Sex selected semen

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I have read about AI ing cows using sex selected semen. This would be a great way to get Jersey heifers. What is the expected percentage of heifers? Another thing-- How do they get sex selected semen? Put the bull's product in a petri dish and show a TV football game on one side so the males all swim over there? Pin up pictures of show cows with desirable Jersey udders? How in the world do they do this?

 

[simme]

I have read about AI ing cows using sex selected semen. This would be a great way to get Jersey heifers. What is the expected percentage of heifers? Another thing-- How do they get sex selected semen? Put the bull's product in a petri dish and show a TV football game on one side so the males all swim over there? Pin up pictures of show cows with desirable Jersey udders? How in the world do they do this?

There are sorting technologies that separate the male and female sperm. One technology applies a fluorescent dye to the sperm. Female sperm and male sperm take on a different amount of fluorescence. Then the sperm goes through a sorting machine that separates the sperm into 3 containers based on amount of fluoresence - male, female, and dead/damaged/can't use.
Sperm is "worked" and "damaged" some in this process. So, conception rates will be lower with sexed semen. Sexed semen cost more. Accuracy is about 90%, so female sexed semen should give about 90% heifers and 10% bulls. Male sexed semen - just the opposite.

Some info:

https://www.drovers.com/news/how-it-works-sex-sorted-semen

This website is from India but has some info.

https://www.dairyknowledge.in/article/sexed-semen-overview#:~:text=What%20is%20sexed%20semen%3F,is%20known%20as%20sexed%20semen.

Can get sexed semen here. They have 46 Jersey bulls.

ST genetics

ST genetics

www.stgen.com

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Thank's for solving that mystery. Not as much fun as pin ups and football games.

I see that ST genetics sells sex selected. So, about how much does a straw of mostly heifers cost? I guess it would depend on the bull.

My old Jersey cow was sired by a cleanup bull.

One thing about beef cattle, the romance of bull and cow in the pasture is still going on.

 

[farmerjan]

Sexed semen is about twice the cost of the straight semen. In the dairy breeds the female sexed semen is more popular; in the beef breeds it is often the male sexed semen preferred unless you are wanting to produce replacement heifers. Every bull stud has sexed semen. Select Sire power has several bulls with sexed semen in different breeds.
Most is in 1/4 cc straws instead of the old 1/2 cc straws. There has to be a minimum number of sperms cells. I prefer using the 1/2 cc straw but that is what I am used to. Most sexed is not in 1/2 cc straws.
The conception rate is lower, usually in the neighborhood of 40% rather than the 50-60% of normal AI... It is more important to get the animal in a good stage of her heat cycle than most anything else.
Have used sexed semen and I fall in the 10% category more often than not. I am a classic example of murphy's law... had 3 bull calves out of 4 different times of sexed semen and the heifer had some problems and died....
Many farms use it on heifers as they are usually more fertile and will catch better than older cows using sexed semen.
Many of the dairies have used it and most use it on the top 25-40% of their milking herd to get more females out of the best milkers.... carry on the better genetics and then the lower half of the herd they will just breed to beef or to regular semen.

 

[RustyTub]

I paid to have HeferPlus added to the AI mix on three cows last season. I have three healthy steers now.

 

[coachg]

Not sure if they still do it but at one time they ran a low electric current through the semen. Male sperm swam towards one pole (- or + ) and female sperm towards the other . Old biology teacher in me read that somewhere a long time ago .

 

[Son of Butch]

At one time a centrifuge was used to separate the heavier female sperm cells from the male. But that was long ago and better techniques were developed.
Any processing of semen after ejaculation can only damage viability and never improves it.

 

[farmerjan]

I paid to have HeferPlus added to the AI mix on three cows last season. I have three healthy steers now.

That's my luck too....

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Sounds like it's not worth it.

It is amazing that any sperm are still alive after being collected, rinsed out, dyed or spun, sorted, jammed into a narrow pipette then frozen below zero then shipped all over.

It is interesting that XX sperm carry more genetic information than XY sperm. It takes more information to make a female, a whole nother leg of an X more. I guess thats why they were heavier in the centrifuge

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I wrote this poem

Bulls are great big guys
They have many flies
They whack 'em with their tails
'Bout 50 of 'em die.

Bulls are important guys
They have many wives
They got to keep 'em all pregnant
or else they loose their lives.

Some some bulls live in a pen
With others of their kin
And cowboys come to buy 'em
To make more just like him.

Some bulls stay where they are
And do it in a jar
It gets sent around
To cows both near and far,

Onto a scale you guide
To weigh him for his size
He poops upon his tail
And flings it is your eyes.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Sexed semen is very useful and works. The dairy industry almost ruined their market. They started breeding everything with female sexed semen. Got so many replacement heifers, they flooded the market. Now, they pick their BEST cows, breed sexed semen. The rest they are breeding to beef bulls to sell all the offspring.

 

[wbvs58]

I wrote this poem

Bulls are great big guys
They have many flies
They whack 'em with their tails
'Bout 50 of 'em die.

Bulls are important guys
They have many wives
They got to keep 'em all pregnant
or else they loose their lives.

Some some bulls live in a pen
With others of their kin
And cowboys come to buy 'em
To make more just like him.

Some bulls stay where they are
And do it in a jar
It gets sent around
To cows both near and far,

Onto a scale you guide
To weigh him for his size
He poops upon his tail
And flings it is your eyes.

We got a live one here.

Ken

 

[Buck Randall]

Sounds like it's not worth it.

It is amazing that any sperm are still alive after being collected, rinsed out, dyed or spun, sorted, jammed into a narrow pipette then frozen below zero then shipped all over.

It is interesting that XX sperm carry more genetic information than XY sperm. It takes more information to make a female, a whole nother leg of an X more. I guess thats why they were heavier in the centrifuge

Sexed semen is absolutely worth it for Jerseys. The conception rates aren't much lower than conventional if cows are bred with ideal timing.

 

[farmerjan]

Sexed semen is very useful and works. The dairy industry almost ruined their market. They started breeding everything with female sexed semen. Got so many replacement heifers, they flooded the market. Now, they pick their BEST cows, breed sexed semen. The rest they are breeding to beef bulls to sell all the offspring.

That is so true... and now there is a SHORTAGE of replacement dairy heifers due to soo many animals being bred to beef bulls. Plus the smaller dairies selling out has hurt. Used to be the smaller farms, back before there was sexed semen even, would have approx 50% heifers and bulls born each year... and smaller farms often did not turn over their cows as fast as bigger farms... so a small dairy farm would have a few "extra" heifers to sell each year... It was actually considered a "sideline" for some of the farms to have a half a dozen springing heifers to sell each year and add to the bottom income line.... with so many of the farms breeding so much to beef, there aren't even the extra heifers from average cows available for sale. Big farms usually turn over their herd faster... cows that have little quirks are not tolerated when it is important that they are very "uniform"; slow milkers are not tolerated, ones that have less than ideal udders are sold off faster even if they are good milkers, bad feet are not tolerated for any length of time....there are more breeding problems in larger herds, the concentrated confinement on concrete is harder on their legs and feet...
The prices of replacement dairy heifers around here has gone up... there just aren't that many and farms that are expanding cannot find animals as easily or cheaply.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I paid $300 for a 2 week old Jersey heifer. He said we have been getting $300. I said probably because of the disease everyone has become a survivalist. She may have been a keeper since the dairy had already ear tagged her and had given her a number. Do those ear holes heal up? I had them cut the tag off. It has scabbed over.

11 year old Daphne's previous heifer calf, an open long yearling half angus. Keep or sell? I hope to sell her as a family milk cow to some 'survivalist', breed back to angus milk her and eat her calves.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I paid $300 for a 2 week old Jersey heifer.

View attachment 20463

Don't tell everyone. They'll all laugh at you!
They laughed at me when I bought a 5-6 month old for about the same money...
I'm expecting a calf this winter

Down south here they are hard to find a GOOD one.

 

[coachg]

I wrote this poem

Bulls are great big guys
They have many flies
They whack 'em with their tails
'Bout 50 of 'em die.

Bulls are important guys
They have many wives
They got to keep 'em all pregnant
or else they loose their lives.

Some some bulls live in a pen
With others of their kin
And cowboys come to buy 'em
To make more just like him.

Some bulls stay where they are
And do it in a jar
It gets sent around
To cows both near and far,

Onto a scale you guide
To weigh him for his size
He poops upon his tail
And flings it is your eyes.

Don't quit your day job , not sure if the poetry thing is going to work out .

 

[Son of Butch]

I paid $300 for a 2 week old Jersey heifer. He said we have been getting $300.

Not at 2 weeks old and that's more than double than what they bring here in Minnesota.

She may have been a keeper since the dairy had already ear tagged her and had given her a number.

Most dairys tag all calves.
Judging cattle by ear tag is the worst method to determine health and quality.

Do those ear holes heal up?

Holes in cartilage won't heal closed, but a slit contained within an ear will.

I had them cut the tag off.

Some people wear earrings, some don't.

11 year old Daphne's previous heifer calf, an open long yearling half angus. Keep or sell? I hope to sell her as a family milk cow....

I'd breed her, if you don't have the resources to breed her then sell as open asap.
I see no reason to sell her, but that's your choice.
Technically to sell her as a 'cow' she needs to have a calf first.

 

[Son of Butch]

Don't quit your day job , not sure if the poetry thing is going to work out .

That's a bit harsh, I vote to keep at it, TexasJerseyMilker.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Not at 2 weeks old and that's more than double than what they bring here in Minnesota.
Yes it is a lot for a calf. Although 11 years ago I paid $250 for e Jersey heifer in Texas, Oregon is the 5th most expensive place to live. For instance gas is 4 cents less than $5 here. I was $5.55 But there are only 4 million people in the whole state and it's a nature paradise.

Most dairys tag all their calves.
This dairy had only tagged about half, I noticed it looked like the better half.

Holes in cartilage won't heal closed, but a slit contained within an ear will.
haha I guess that's why my pierced ears have not closed up after years with no ear rings. I was always chicken to get my ears pierced so finally I took a doctor friend with me. This made the lady so nervous she pierced one higher than the other and had to do it over. It's not the pain it's the dadgummed sound that kills you.

Thank you for this opinion. I'd rather sell her as a first calf heifer. The bull our pasture leasing neighbors have over here tends to throw a low birth weight but unfortunately he is her sire. I could breed back to Jersey AI but that would be a big expense with little return.

You think that's bad I have another awful poem called Ghost Cattle From the Fire