sexed semen in the dairy barns

Help Support Steer Planet:

CAB

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
5,607
Location
Corning,Iowa
  Anyone know if the dairies are using mostly sexed semen yet? With the costs of milk replacer and feed today, what are dairy bull calves worth and have the larger dairies adapted the use of sexed semen and if not, why? Just curious.
 

TMJ Show Cattle

Well-known member
Joined
May 11, 2008
Messages
1,020
From what I run across up here in Wisconsin, I believe it depends on the dairy.  Not every place is having great luck due to lower conception rate with sexed semen. The bull calves aren't worth anything right now, and with milk prices bottoming out, whole milk is replacing milk replacer in alot of places....especially if they pasturize.  With the large dairies, sexed semen seems to have a greater place with the  heifers than the cows because they breed alot easier and they calve alot easier (lower birth weight with heifer calves) .  Carrie
 

racekannon

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
63
Unfortunately for the us they have embraced tit, talked to ABS and Genex in Denver and they are not sorting beef for the dairy is so back ordered.  I used quite a bit of sexed semen this fall and got along great and now they don't have any inventory on the bulls I used or want to use this spring after getting comfortable with it.
 

rtmcc

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 11, 2008
Messages
727
Location
Peterson, MN
Has any one had any results with the Heifer Plus or Bull plus semen additive?  We tried some late in the breeding season so we won't have any results until April.
 

simtal

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
1,066
Location
Champaign, IL
I was told that when the sex semen, they throw away the other half.  Seems like a real waste, heck I'd use it if they discounted it enough.  Do they even sell sexed semen for bulls?  If I were a commercial man, that was totally terminal, I'd want all bulls.
 

farmerboy317

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 12, 2008
Messages
217
around here in southwest michigan most of the dairy farms around here are starting to use teh sex semen, but they dont throw away the bull calve part they just sell it really cheap.
 

HGC

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
235
Location
Minnesota
With the dairies that I deal with in the upper midwest, I would say that about 30% of them are using it on their heifers for 1st and 2nd services.  Conception rates on lactating cows are generally so low that very few people are using it on them. 

As far as bull calves, a $50 bill will buy all you want of big top quality holstein bull calves.

Jersey or light weight holsteins, are literally worth almost nothing.
 

Dusty

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2008
Messages
1,097
HGC said:
As far as bull calves, a $50 bill will buy all you want of big top quality holstein bull calves.

Jersey or light weight holsteins, are literally worth almost nothing.

Looks like a pretty good time to buy!
 

CAB

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
5,607
Location
Corning,Iowa
HGC said:
With the dairies that I deal with in the upper midwest, I would say that about 30% of them are using it on their heifers for 1st and 2nd services.  Conception rates on lactating cows are generally so low that very few people are using it on them. 

As far as bull calves, a $50 bill will buy all you want of big top quality Holstein bull calves.

Jersey or light weight Holsteins, are literally worth almost nothing.

  So how would the conception rate using sexed semen translate in the beef world. I have a cousin that works in a large dairy that says you can buy their bull calves for $10. They also don't use sexed semen B/C they have low conception rates and their main emphasis is on selling milk. It makes me wonder about the whole sexed semen protocol.
  Brad, if you don't mind, how did you think that you got along with your S.O.S. sexed semen and how many live viable sperm/dose if you don't mind my asking? Thanks, Brent
 

kanshow

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
2,660
Location
Kansas
I suppose that cheap Jersey bull semen would work on first calf heifers... but doggone it.. I still like to have pounds to sell at weaning or beyond!
 

jbh

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
470
Location
corydon iowa
CAB said:
HGC said:
With the dairies that I deal with in the upper midwest, I would say that about 30% of them are using it on their heifers for 1st and 2nd services.  Conception rates on lactating cows are generally so low that very few people are using it on them. 

As far as bull calves, a $50 bill will buy all you want of big top quality Holstein bull calves.

Jersey or light weight Holsteins, are literally worth almost nothing.

  So how would the conception rate using sexed semen translate in the beef world. I have a cousin that works in a large dairy that says you can buy their bull calves for $10. They also don't use sexed semen B/C they have low conception rates and their main emphasis is on selling milk. It makes me wonder about the whole sexed semen protocol.
  Brad, if you don't mind, how did you think that you got along with your S.O.S. sexed semen and how many live viable sperm/dose if you don't mind my asking? Thanks, Brent


We used the 2mil on the open heifers....they told us to expect 75% of the conception rate we normally get with regular semen......BUT, we got as good as regular semen, if not better.  I stuck 11/14 first time and the rest on second service.  Sandeen"s got along better than I did, but don't know any exact details. The flush results with the 5mil have also been very good. 

I'm not sugar coating anything, because we don't offer this semen for sale but one time a year, at our NO BULL Sale.  I have heard of instances with other bulls sexed semen that were not as favorable as our experience with SOS.
 

Latest posts

Top