efb said: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.
bgc said: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.
bgc said: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.
bgc said: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.