Newbie Breeding Advice

[Circle7]

I have a 20 month old Jersey heifer that I want to breed. Where is a good source for semen straws for AI?

There is someone locally who has a Jersey bull, and he has offered to put her with his bull. If I do that, are there diseases I need to be concerned about preventing (which ones)?

 

[dun]

Try ABS or Select Sires, they should have jersey semen. Who are you going to have AI her, they should have an idea where to get the stuff.
Using a non-virgin bull the main concern is Trichomoniasis. A large animal vet can take the sample and ship it to your sate lab to have it checked. I wouldn;t turn a non-virgin bull in with cows until I got the results and they were negative.

 

[Circle7]

Should I stay with Jersey semen for a first time heifer, or could I use a low birth weight Hereford? I'm not concerned with producing a dairy calf, but want a low birth weight calf.

For AI, I will see if one of the two vets locally (that's a loose term out here) can do it, or there is someone about 90 miles away who has a company specializing in AI. He has Herefords.

Thanks for the advice. When I start talking around here about AI, or testing a non-virgin bull for transmissible diseases, people look at me like I'm from another planet.

 

[cow pollinater]

All of the main studs carry Jersey semen. That would be my choice for breeding her back. Jersey heifers can handle a bigger calf as they're pretty resilient but there's no point in pushing her. If you want to breed her beef then a calving ease angus would be a safe choice and that's a lot easier to find than calving ease hereford is.

 

[Rafter S]

When I start talking around here about AI, or testing a non-virgin bull for transmissible diseases, people look at me like I'm from another planet.

If trich ever gets started in your area they'll stop that. In Texas it's illegal to sell, lease, rent, etc. a non-virgin bull without getting it tested. I don't know if it's enforced, but it's been on the books for a couple of years.

 

[dun]

When I start talking around here about AI, or testing a non-virgin bull for transmissible diseases, people look at me like I'm from another planet.

If trich ever gets started in your area they'll stop that. In Texas it's illegal to sell, lease, rent, etc. a non-virgin bull without getting it tested. I don't know if it's enforced, but it's been on the books for a couple of years.

Same deal in MO