Breeding Question

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Sassy2899

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Aug 11, 2010
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I have a small herd of show cattle, three cows and two heifers.  My problem: I have one cow that was A.I. and stuck, another one I can't catch in heat and another one that didn't stick.  I also have the two heifers: one I haven't breed yet because she came into heat during county fair, the other I A.I. and she didn't stick came back in to heat at fair also.  My dad is tellin me I need to wait till fall and breed them.  If I breed them now I should have May calves.  Is there a big market for these late of calves?  Should  I just do what my dad says?  I don't really know.  Plz help
 

wyatt

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i would breed them asap and then breed them all as soon as they have there calf
 

woltemathangus

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If your having problems catching them in good heat. Use CIDR's. synchronize them all and it will be much easier!
 

Sassy2899

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I thought about that.  Talked to my boss about doing it, she is a vet, and she said to give them a show of GNH or something like that.  My dad has been telling me not to do it cause he doesn't believe they work.  Thank you for the replies.
 

3dfarms

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They work!  We use them 100% of the time on AI bred females.

I would suggest syncing your herd, it will make your life so much easier every year when its time to breed your animals.  It should also make marketing a little easier as you will have 5 calves a year to market.

On the show side you might sync the cows and the heifers a few months apart so you will have show calves in different classes.  Just a thought, but in regard to CIDR's they work great!
 

Sassy2899

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Thank you all for the comments.  I don't really know much about CIDR's, how do they work? How do you put them in? How long should they stay in? etc.
 

polevaultcowboy21

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CIDR and GnRH or even PGF2a will do the same things. Just depends what treatment you wanna go with all of them work just have to know timelines for all.

We have used all three for several years and have very good success with them.
 

DLB

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I use the CIDRs too.  I am a SMALL breeder getting started too.  I have 4 cows and 2 heifers for this upcoming fall breeding season.  I run the females to the vet and he puts in CIDRs and shots...then take them back about 5/6 days later and he'll remove CIDR and watch for heat so he can AI.  I've done this now for a few years and it works well.  Plus saves me time to have everyone cycle together and calve roughly within the same window.
 

GLZ

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Sassy2899 said:
Thank you all for the comments.  I don't really know much about CIDR's, how do they work? How do you put them in? How long should they stay in? etc.

So there are a couple of different CIDR protocols out there.  Some people swear by theirs more than others.  This is the protocol we use, and have had a lot of success using.  It is one of the more commonly adopted protocols.

Day 1, We give a shot of 2 cc's of GnRH (you will hear this referred to as GnRH or possibly Gonadotropin, the GnRH drug we use is Cystorelin).  Also on day 1 insert a CIDR into the vagina of the animal using a CIDR insertion gun.  Here is a good video on the process of inserting a CIDR.  http://dotsub.com/view/d970121a-6d78-4c34-b7bb-50872b6fc748 

On Day 7 we pull the CIDR and give a 5 cc shot of Lutylase (this is the drug that is referred to as PGF2a or PGF2 alpha)  Lutylase is probably the most common PGF2a used.  After pulling the CIDR and giving the shot of Lutylase, you should have heat withing 48 - 60 hours.  In my experience heifers usually happen earlier than cows.  If you see standing heat, breed off of your normal rules behind standing heat.  If you do not see standing heat breed the animal at 72 hours post CIDR.  It isn't a must but we usually give a 2nd shot of 2 ccs of Cystorelin at this time.  I have had a lot of success breeding off of timed AI like this where you never see standing heat at all.  

As far as how it works the reproductive piece behind it is this, and skip this paragraph if you don't care.  You give the first shot of GnRH on day 1 which clears the dominant follicle from the ovary.  This is the point where you essentially start from scratch with the animal.  You insert the CIDR which is progesterone.  In a normal estrus cycle Progesterone levels spikes rises and then right before estrus it falls off dramatically.  With the CIDR you spike the progesterone level and create a new 7 day corpus luteum.  You pull the CIDR which drops the progesterone level, and give the PGF2a which causes your 7 days corpus luteum to regress.  Estrus should occur at this point.  You breed the way of the standing heat.  As I said you don't have to give the 2nd shot of GnRH, however we do.  Without giving GnRH you could possibly have a persistent follicle on the ovary where the cow is continually coming into heat every 7-10 days.

The CIDR protocol above works fantastic for me.  I use it to be able to breed cows on the weekend (I work during the week).  It also allows for a tighter breeding window.

You have to ask yourself a couple of questions to determine what you want from your herd to determine if June is too late for you to be calving.  My cut off for me is usually around June 15.  I am not a huge fan of June calves, but I AI everything so sometimes it winds up that way.  (I had two this year)  I will not breed for July or August dates simply because I don't want cows calving in 100 degree weather.  It is too hard on them and me for that matter.  If you breed today you are looking at a calf around May 25.  So if you would use the CIDR protocol listed above you would get into June pretty easily.  Around here we commonly have a May/June yearling class so May and June babies are marketable, but it varies by area.

There is other protocol where you can bring animals into heat quicker using just Lutylase, but it is not as reliable as the CIDR + Lutylase method.

Hope that helps.

 

CAB

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Great post GLZ. This post needs to be moved into the hall of Fame category IMO. Karma points for you.
 

A.I.GUY

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Waukon Iowa
Great post GLZ the video should be very helpful for those that have no idea yet what the cidr sync is.  (clapping)
I would just add that the GnRH at breeding on the timed a.i. cows is pretty important I.M.O. and also the protocol directions for using cidr's is on the bag.
Also for people needing help the major A.I. company's have people all across the country that should be able to help someone in this situation.
 

KCattle1

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May 11, 2011
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Wooster, OH
I'm facing a similar situation with having just two cows.  I held back my 5 year old in hopes of synching her with my two year old that I bought at an auction last year.  She didn't calve until May 15 so I tried breeding them both at 45 days past this.  I had them preg checked today and the 5 year old stuck and the 2 year old is open.  I put a CIDR in today, and will try to breed her again next week, should come in a good heat next time, and I will try to move her up with the 5 year old next year.  Hoping for replacement heifers, so not too worried about the late breeding this time around.  I bred a Purebred Dream on Daughter to Dr Who and an In Dew Time Cow to Mercedes Benz.
 
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