synchronizing heifers (beef)

[jillaroo]

I finally got the boss talked into synchronizing our replacement heifers.
We will be using natural service rather than AI, but the whole point is to shorten up the calving times.
Now I know it will only work if they are mature enough to cycle and we have enough bull power.
What is the best method to use in order to sync the group? I don't want to use CIDR's (too expensive) and also cannot use MGA. Increased labour is okay as the corrals are close by.
Thanks for the help!

 

[dun]

Without using MGA or CIDRs about all that is left is a shot of GnRH and 7 days later a shot of lute

 

[novaman]

Increased labor is ok? Why not use CIDR's than? You have to run them through the chute to inject hormones to synchronize anyway. You would have no extra trips through the chute by sticking a CIDR in plus you would have better synchronizing. Consider that a missed cycle could cost around $63 (21 days X 2.5 ADG X $1.20 per pound). How is a $10 CIDR too expensive? Even when you add in $6 for the GnRH and prostaglandin along with the CIDR you are money ahead. You can't be looking at short term spending.

 

[cow pollinater]

If all you want to do is shorten up your calving season, hit them with lut, turn the bulls out for one week and then hit them with lut again. Anything that you know for sure got mounted can skip the second shot... And NO, you won't abort the week old babies from the first shot.

 

[regolith]

you can't do the shot again at three weeks though, isn't that right? I know our vet won't repeat it on the next cycle.

CIDRs cost a lot more than $10 out here, even with the exchange rate taken into account.

 

[cow pollinater]

you can't do the shot again at three weeks though, isn't that right? I know our vet won't repeat it on the next cycle.

Right. Anything past about nine days since last heat will stand a good chance(85%) of eliminating pregnancies and it's less than nine for hiefers. They have to be at a place in their cycle where they have a corpus lutium in order for lutalyse(as in it lyses-or kills-a lutium) to work. It takes about 7-9 days for a CL to begin to form so any dose of lut in the meantime is either effective on an open heifer or a waste of money.

 

[angus9259]

If all you want to do is shorten up your calving season, hit them with lut, turn the bulls out for one week and then hit them with lut again. Anything that you know for sure got mounted can skip the second shot... And NO, you won't abort the week old babies from the first shot.

This will shorten better than synching - if too many come in heat at the exact same time, the bull may fall in love with one or two and miss someone. I'd do it this way too if I wasn't going to AI.

 

[jillaroo]

Without using MGA or CIDRs about all that is left is a shot of GnRH and 7 days later a shot of lute

Will this work with heifers? I thought it was more of a cow program.

Why not use CIDR's than

I would like to use a CIDR and AI them however, I must pick my battles and am happy the manager is willing to try sync'ing them.
So just to clarify, I would give them a shot of lute on (let's say) Monday, turn the bulls in and them give them another shot of lute on the following Monday?
Thanks for the replies! Our local vet is really not a lot of help on this subject.
Another question for Dun, Cow Pollinator and others that AI; what would you recommend for someone looking to get into the AI industry as a technician? I took a week course a few years back and really enjoyed AI'ing. I have been considering a career redirection but have no idea how to get started and how to get GOOD at it.

 

[showing71]

I have a friend who got a job as an AI tech for Genex. She handles about 10 large dairies. If you look into some of the larger semen distributors, you might find something there. I found out from her that even though she already knew how to AI, she still had to take a 2 week course, and practice AI on killer cows at a plant.

 

[dun]

I just started a cusotm AI business for thsoe people that the studs/distributors didn;t want to mess with out I was still doing that plus relief breeding for a copule of dairys.

 

[3waycross]

I just started a cusotm AI business for thsoe people that the studs/distributors didn;t want to mess with out I was still doing that plus relief breeding for a copule of dairys.

Are you having them order their semen from a distributer or are you planning on stocking even a limited inventory.

 

[BRAFORDMAN]

I was thinking about doing the same with my brahman heifers as well.

Depending on how your set up is and how many heifers you have and how many bulls you plan to turn out,

couldn't you give lut to x number of heifers one day and then a day or two later to another number of heifers?

That way if you hd a very large group of heifers you don thav ethem all coming into heat the same day and heifers get missed.

Its just away I have tought about doing if i want my calvng season to be very short.

A few of my brahman heifers were bred like that before I gt them. They came into heat about 2-3 days later

 

[Lon]

i have actually been thinkin about going to a class for AI and was gonna ask where people thought some good ones to look into were. and also about the job industry if doing it?

 

[dun]

I just started a cusotm AI business for thsoe people that the studs/distributors didn;t want to mess with out I was still doing that plus relief breeding for a copule of dairys.

Clarification: I didn;t just start as in recently, I just started as in all I did was start.

 

[dun]

I just started a cusotm AI business for thsoe people that the studs/distributors didn;t want to mess with out I was still doing that plus relief breeding for a copule of dairys.

Are you having them order their semen from a distributer or are you planning on stocking even a limited inventory.

I carried a small inventory of several different bulls of several breeds. The dairys had their own semen in their tank.

 

[plumber_greg]

If you have good, mature, cycling heifers, why even bother with synchronizing? If they're cycling and you have enough bull power and you weren't doing it to AI them, 90% ought to calve on first heat anyway. Simply cull those that don't. You're not gonna' get much better or maybe less better with synchronizing. Don't know how many you're talking about, but if a hundred calve in a month, that is a lot of work. I guess if you're talking about ten, I can see it, but then I'd consider AI. JMHO gs

 

[hopalong]

I have am A.I. service that services the small producer, with a limited supply 0f semen in my tank, if a customer wants a specific breed or bull i can usually get close from select sires or Champion Genetics problem is shipping is very expensive. I basically use the cidr and shot protocol as most i do are a one or two operation and hard to catch on a natural cycle.

 

[cow pollinater]

Another question for Dun, Cow Pollinator and others that AI; what would you recommend for someone looking to get into the AI industry as a technician? I took a week course a few years back and really enjoyed AI'ing. I have been considering a career redirection but have no idea how to get started and how to get GOOD at it.

Getting GOOD means getting into LOTS of cows and having a natural knack for it. I've started quite a few breeders and the ones that succeed do it because they are interested in cows and genetics...period. Anyone only moderately interested or doing it for the money fails misserably.
I got my start by trying to make superior beef cattle with my dads cows when I was fifteen. I taught myself how to do it with internet and books without ever even seeing it done live. Once I got good at it I started knocking on doors at some BIG dairies even though I didn't know anything about dairy cows. I started as a relief breeder for a few "in house" breeders, which are dairy employees that do the breeding and rarely get days off, and before to long the semen companies were knocking on my door wanting to hire me.
To this day I have no formal training in AI but I've been doing it for a living for thirteen years and have taught a few people how to do for their living as well. Here's my advice for success:
1. Love all cattle. Even if she's chasing you down the ally, be thinking about what her strong points are and how to improve them and still fix the disposition.
2. Love genetics. The possibilities are endless and it's really where you make your money... Alot of customers don't get excited about their cattle, it's up to you to see the potential and steer them to it. You will have to show them what genetic improvement is worth and they'll follow your inthusiasm.
3. Accept that your opinions about cattle are always valid and voice them. Your customers won't always agree but they don't WANT a yes-man. They want a thinker that can solve their problems so that they don't have to. If you wait for them to come to you, they won't. You have to go out and tell them you're the best thing that's happened to the industry in years :nod:
4. Accept that NO amount of education will make you a good breeder or make anyone elses opinions better than yours. If you do this for a living, you're going to have to get used to strong-arming nutritionists and vets that have years of education backing them... They work in the world of how it's suposed to be and you live in the world of how it really is. You'll find that there is a big differance between the two.
PM me aytime. I'm used to helping people get started and I love to see it happen.

 

[cleland]

It's pretty hard to carry an inventory of much semen on many bulls if your dealing with any significant number of cattle. I am an abs rep and could no way carry enough of an inventory to keep what every one wants. Every body wants different bulls and different ammounts. Not tp mention the fact of owning a bunch of semen and hoping someone wants it. Or the fact of having several thounds of dollars thaw out when a tank goes dry!!! As far as getting good it just takes experience