Artificial Insemination
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Hay Feeder
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The best time to breed them is between thanksgiving to december 1st. Get a local AI tech not associated with some of the AI companies
I actually found a fella that had been AI ing cows ofr 63 years.
I actually found a fella that had been AI ing cows ofr 63 years.
ANGUS327
Well-known member
Buy a good black angus bull, he can heat detect and breed in one smooth operation and I don't have to be there. 
I fall calve and AI the last week of October, i do all my own. Get a good AI tech that knows current synch programs that is NOT part of a stud. They only want to sell their product
I personally like the 14 day CIDR protocol. 70% of my calves out of 135 were the result of AI this year
I personally like the 14 day CIDR protocol. 70% of my calves out of 135 were the result of AI this year
efb
Well-known member
Learn proper heat detection. To me proper insemenation timing is the most important thing. Most tech's can put the semen in the right place, but it's up to you to do it at the optium time. You'll have to spent time with your cows at least twice a day. Eventually you'll know when a cow is coming in before she is in standing heat. The whole process is pretty labor intensive.
WVGenetics
Well-known member
efb said:
Agree...proper heat detection is a must.
I have the good AI tech and were using the 7 day CIDR with timed AI to avoid heat detection. We are working with about 45 heifers and I am hoping to get at least 60% bred. The heifers are all averaging about 725 now with breeding on Nov 5th. That gives me a late August calf. They are on a really good mineral program and they have all been cycling. I am using LCC New Standard, Connealy Contrast, Connealy Final Product and Summitcrest Prime Cut 0145. There are other bulls out there, but I wanted proven calving ease genetics that would make both good steers and good mommas. I cant afford these genetics without using AI and so going and buying a good bull just isnt good enough for me. There are other dollars out there on the table to be had and the only way to get there fast is through AI.
WVGenetics
Well-known member
bgc said:
If your gonna put up the money...I'd still argue that its worth heat checking.
WVGenetics
Well-known member
Well...good luck! I hope you have a succesful breeding and basketball season!
hillsdown
Well-known member
bgc said:
If luck is on your side you can even get 80% conception wit the timed AI and an ovsync program. It just depends on a lot of different factors. I like to AI on observed heats only now, my luck is not that good with TIA . :wink:
You must have an ABS rep, who has limited your choices of bulls, All i can say is that if you expect 50% TAI! You will not be disappointed, and when the other half doesnt catch on the next cycle or two, you will know not togo with the 7 day cidr next year. Finding a tech that will offer full services, ie. heat detection is not easy but worth the investment :
No I do not have an ABS rep that limited my bull choices or anything. The AI tech is one of my good friends who has been breeding his own cattle and his dads cattle for 10+ years. He has been averaging in the 65-70% range on heifers with the 7 day CIDR. He is not a semen rep at all, just someone who does AI for himself and a few people. He is not getting paid just doing it because I asked him to.
katrina
Well-known member
I've AIed for prolly 15 years and happen to have a fairly high conception rate. Cattle condition and observation time is the key to a successful breeding.... Anything else and your results will reflect it.. Why waste the money if your not going to put forth a full honest effort. If ya don't have the time buy a bull and be done with it.. Less than 70% I would throw in my plastic glove... And any open hiefiers at all is really sad.....
Maybe for purebred or seedstock producers that might be the case. For me as a commercial producer trying to improve genetics in my herd faster than I could by buying bulls the timed AI is the way to go. It is less labor intensive and you have to value your time. This is strictly a project to test the waters to see if it is more profitable with my heifers to AI them and be done with calving in a shorter period of time. The heifers that conceive are the most fertile ones and I will keep them. The rest will be bred by our cleanup bull and marketed as bred heifers that have been synchronized. No matter how many years you have been doing AI there will be open heifers at the end of a protocol. I dont know where you get off thinking that any open heifers is sad.
I would agree with you Bgc on the open heifer concept about feeling sad but I have found that I most of the time the open ones are the best ones in the herd. So I would have to say that I do feel a little remorse when I have a nice heifer come in open. But then I have to look at it like this she not making me any money open so see ya.
She might be the best looking heifer in the entire country but as a replacement female she lacks the #1 trait we all are looking for and that is fertility. Diesel smoke over her back let someone else own her and they can propagate the nonfertile genetics, but im not going to. I agree with you I feel remorse when I spent time and money to get one bred and she comes in open, but I look at it in two aspects. I have just put enough pressure on my heifers to get the most fertile ones bred and then the rest get bred cleanup and sent to town. In time you get the most fertile cowherd you can find, that alone will make people more money than anything.
katrina
Well-known member
bgc said:
JMHO....... Good luck!! :tiphat:
