Success on Time AIing

[kworth1980]

So just wanted to hear what program people are using and success rates they find (cows and heifers) on time (AI-ing). Have you tried ones that didn't go so well or have any other suggestions? We normally just AI but trying timing a few this year. Currently doing the Day 9 schedule.

Thanks

 

[Lucky_P]

We breed the Fall-calving herd on observed heats, but they're up close to the barn/pens and easy to watch and get in to breed.
Spring-calvers, we synchronize; mature cows get one AI service and then go to the bull; virgin heifers stay in the paddocks close to the house and we'll re-breed any that don't stick.

Have been doing a 7-day CIDR co-synch for several years, but switched to the 5-day protocol last year, and got 20 of 22 pregnant with that first AI service. Will be doing the 5-day again this year - pulling CIDRS tomorrow, but we're trying the double dose of prostaglandin at CIDR removal, rather than running the cows through the lane a second time for another dose at 8-12 hrs.

 

[kworth1980]

Question why did you switch from 7 days to 5 days? Thanks!

 

[Lucky_P]

Forgot to mention - even with the synch program, we still breed almost exclusively on observed heat.
Guess if I had less expensive semen, I might TAI the ones that don't show - but out of 24 we synched last spring, 22 showed estrus inside of 72 hrs.
One of the two remainders came in well past 96 hrs, but the inseminator(wife) was gone, so I just turned the last two out.

Farm manager(wife) came across some reports of enhanced conception rates with the 5-day/2-dose PG protocol.
Worked well for us, and fits our schedules.

 

[hillsdown]

I have done timed AI on little to no observed heats and with the cost of semen will not do it again .I think we ran 30% conception on average , pretty crappy . Now I only AI on observed standing heat .

 

[aprille218]

50% this year on timed AI using Select Sync and Timed AI protocol. It's ranged in previous years from 25-50%.

 

[dun]

We did it for 3 years. The results varied from around 50% down to 20%. I didn;t do the AI, had the regular tech do it since I couldn;t do a dozen or so cows at one go. Went back to using observed heats and just like magic we were back in the 90% range.

 

[redcowsrule33]

We have done the CoSynch + CIDR for 8 years or so, never below 55%, this year 85%. All cows were showing some kind of heat signs at the time of timed AI. Have an AI tech do my breeding. Working away too much these days for breeding on observed heats.

 

[Lucky_P]

We tried TAI first time out of the gate, and ended up with about 30% conception. Granted, it was the wife's first time inseminating anything other than the cull cows they 'practiced' on in her AI course - so, it may have been mainly 'operator error', but we've not done it again.
Have had an individual animal or two that we TAIed when she didn't show heat, but I'm not inclined to risk wasting semen, and the walking herdsire ain't all that bad, so it's gotta be a fairly special cow for me to take a chance on TAI with her.

 

[gizmom]

We time AI all of our cattle we use the 7 day protocol on the cows and the Missouri protocol on the heifers. We also use the time AI to set up our recips.

This year we had a 72% conception rate on the cows, 83% on the heifers and 76% on the recips. I know it isn't suppose to work this way but hey it is what it is the heifers conception on AI was higher than the cow herd and so was the recips. We don't AI everything but we do AI quite a few.

Gizmom

 

[cbcr]

Worked with a customer who had 16 heifers that we sync'd. We used the 30+ day method, left the cidr's in for 16 days pulled them and gave lutalyse on day 30. It seemed that just about all of them were showing some signs of heat when we bred them. Out of the 16 just missed 2 getting all of them bred on timed AI. And one of those heifers could be taken out of the equation because she was only 13 months old. This would calculate out to be an 87.5% conception rate.

I have been involved with other cows and heifers using the 7 day method and breeding on observed heats. Seems like the results from that herd with the 7 day method is just about 55-60%.

I think that several factors can go into how successful a timed AI program is. Proper nutrition, good herd health program, good minerals and heifers having been in good condition all along can make a big difference.

 

[double v]

Just did some cows and heifers on 7day timed AI all were in, have had good success around 70-75% and getting better. works if timing is right

 

[kworth1980]

Thanks Everyone. I did the Nine Day with Day 0, GnRH shot, CIDR inserted, Day 7, CIDR removed, shot of Estrumate given. Day 9 (54 hrs after removal of CIDR) (tonight at 7pm) they are to be bred and another GnRH shot - worried though as we did three girls and none are showing any heat signs. I guess worse case if they come into standing heat after being bred, get him to come back and re-bred. Finding it odd this year as our bull is close and lets us know that there is a cow in heat but no one is mounting anyone lol its like the girls all have baby brain still, everyone is in excellent shape and health... Last year we did it all natural cycle AI and heat detecting but this year we decided just to AI a few and run a bull. This is the program that a Embryo Transplant company by us gave us to follow- lol so I would hope they know what seems to work???

 

[Dave]

I used the same system as you did. Last year we had 69% success. This year the AI tech kept saying that things weren't right. probably half the heifers didn't feel right to him. We bred them on the 17th. When I put the clean up bulls in on the 21st I saw two heifers mounting each other. The heifers are in two different pasture, each with a clean up bull. Yesterday both bulls were breeding heifers. Had they sync'ed properly, even if they hadn't taken from the AI breeding, they shouldn't be coming into heat for another 11 or 12 days. I know last year the bull had nothing to do for the first three weeks until all the ones who didn't take came back into heat. I don't know why I am having such different results this year. I did everything the same as last year but it appears I have much different results.

 

[pdfangus]

a few years ago I was running 70 to 80 % but most of them were also showing some signs of heat....

works very well on resyncing cows you do not see in heat....many I would not see the second time either but they bred....