done.

 

[GuySanders]

Thanks, that pretty well tells me what I wanted to know.
I don't think AI is for me as with this few cows, spreed out the way they are I can't afford that much open time loss right now plus the cost of the AI.

I think I'm going to let them all calve out this year and maybe then cherry pick some and AI them just to at least close them up to two calving s per year.

Thanks again
Guy

 

[torogmc81]

How far spread out are your cows exactly??

 

[GuySanders]

It looks like they will be spread out pretty good.
I have 4 calves on the ground now from 8-14 to now. 6 more are showing and if the rest don't calve by July they will be going down the road.
I'm hoping the rest will be bunched together a little better but right now it's pretty much a crap shoot.
Guy

 

[regolith]

Plenty of 'ifs' involved.

*If* you're there every day to observe heats
*and* can easily cut out an in season cow and get her in the chute
*and* have access to a skilled technician who can arrive in a timely manner to AI her (or can do it yourself)

then there's no need to synch and the calving spread isn't much of an issue and there's no real need to run a bull. And costs will probably be much less relative to the quality of calves you get, than if you put a bull with them.
If you have difficulties with any of the above three you might as well run a bull as play around with synchronising and AI, unless you get real good conception rates to the synched heats.

You could be ahead to preg check the ones that haven't calved and get approximate dates for them, sounds like you're maybe feeding barren mouths that could be replaced with in-calf ones.

 

[dun]

I don't have the time nor the inclination to become an expert in genetics and keep up with all the advancements in that field.

From that I would hazard a guess that AI isn;t for you

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We run about 25 cows, and use strictly AI. We have cows calving mostly in September/October and Jan-March, with a few stragglers in between. We are a seed stock operation, so the calf crop timing is not as important to us.
You can easily AI a whole lot cheaper than listed above by using natural heats. That is what we do. We observe the cattle twice a day (sometimes three depending on a lot of things), and follow the AM/PM rule. We do the AI ourselves, so we are not reliant on someone showing up when we need them. We have been doing this since 2007, and only a few times have we needed a bull (and those cows are later sold since they do not get bred when we need them and fall our of our window).
This way is much cheaper and easier than keeping a bull around. An average straw of semen is $25.00. Most of our cattle stick on the first straw, but we have had several that catch on the second straw, so at most $50 a cow, plus AI supplies which are minimal. It is easy, but takes more time than just throwing your cows out there with a bull and expecting a calf every year. I find I really enjoy my time with the cows each day, it is good for the soul to just relax and reflect on the events for the day.... :tiphat:

 

[torogmc81]

It looks like they will be spread out pretty good.
I have 4 calves on the ground now from 8-14 to now. 6 more are showing and if the rest don't calve by July they will be going down the road.
I'm hoping the rest will be bunched together a little better but right now it's pretty much a crap shoot.
Guy

It's not a lot of work assuming you have a good tech in the area. I'd rather create two calving groups. Sell the cows that are way out of schedule with your others. Keep heifers from those your calving in desired part of the year. We are right now trying to get all of ours in in Feb/March or Sept/Oct.

Just my :2cents: but I don't want to ever call my operation a "crap shoot", and I would hope neither do you. Even if you don't AI I still think you should still tighten up your calving seasons(s) unless you're in the show circuit.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

You can do it. All a bull does is squirt a little bull juice in the right spot at the right time.

 

[jd720]

The best thing to do would be to find out when one of the semen companies if having an A.I. class and learn to do it yourself. It is the cheapest way to improve your cow herd by far.

 

[GuySanders]

Thank you all for your help.

I decided to brake one of my own rules by pulling my bull out and putting him back in to let some of my cows who are way out of sink to drop back to the closest group behind them.
I set the maximum allowable open time for those cows at 120 days instead of my cast in concrete 90 days.
I figure it might take me 2 or max 3 years to get to a 2 times per year 120 day calving season this way while keeping my yearly open time to a bare minimum.
I'll just put him in the pasture with my weaned calves so he don't get lonely.
Thanks again
Guy

 

[Supa Dexta]

What are the weaned calves? I've seen heifers get bred at 5mo old.

 

[cow pollinater]

Those cows that you hold over into your ideal breeding season are easy AI candidates. They'll be cycling long enough that you can get it all set up in advance and you really won't need any syncronization. Those will breed right up as long as you put semen in the right place at the right time.

 

[GuySanders]

What are the weaned calves? I've seen heifers get bred at 5mo old.

Both heifers and steers and I too have seen 5 month old heifers breed.
But I have no weight, age or other marketing restrictions except availability of grass and hay.
I try to hold my steers to around 800 lbs + as that is where the money is around here.
Same for my heifers but if they get bred and I know it I will hold them longer and have them palp checked after 3 months of breeding and sell them as bred first time heifers.
And if I like her looks and background I may even save her for a replacement and let her calve out and breed back. And if at that point If don't like her I'll have her palp checked and sell her as a 3 in 1.

So putting my bull with my weaned calves is not a problem for me.
Guy

 

[GuySanders]

Cow pllinater,
Thanks, I hadden't thought about that or that far ahead. I will keep that in mind as I have two cows I would like to raise a new herd bull out of which is why I started this topic in the first place.

Dumb azz me, side tracked myself into talking about AIing the whole herd. Which is not a dead issue yet.
Thanks
Guy

 

[hillside farm]

Guy are you inbreeding your herd?

 

[GuySanders]

No, not for my herd if possible. That is why I asked about AIing.
Yes for heifers that are intended for sale as beef when I hold them and sell them as bred first time heifers or with or without a calf at her side to maximize profit .

But I have no problem with using an inbred heifer as a replacement heifer if she passes all other tests and I am in need of a replacement and I didn't raise one for that purpose.

Guy

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I have seen a lot of bull crap on here but Guy tops them all.