New Synch protocol--Advice?

[boondocks]

Howdy,
Our AI tech is recommending we slightly revise our synch protocol, to add a second lute shot. it goes this like:
Day 0: insert CIDR and administer GnRH
Day 5: Remove CIDR and administer lute
Day 6 (24 hrs later): re-Lute
Day 8 (40 hrs later): AI and administer GnRh.
Day 9: as an optional step, re-AI and GnRH.
This is a WHOLE lotta work, but we are only doing a few cows this cycle. He says the success rates are proving to be quite high for this. After going 1 for 5 last time, I am willing to do this, even spring for the extra day AI, if it will get me a bit closer to doing a happy dance on preg check day.
Comments? Any experience or indirect feedback on this?
Thanks!

 

[shortybreeder]

Use KAMAR's or some other patch on Day 5 or 6 so you can tell if there is any extra heat activity between Day 8 and Day 9. If you have a really good heat for Day 8 then I wouldn't waste the extra semen and GnRH to breed on Day 9 because the semen should last about 24-30 hours in the reproductive tract. We usually GnRH 12 hours before 1st breeding rather than at breeding if we are just doing a couple and they are easy to catch. Idk if it really improves our pregnancy rate, but that way we don't have to be at the beef farm at the exact same time as the A.I. technician, we just catch them ahead of time and he lets them out when he's done.

 

[bse]

Sounds like a great way to sell semen and gnrh. With the 5 day you give the second round of lute 6 to 10 hours after the first, Just my thinking that 24hrs after is a little to much. The gnrh if I understand it correctly, knocks the egg off, and if it is off, it is no more than a dose of water, so why give another dose to do something thats already done? Seems crazy.. Id put a patch on them and breed as needed, sounds like whoever is willing to spend some time there so save the extra semen..

 

[boondocks]

Thanks for your replies. It is a lot of wrangling; we are only doing a couple. I think I need to finally get trained so I can bat "clean-up" myself at least.....

 

[Lucky_P]

Sounds like a whole lot more drugs and semen than it should take to get the job done.

Been doing a 5-day synch here for last 3 years. Past two, instead of giving two doses of Estrumate - one at CIDR pull, second 8-12 hrs later, we've just given a double dose (4ml) of Estrumate when we pull the CIDRS. Been running 80%+ calving to AI service.
We only breed on observed heat; no re-breeds, and if I don't see the cow in heat - or pretty convincing evidence that she stood, she doesn't get an AI service. If I'd TAIed a group we did 3 weeks ago... I'd have missed a bunch of them - some were in at 36 hrs, one 5 days post, two 6 days post, two 7 days post.

 

[boondocks]

Thought I'd report back on the results of this new protocol. We were not able to do the optional step 9 (re-AI a second day), but otherwise followed the protocol listed in the original post. Vet came today and preg-checked:we hit 100% pregnant! (However, keep in mind it was only 2 animals!). Still, I was glad, as this was likely the last chance for these two.

We don't have a clean-up bull, so we are struggling a bit with how many AI chances is reasonable. This was the third try for these two; our goal is to only give two tries at AI, but in this instance, we realized that our timing on the first sync was off a bit, so we had to give them 2 good tries with close adherence to protocol.

We are mid-sync now, going back to our "standard" 7 day co-synch with CIDR; had I had these results in hand a week ago, I may have used the new protocol again, even if it's a bit more labor-intensive...