Failed Breeding

[garett]

Im beginning to get really frustrated trying to get my heifer bred. Like I had said before, she was synched and bred on May 29th, then re-bred 2 days later after another heat showing. 4 weeks later she showed a strong heat and so we bred her again. 2 weeks after breeding her that time, she came back in and showed heat signs again. Then, we put her in with a bull for a day. She pursued him like crazy and as far as I know he never attempted to breed her. That was on June 14th. This evening, 8 days later she is showing heat signs again, mucous and trying to ride the steers around.
What in the world is going on with her?! Are her cycles just completely messed and should I let her go until this Fall or what? My dad is certain she is junk and won't be bred. Help!

 

[BTDT]

Show heifer? Over conditioned? In a cooler? Traveling a lot? What about her feed? Moldy? Afloxins?
Have you had her examined by ultrasound to see if she is cystic? 
It is rare but it has been known to happen when a heifer/cow will get bred, then cycle and get bred in the other horn. If one embryo dies, it might mummify and stay in utero, sometimes it will create an infection and she will abort both.

The heifer might also be bred and just throwing off hormones to give the impression she is "in heat". 

It goes against everything my old age has taught me to keep a heifer that won't breed for yet another, probably unsuccessful, season.
If she truly is infertile or a hard breeder, cut your losses and sell her. Why would you want more of her in your genetic base?

 

[frostback]

You need to get her palpated by someone who really know his stuff.

 

[cowman 52]

Any reproduction problems in her pedigree?  Are you sure she is or isn't bred? Figure that out and go from there,  draw blood and send it off and you know yay or nay.  If nay, infuse with hydrogen peroxide and penicillin, wait 2 or 3 weeks,  ova cyst injection, 6 days, lutalyse, breed when she cycles. The infusion will take care of any infection however slight and etch the repo tract to encourage a pregnancy. I'm not sure I wouldn't let the bull service and AI later.  Getting pregnant tends to clear up problems.  I'm a little concerned she has a C L that has not quite shed off and that might be the hang up. This protocol will help if not fix. Ova cyst at infusion would not hurt a bit.

 

[garett]

She is a show heifer. Not overly conditioned, but she does have some condition to her. Not in a cooler, but in a barn under a fan daily. We've traveled to 4 shows in about the last 30 days. She's on AAOK's feed ration and all the feed has seemed good so far. She has never been ultrasounded or really examined, except by the guy that has AIed her, and he never has said that anything felt wrong. As far as her pedigree, I don't see why there would be any problems, when I bought her they said she was bred to be a cow.
Her reg # is *x4190113
I hate to just get rid of her as I'm just now starting to build up my herd. Here's a recent picture of her, she's really come on as the summer has went a long I think.

 

[savaged]

Have her examined, then you will have a direction to go in.  If it's a treatable diagnosis then do it.  If the vet shakes his head too, then ship her.  Been there done that - throwing a lot of good money after bad. 

It's hard, but I've had to ship some that I've been awfully hopeful for.

 

[CRS]

I see in your backdrop Mercer County.  If you are in Ohio, call Tri-County Veterinary Services.  They will charge you a $30 farm call and then about $3 per head to ultrasound.  They are very good about doing reproductive analysis too.  Their phone number is 937-693-2131.  Good Luck, had a similar problem last year and the herd bull took care of it.

 

[rackranch]

I agree with having her ultrasound checked by a knowledgeable vet.  We had a shorty a few years back that never bred because the opening to her cervix was either very small or completely closed.  It was a congenital anomaly that caused her uterine wall to thicken and fill with fluid.  On ultrasound her uterus looked like her bladder.  Even putting her on a bull failed because the liquid retained in her uterus acted as a spermicide.  She was a Cumberland daughter.  G-Luck

 

[sgetz007]

Like the others said, speak with a vet.  The fact that she has short cycles could mean she is cystic.  If that is the case a shot of GnRH would likely fix your problems.

 

[Ms Ray]

How long was she with the bull?  When we breed with a bull they stay with them what would be 2 heat cycles

 

[garett]

It was actually Mercer Co. Missouri, but thanks for the info! She was actually just with the bull for about 24 hours. She's fairly hairy and it was super hot when she did come in so turning her out for a while really wasn't an option. This is also my last year to show so I've been trying to hit as many local fairs as possible, which I'm sure isn't helping the situation.

 

[sizzler14]

Like the others said, speak with a vet.  The fact that she has short cycles could mean she is cystic.  If that is the case a shot of GnRH would likely fix your problems.

I believe she is cystic as well. Had a hannibal that was the same way. she actually was so messed up with the cysts that we tried and tried but they kept coming back so she went to the stock yard

 

[heatherleblanc]

Last year my show heifer came into heat, so she was hand bred to one of our bulls, and then came into heat every 3 weeks after that.  My vet says that every once in a while that happens with heifers. So I would recommend pregchecking her to make sure that she isn't actually bred, and just showing false heats.