Can't get heifer bred!!

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Wildmustang777

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Feb 8, 2019
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Hi!! So I have a brangus premium gold heifer that is 26 months old.. I have been trying to get her bred for a few months and this is what's happening... December 27th (I think) she was AI'ed.. didn't take.. She came in heat February 7th and was with bull and watched bull breed her.. Well she stayed out there for 25 days and did not come back in heat, so we thought she was bred and brought her home on day 29 to bleed her to preg check the next day!! Well I come out in the morning and the steers are mounting her  :mad:  Put her back out with the bull and she keeps coming in heat on day 30  ???

So I had a vet come out to get thoughts and He said anything Brahman influenced is a little later maturing and her heats may not be fertile.. I asked what the deal was with her coming I heat on day 30 ever since she's been with the bull, he said she has the calendar wrong  ::)

So I had another vet come out and had her ultrasound her... Well the vet said her CL was not near the size it should be in order to sustain a pregnancy and there were no follicles, so she told us to give her Cystorelin.. We did, that was may 7th.. vet is coming back out the 14th to ultrasound again and see if there are any changes!!

If you have any advice please share!! She needs to get bred!! Thanks  :)
 

RyanChandler

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Typical reduced or infertility associated with show cattle nothing new here.  Suppose you could get her bred artificially somehow but are these really genetics you want to propagate!?
 

Wildmustang777

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I definitely want to keep her genetics!! I should mention she is fat as in show ready and is on a diet!! Maybe she is to fat!! Thanks
 

idalee

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If she consistently returns to heat every 30 days,  this suggests that she is actually getting pregnant but that she is unable to maintain a corpus luteum (CL)  to sustain pregnancy.  The findings of the second Veterinarian that the CL is too small tend to substantiate this assumption.  It is time to cut  your losses and move on. 
 

Wildmustang777

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I knew she didn't have the calendar wrong and figured she was getting bred but aborting for some reason! I don't know why of all heifers it has to be her!!  :'(

The vet came out a week after she was in heat to ultrasound

Thank you for your suggestions :) <beer>
 

Bradenh

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Next time you breed her put a cidr back in her and leave it for 30 days(Yes you read that right)  then Draw blood upon pulling cidr
 

Lucky_P

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But... was she vaccinated with a Lepto hardjo-bovis bacterin, like Spirovac?  And boostered appropriately?

The old 5-way Lepto vaccines don't work against L.hardjo-bovis, which is a cattle-adapted strain, and typically presents as early embryonic death and frequent return to heat... rather than mid- to late-term abortions, like the other Lepto strains.

If not... a round of long-acting oxytetracycline (LA-200/300) may be in order, in addition to administration of the proper 2-dose regimen of a HB Lepto bacterin.
 

Wildmustang777

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I will have to double check about the lepto vaccine! She did get her boosters though!!

The vet came back out to ultrasound and found a little bit of improvement... Her CL was larger and she saw some follicles!!! She did some calling around to other vets to get some ideas (and backup plans)
on what to do!!

This is what she told me to do...

Diet: 7% protein hay and 40% (I think) cattle cubes at half a pound per week for 30 days

Put cidr in for 7 days then switch to new cidr on day 7 and leave in for another 7 days, on last day give gnrh in the am and then another shot of it in the pm, pull cidr out.

I will have to double check to make sure I got all of the info though and see about the lepto!!

Thank you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (thumbsup) <beer>
 

Wildmustang777

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Ok so I double checked about the info and some of its wrong  ::)

This is it:
Diet: free mineral, 7% protein hay, and 38-40% cubes at 1\2 lb per week

Breeding: insert cidr for 14 days, then remove and replace with new cidr for 14 more days, then remove and inject with gnrh, then repeat gnrh 12 hours later. Turn out with bull

I will still have to double check on the lepto though! Thanks
 

SEA

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How fat is she?  When was the last time she was shown? 

We typically breed heifers at 14-16 months of age.  Twenty-six months of age and still open seems excessive.

I would have to agree with Idalee.  Time to "Cut Bait".

However if you insist on trying one more time, quit "Screwing around with her and her natural maturation and development" with chemicals.  Give her some time.

1.  Vaccinate her with "everything under the sun" for cattle in your geographic area.

2. Worm her and pour her for parasites. 

3. Insert fly tags and maybe even give her a magnet.

4. Put her "Out on pasture" and a good free choice mineral with other cows and a herd bull and bring her up in the fall. 

5. Pregnancy check her.

6. Bred: Retain her.  Open: Sell her.


We've all had to do it.  Just because she is pretty...does not make her a great cow...
 

Wildmustang777

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Hi!

She is not extremely fat but definitely has visible pins! The last time she was shown was in January..

She was vaccinated in February and wormed and given pour on!
She also gets fly spray on her everyday.

She was out on the pasture for 60 days and actually gained weight... Like a lot of it  :-\

I will see what kinds of vaccinations I can get!! Also don't know if this helps but I am in Florida and it's HOT!!!

Thanks!!!!!!  ;D
 

Wildmustang777

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Hey!! So we got the heifer bred!!!! We ultrasounded her today and the vet thinks it's a bull calf! We think she had low progesterone and the CIDR's helped! Thank you guys for your help  ;D ;D ;D <beer>
 

Gargan

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Wildmustang777 said:
Hey!! So we got the heifer bred!!!! We ultrasounded her today and the vet thinks it's a bull calf! We think she had low progesterone and the CIDR's helped! Thank you guys for your help  ;D ;D ;D <beer>
<rock>
 

BroncoFan

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-XBAR- said:
Typical reduced or infertility associated with show cattle nothing new here.  Suppose you could get her bred artificially somehow but are these really genetics you want to propagate!?
What in her Brangus pedigree that was also not posted makes you assume that she comes from show lines?
Our Business Done RightxPoint Taken stuck AI on the first time AI-ing her. Our Rumor MillxComfort Zone also stuck the first time too. Our Yellow JacketxPoint Taken last year stuck her first time. Our 75% Simmental last year didn’t stick and had to be bred by the bull. She really didn’t show outward signs of heat so it was hard to catch her. Might have been the reason.
 

RyanChandler

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BroncoFan said:
-XBAR- said:
Typical reduced or infertility associated with show cattle nothing new here.  Suppose you could get her bred artificially somehow but are these really genetics you want to propagate!?
What in her Brangus pedigree that was also not posted makes you assume that she comes from show lines?
Our Business Done RightxPoint Taken stuck AI on the first time AI-ing her. Our Rumor MillxComfort Zone also stuck the first time too. Our Yellow JacketxPoint Taken last year stuck her first time. Our 75% Simmental last year didn’t stick and had to be bred by the bull. She really didn’t show outward signs of heat so it was hard to catch her. Might have been the reason.

Wasn't the pedigree but rather the 'brangus premium gold' mention.  This is a designation/classification created solely for the purpose of show eligibility. 
 
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