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Estrotect Heat Detection Question

H

High Plains

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
825
Location
Nebraska
Ran into some sales information on Estrotect patches recently and the pitch was mighty convincing. My cattle partner has been using Kamars forever and he's a hard sucker to convince. The Estrotect look like the answer to heat detection. I'm talking about detection both in feedlot pens as well as on pasture, heifers and cows respectively. AI reps tell me that they recommend them and use them exclusively. Anyone argue for or against these things? Cattle are all syncronized. Thanks for commentary and I hope this isn't a duplicate post from days gone by. :wink:
 
I think they are much better than Kmar's. Easier to apply, stay on better, and easier to read.
 
Estrotects can be inaccurate if there's a good rubbing spot, and if they stick on too long they'll start to wear off. But if there's a bunch of them the just got synced, they work pretty slick. Still need to check heats two or three times a day for best results in my experience.
 
We have found that if you clip the hair on the tailhead when you give pre-breeding vaccinations the patches work a lot better. The 'new' hair is clean and short, no extra glue needed. :)
 
Information on their web site says that the patches should go in front of the tail head, as canadian angus has mentioned. Does everyone do it that way or do some folks put the patches across the tail head? Seems that is an important little point to get straightened out. Detailed description, again, on the web site, indicates a fairly laborious application method of cleaning the area with their special brush and not using a curry comb or similar steel brush to do this. This is where I start to hit the "what?" button. Really?
 
I didn't like them.... We found that with cows swatting flies rubbed the silver off. I use Kamars.... Have for years and can pretty much tell the story on how much red is showing..... Sorry guys..... Odd man out here.... And I'll just zip up my hate suit and carry on.... :tiphat:
 
katrina said:
I didn't like them.... We found that with cows swatting flies rubbed the silver off. I use Kamars.... Have for years and can pretty much tell the story on how much red is showing..... Sorry guys..... Odd man out here.... And I'll just zip up my hate suit and carry on.... :tiphat:
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No problem, Katrina. I was hoping to get the full story and not just the positive spin on one product. If anyone else has some votes for one thing or another I'd benefit from all of it.
 
One issue with Kamars is that some of them will completely break and you're not going to find that cow in a pasture of 150 cows. The Kamar will still be white if it breaks open. If it's not red then you won't see broken Kamars unless you gather all of the cows morning and night. Also, those Kamars that never really turn red but are just pink. Is it a bad patch or what? It's hard to know. We have always bred those pink patches. Missing a couple of cows in estrus of several hundred really doesn't matter all that much, but you want to do everything you can to get proper heat detection. It's labor intensive to be out there breeding and heat detection is the most important part.
 
I'm with Katrina on this one. If you breed in fly season they'll be peeled in a day by the constant tail swatting and milling. Our bulldogs get so bad that if an animal is "off" and leaves the group you've got to treat him right now or the bugs will have him dead.
As I reply I'm thinking maybe I should move.
 
starvin'dog said:
I'm with Katrina on this one. If you breed in fly season they'll be peeled in a day by the constant tail swatting and milling. Our bulldogs get so bad that if an animal is "off" and leaves the group you've got to treat him right now or the bugs will have him dead.
As I reply I'm thinking maybe I should move.
Click to expand...

But where would you go?

After living Saskatchewan everywhere else would be just to EASY. :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

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