Using heifers as Recips

[FriedgesCharolais]

I did a search on this and really didnt come up with much of an answer. I was talking to a buddy today and we go on the subject of recips. He said if I was going to put some low birth weight angus embryos in that I should use my heifers. I am skeptical because heifers will generally milk less, but having said that has anyone had success or failure using heifers as recips? Just curious on conception rate if it has been done.

Thanks

 

[RankeCattleCo]

Never personally done it but conception rate will be higher.

 

[GoWyo]

I suppose there are many trade offs, but if I had gone through the trouble and expense of flushing a cow, I would put the embryos in a good producing cow.  I am always wondering what people were thinking at ET time when they market a calf with the statement "this calf was shorted on the groceries by the recip, but she's really a good despite what she looks like."  If the embryo calf crop is important, use good cows.  If it's no big deal, then maybe rolling the dice on the recip is OK.

 

[Freddy]

NO  !!!

 

[caledon101]

ET all comes down to the quality of the recips. I have used virgin heifers with both good success and with disaster.
It takes an awfully good female to work successfully as a recipient. The perception that they can be scrap or poor performers is a recipe for a wreck.
It seems to me that the cows that always catch first time with A.I. and calve within 365 days annually are the best candidates to use as recips.
We all know that mature cows have an advantage over inexperienced first timers but I don't get this whole deal about 2 year olds not having enough milk and so on to do a good job of raising a calf. Sure, some 2 year olds bomb out and don't milk or maybe even reject their calf but if she's a quality female from a good cow family that's a minimal risk.
I sure wouldn't implant any small cow or virgin heifer with genetics that are known to be hard calving. Inhumane and stupid to do that.