Natural Heats versus Synchronization

[Hog catcher]

I have never been able to make myself fix something that isn't broken. If you have been getting the results you want with natural heats i would stick with it.

 

[Bright Raven]

I have never been able to make myself fix something that isn't broken. If you have been getting the results you want with natural heats i would stick with it.

Good advice. My cows calve in September/October. Mostly September. So by start of breeding season (Thanksgiving) they are all cycling. So it doesn't take long after I start to get through them. Then I pick off what didn't stick on first service. I usually get done my the end of December.

 

[LCBulls]

I think you would really like the 7-Day CIDR protocol. (10 day total).
With the 7- day CIDR, it will sometimes get cows that are not quite cycling to start.
The only downside is that a very small percentage of them might not respond to the drugs at all and not show heat. (Some will TAI these cows anyways)
We used to only do timed AI with this protocol but now we use it with Heat Detection.
It will also get most of your cows to calve in windows where you'll be able to tell when they are going to calve easier.
I think you would like it because the next heat cycles usually won't occur for 17 -24 days and you have little breaks in between.

 

[Buck Randall]

Most of the dairy farms around here have gone to breeding exclusively on synchronization and TAI for the first breeding. Even if a cow shows a beautiful standing heat, they'll ignore it and synchronize her because the conception rates are so much better with TAI following presynch ovsynch or double ovsynch. Of course, it's also much easier for them to give the extra shots than it is for most beef producers.

It's hard to beat the convenience of a CIDR cosynch, but if you really want to maximize your conception rate, I'd recommend something like this:
Day one: GnRH and insert CIDR
Seven days later: Prostaglandin and pull CIDR
24 hours later: Prostaglandin
32 hours later: GnRH
16 hours later: Timed AI

That's an unacceptable number of trips through the chute for most people, but if you have the right facilities and cattle for it, the 5-10% bump in conception might be worth it to you.

 

[Bright Raven]

Most of the dairy farms around here have gone to breeding exclusively on synchronization and TAI for the first breeding. Even if a cow shows a beautiful standing heat, they'll ignore it and synchronize her because the conception rates are so much better with TAI following presynch ovsynch or double ovsynch. Of course, it's also much easier for them to give the extra shots than it is for most beef producers.

It's hard to beat the convenience of a CIDR cosynch, but if you really want to maximize your conception rate, I'd recommend something like this:
Day one: GnRH and insert CIDR
Seven days later: Prostaglandin and pull CIDR
24 hours later: Prostaglandin
32 hours later: GnRH
16 hours later: Timed AI

That's an unacceptable number of trips through the chute for most people, but if you have the right facilities and cattle for it, the 5-10% bump in conception might be worth it to you.

Thank you. I will bookmark that. I don't mind the trips through the chute.

 

[T & B farms]

I bred a herd of 35 on natural heats this spring. Even if I was guaranteed a 100% conception on it, I would never do it again. Took an incredible amount of time. Cows got very tired of being handled, got to the point it was a fight to get them up twice a day.

I will be doing the 14 day cidr on everything from here on out based on NEfarms recommendations.
I'm going to have about 60 heifers to breed next spring. I am going to do 14 day cidr breed on observed heats, then I'm going to watch for heats and breed them a second time as necessary. That's as close as I'm getting to breeding on natural heat ever again.

 

[pdfangus]

I have used synchrony from the time of the introduction of lutalyse.

 

[LCBulls]

I bred a herd of 35 on natural heats this spring. Even if I was guaranteed a 100% conception on it, I would never do it again. Took an incredible amount of time. Cows got very tired of being handled, got to the point it was a fight to get them up twice a day.

I will be doing the 14 day cidr on everything from here on out based on NEfarms recommendations.
I'm going to have about 60 heifers to breed next spring. I am going to do 14 day cidr breed on observed heats, then I'm going to watch for heats and breed them a second time as necessary. That's as close as I'm getting to breeding on natural heat ever again.

I think the 14 Day CIDR is proven to be slightly better on heifers than the other protocols .I know that NE Farmwife said that they use it on cows very successfully also. Just remember that their first heat after having the CIDR in for 14 days is infertile. Whole(14-Day) protocol is 33 days from CIDR insertion vs 10 days on the (7-Day).

 

[CreekAngus]

I bred a herd of 35 on natural heats this spring. Even if I was guaranteed a 100% conception on it, I would never do it again. Took an incredible amount of time. Cows got very tired of being handled, got to the point it was a fight to get them up twice a day.

I will be doing the 14 day cidr on everything from here on out based on NEfarms recommendations.
I'm going to have about 60 heifers to breed next spring. I am going to do 14 day cidr breed on observed heats, then I'm going to watch for heats and breed them a second time as necessary. That's as close as I'm getting to breeding on natural heat ever again.

I hear ya. My vet convinced me to do natural heats this year, it was a disaster, too many trips through the chute, instead of three, possibly four, it felt like 20. After a while it turns into a poop show. I got ticked went to another vet got my gnrh and lute, ran them through, 10 days later all done.

 

[WinterSpringsFarm]

The protocol you are going to use, is what we use. We set them up on Wed to breed on the tenth day a Saturday. We watch for early standing heats, sometimes they will start coming in on Friday and we breed them with that heat and then the rest will come in late Saturday morning and we breed them early evening.

I do the very same thing because I work a 55+ hr a week job. I've had them come in as early as Friday, and as late as Sunday. I'll only breed on observed heats. I have had good luck with this protocol. I generally do 3 groups of AI, an Early Jan, a late Jan, and early Feb. I'm trying to get that tightened up to 2 January groups using this protocol as well.

 

[alisonb]

Thanks. I agree. I have been well served by natural heat protocol but I sure might give the synchronization a try.

I would stick to what you have been doing...it seems like it has been working well for you. Now you want to, "on day one, insert CIDR and administer GnRH. Seven days later, pull the CIDR and administer Prostaglandin and then observe heat". Just observe heat as you have been doing in the past then AI. As you say, you are there all day.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

All these different sync programs are good - but - IMO - nothing beats a natural heat. Just saying.
I can understand to sync them for the first round, then everything natural after that. You will definitely get a nice group due together.
Do you calve out on pasture? so calving area crowding won't be a problem. Are YOU up to having a bunch due at once? Getting them bred is one thing - then you have to calve them out. Which, in a perfect world, no problem - but, what if you have a few sets of twins? or puny calf? or, or, or. Sh$t happens and you are alone.

 

[Bright Raven]

All these different sync programs are good - but - IMO - nothing beats a natural heat. Just saying.
I can understand to sync them for the first round, then everything natural after that. You will definitely get a nice group due together.
Do you calve out on pasture? so calving area crowding won't be a problem. Are YOU up to having a bunch due at once? Getting them bred is one thing - then you have to calve them out. Which, in a perfect world, no problem - but, what if you have a few sets of twins? or puny calf? or, or, or. Sh$t happens and you are alone.

Since I know their due date, I bring them into the holding pen which adjoins the facility. They go out on the small pasture with the new calf as soon as they can. I don't mind them being stacked close together, in fact, I strive for that. I am alone but it hasn't presented a problem. Calving provides a lot of motivation. I get very energized. I enjoy it immensely seeing the cows through delivery and getting new babies onto the soil.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I know what you mean. I spend a lot of nights wide awake because I'm watching a cow deliver her newborn. It is sooooo rewarding to see them wiggle & squiggle and get to their feet and find the teat.

 

[Stickney94]

As others of have asked -- if what you are doing works why change? If you do change, a TAI protocol WILL allow you to go sit with the little old men at McDonald's.

Our little operation has been using TAI exclusively for 7 years. It has its advantages and disadvantages. It will give you some windows of freedom which may be well worth it.

For anyone looking to do TAI (BR it sounds like you have this already), I'd highly recommend investing in your cattle handling facilities. A lot of trips through the chute. A lot of possible places to get yourself or the animal hurt. I have yet to regret a $ spent on improving our handling facility.