Virgin heifers

[RankeCattleCo]

Just thought I'd ask-

Is the conseption rate significantly affected when implanting embryos in virgin heifers? Why isn't it reccomended?

 

[LLBUX]

I would think most heifers are a bit small to handle some of the birthweights found in many embryo calves.
Fertility could also enter in as you mentioned.
Personally, I would not try it.

 

[RyanChandler]

That's fundamentally a terrible idea.  A cow should have already proven she raises a superior calf to ever even be considered a recip.  Sounds a lot like the "10 mnth old future donor" rhetoric.

 

[RankeCattleCo]

If this helps at all-
They'll be holstein/angus cross heifers that would take at earliest 15 or 16 months

 

[OH Breeder]

The ET center I use really like virgin heifers as recieps as they say they are more fertile. I do not know how true that is but I wouldn't risk an egg in a female that has never had a calf nor produced milk. I would hate to test my luck on them.

 

[woltemathangus]

Putting total recall embryos into virgin heifers next week. 10% better conception. These embryos are proven calving ease. Our embryologist can get about 65 -70% conception on our recips. Darn near 80% or more on virgin heifers

 

[wrc]

We raise club calves but also have a small herd of Lowlines.  I put the lowline embryos in my replacement heifers for my club calf herd.  Works great, good conception rates and  we get a realitively high dollar calf out of a heifer that would normaly just be raising a sale barn calf.  I wouldn't even consider putting a club calf embryo in a heifer.

 

[hamburgman]

Heifers have higher conception rates and they should they aren't doing much for growth and most of all not lactating.  The calves however won't get the greatest colostrum immunity of course, and heifers shouldn't be the heaviest milkers in your herd either.  With creep feeds and such today however you should be able to make that up and probably should to give the first calf heifers some ease.