Steer Planet - Show Steers and Club Calves Forum

best bang for your $ IMO, Gomer bull with a chinball marker.

best bang for your $ IMO, Gomer bull with a chinball marker.

We don't want any bulls around, so that will not work. Looking for other options. There is a system out that that measures activity of the cow, along with a bunch of other stuff. I can not look at the cows in the morning before work, and my help has missed several heats because they were not looking for signs of heat. I hate losing time on the cattle, so I am looking for other options.

I have said for years the best heat detector is a bad float on the water trough. 

Artificial Insemination of cows is a great topic and one which there are many options and NO TRULY GREAT ONES, IMHO. 

I like CAB's plan, but in my situation, I run 25-30 brood cows and a Gomer Bull with Chin Ball is too costly to carry.

I have used "Observation for Natural Heat" twice a day however, it is extremely time consuming (if you have the time).  Also, the evening observation is my favorite but hard to accomplish with kids and/or grand kids in sports and school activities, as well as your own evening meetings and social events.  When done in a timely fashion and not missing "observations and breeding's" it has been my best percentage of service-to-bred A.I.

I like synchronization protocol the best for having an actual "start of calving date" with a group of cows and not just one or two here and there over a 21 day window while getting a chance to service all of the cow group.  Thereby shortening my A.I. calving time.  It allows me the dates to get help for working cows.  It allows me to breed on weekends when I am home and/or is an easier time to get help.  However, my conception rate on synchronization groups has not been satisfactory or high enough on a year-in-year out basis and I have been using synchronization for quite a few years and quite a few protocols (working with a cattle repro vet).

What works best?

If you are in a confined situation, chalk works great. You don�t have to wait to see activity.

Quote from: cowman 52 on February 17, 2019, 06:04:20 PM

I have said for years the best heat detector is a bad float on the water trough.

Please explain your comment "the best heat detector is a bad float on the water trough".

Mix water with the right kind of clay and it sticks to the sides of their ankles and will out mark just about anything. If you can force them to walk through or stand in two different mud holes for just a little while it's even better. One at the waterer and one at the mineral station generally works well.

I would be interested in knowing if there have been any improvements in technology on the electronic devices for heat detection?

I use the standing heat patches with a homer.  I really like the standing heat patches, no guess was she with random patch scratches.   The late calvers I will do a 5 day synch to get them caught back up with the group at the end of my natural a.i. heat period.  I a.i. on natural heats for roughly 45 days.   I have an off the farm job, and can usually just a.i. in the evenings after work.  I feel this worka, since most will come in at night during the cool period anyways.  I put my patches on while they are feeding in the evenings with a quick slap.  I had a manager at the local livestock tell me that he only gets 10% a.i. because he has an off the farm job and assumed since money is so high that i dont have another job.  I'm at 90 % and the only reason I miss is if 1 short cycles.  Little does he know I have an off the farm job and I run 2 other businesses and still can get them bred.