Stocker Steve
Well-known member
I plan to sync and AI one round on the beef herd next year. Genex is now running their fall special on sexed semen. What has been your success rate with sexed semen? Would you use it on the whole herd or just heifers?
Using GenChoice 90 sexed semen ?
- Thread starter Stocker Steve
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Till-Hill
Well-known member
Just heifers and maybe some young cows that were calved in first part of your breeding season. Most years I'd say sexed semen is 50-75% of conventional. I start heifers 2 weeks before cows get sexed first then conventional. For what Genex is selling it for it's hard not to stock up and have some around for some special cows. I have Wide Track, Right Answer, Mo Better, Chisum, Encore, Club King, In Dew Time and World Wide in tank for heifer semen and No Doubt, Grizzly, Explorer for male! We flushed to In Dew Time few years ago and turned out good. It has helped me grow my awesome cow families in a hurry. Good Luck, natural heats and breed them at the correct time and you will love it.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Till-Hill":1xfwcpvi said:
50 to 75% conception rate?
or
.5 x .7 = 35% conception rate?
cowgirl_jenna
Well-known member
This kinda explains it, say 45% with sexed, vs 60% with conv semen.
http://genex.crinet.com/page3870/SexedS ... Strategies
I find the rates are better with beef then dairy heifers, not unusual anyway even with non-sexed. I'll admit, genex has a good price on their sexed right now, not a bad idea to give it a try if you need too Try a few at first and experiment.
http://genex.crinet.com/page3870/SexedS ... Strategies
I find the rates are better with beef then dairy heifers, not unusual anyway even with non-sexed. I'll admit, genex has a good price on their sexed right now, not a bad idea to give it a try if you need too Try a few at first and experiment.
Till-Hill
Well-known member
If you normally run 60% on conventional semen I'd expect you to run 30% up to 45%.........I mate every cow/heifer with a conventional straw and a sexed one just to be ready in case I don't "like" her heat..Stocker Steve":2vqik1e6 said:
cow pollinater
Well-known member
I haven't used any Genex stuff but the technology is the same as what I've used and I've used tens of thousands of units of the stuff. Till-Hill is about right on conception differences overall based on my experience but I've seen a TON of variation amongst individual bulls. I've had bulls that were consistently higher performing bulls in conventional packaging be consistently poor performers in sorted semen and a lot of bulls don't sort well at all so that 90% could be somewhat of a crapshoot.
If I were going to recommend it to anyone, my advice would be to start breeding early in the season and then switch to conventional semen or bulls with no regard to who got bred to what and take any extra calves of the desired sex as a bonus. Waiting for the optimum time and then chasing your best cows around with it will turn into your best cows open and you mad. ;-)
I would also recommend choosing a bull that has been offered as sorted for a while. Typically they'll sort the up and comers and the proven bulls that have already saturated their market as the proven bulls in-between that can sell every straw they produce will be kept in conventional semen production. If you find one that's decent and has been offered as sorted for quite a while then you can kind of trust that he's doing what he's supposed to do and the calves are mostly of the desired sex. ;-)
If I were going to recommend it to anyone, my advice would be to start breeding early in the season and then switch to conventional semen or bulls with no regard to who got bred to what and take any extra calves of the desired sex as a bonus. Waiting for the optimum time and then chasing your best cows around with it will turn into your best cows open and you mad. ;-)
I would also recommend choosing a bull that has been offered as sorted for a while. Typically they'll sort the up and comers and the proven bulls that have already saturated their market as the proven bulls in-between that can sell every straw they produce will be kept in conventional semen production. If you find one that's decent and has been offered as sorted for quite a while then you can kind of trust that he's doing what he's supposed to do and the calves are mostly of the desired sex. ;-)
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
cow pollinater":1261ccqi said:
I can breed early, and I only retain early heifer calves for breeding stock, but a 30 to 45% conception rate does not sound attractive. Is this technology improving much?
Till-Hill
Well-known member
I achieve on the heifers getting a 75% heifer crop with around 2.2 services per pregnancy so it is worth it to me as long as they are in heat early in breeding season.
Fire Sweep Ranch
Well-known member
We have gotten 0%! But we have only tried two different bulls (Bettis and Upgrade), and used about 14 straws total, all on natural heats. ALL of those used were followed up with conventional semen on the next heat and ALL conceived. We tried everything to get it to work for us, but we have no luck. I doubt I will buy sexed semen again, just do not like the odds! We also tried some Mo Better heifer sexed when flushing a cow, and got zero fertilized eggs on that. We were told the results are usually not very good, but we wanted to try anyway.
vclavin
Well-known member
I was told by AI rep that sexed semen had a 10% settle rate and we had to use 2 straws at a time... plus, we had to buy a special AI instrument because the straws are much smaller than regular semen... NEVER AGAIN!!
Hope you are more successful.
Blessings
Valerie
Hope you are more successful.
Blessings
Valerie
Till-Hill
Well-known member
Whoever quoted that to you I would stop buying semen from in the first place. Never have used two straws except when using on a flush. I wouldn't call the combi or a 1/4 cc gun "special" sooner or later all straws are going to be 1/4 anyway. Dairy is now around 50-75% what I get is. New gun is $25-40 so not a huge deal. Like I said use on natural heats and make sure everything before and during breeding season is perfect and you will love it. I preg checked my heifers Thursday. We were 3/6 on sexed semen with one of the ones that didn't stick to sexed didn't to conventional semen or 2 rounds of the bull either. So now on my 7 head to calve long as conventional semen is 50/50 I hope to have 5 heifer calves.........vclavin":24crmymd said:
vclavin
Well-known member
ABS rep - works at a vet clinic and it was Jersey semen, maybe that was the problem - Jersey semen. LOL We just figured that Angus would be the same way. $60 straw is still pretty expensive.
Blessings
Valerie
Blessings
Valerie
Till-Hill
Well-known member
http://genex.crinet.com/page3407/BeefGenChoiceLineup I have paid $50 but alot less lately as it has cheapened up alot. It has it's place and if you are good with AI and heat detection there is no reason you shouldn't try it.
vclavin
Well-known member
Actually , our AI Technician has been doing AI for over 30 years - raised on a dairy farm. We only had 2 Jersey heifers and one out of the three took. We discovered the unknown need for the smaller AI tube when he was there to AI. Fortunately for us, the girls were late coming in heat (also synchonized for timed AI) the stickers were not red till the next morning when we were to do the cows. So he borrowed one from the rep and AI'd the Jersey heifers that evening. Cost me 2 straws each and double the normal fee as he had to insert two straws . OUCH!
Till-Hill
Well-known member
That sucks when you have a bad experience! We calving spring 2014 2/19-4/28 15 head 3 stuck sexed semen of the 6 and out of all 15 only one calf coming out of clean up bull. It takes alot of time and money but hope out of 15 we end up with 9-12 heifers.
Luckiamute
Well-known member
I have had very good success using Genex GenChoice90 sexed semen. I am a very small operation -- much smaller than probably any of you. We only bred six cows this May and June, five registered Black Angus and one crossbred cow. This year I used GenChoice90 female semen on four of the six cows and got a 100 percent conception rate (seriously ... no kidding!). My crossbred cow missed on the first heat using GenChoice90 male semen, but took on the next heat. The other cow took on first try using conventional semen. We used SAV Bismarck and SAV Density sexed female semen this year for the 100 percent conception rate. The conventional semen was BC Lookout and the male sexed semen bull we used was Worldwide, a polled Hereford. We nearly always breed to natural heats. We don't always get a 100 percent conception rate -- usually at least one cow or heifer misses with the sexed semen -- but we have had great success, I am very happy with results, and will continue using it on an annual basis and would highly recommend it.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
I have a bunch of In Dew Time in my tank. How does he compare to newer bulls like Nightride 225Z or Graduate 006X as a cow maker?
Till-Hill
Well-known member
Steve as time went on my comment on In Dew Time could not be worse. Terrible udders over time. I used way to much and culled everyone over the years that had IDT in their pedigree. If your making feeder calves he does a good job at that. No experience with Nightride or Graduate yet.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Thanks for the honesty.
