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Ai manual chapter 15
- 1. CHAPTER 15 HEIFER A.I.
- 4. Genetic Improvement of Herd
- 5. Genetic Improvement of Herd
- 31. Economics of Beef Heifer A.I.
Editor's Notes
- Turn to Chapter 15 on page 15-1 of your manual. Feel free to take notes. If your breeding program is sound the heifers you have should posses the best genetics on your ranch or farm.
- When the average cow is gone from the herd before calving a third time, why waste a calf from these valuable genetics by breeding to a bull of unknown genetic value.
- Breeding heifers via A.I. to top bulls is like getting compound interest on your investment. Because of the cow's limitations on reproducing (generally one calf per year) you will have more daughters from the bulls used than from any one cow.
- This slide illustrates the genetic build up.
- Here we see the difference between A.I. and Non-A.I. bulls. Kind of a no brainer when you think about it.
- If the only heifer the cow produces is the first calf and you are breeding heifers with unknown genetics, it’s like going forward 1 step and backward 2 in improving the herd.
- If you feel your heifers aren’t large enough for A.I., it would probably be a good idea to review your heifer nutrition program. A good feeding program will help ensure that heifers are large enough when they reach breeding age. It also helps prevent other problems associated with poor reproduction such as low conception rates. You can check your heifers’ growth rates against a growth table to see if your animals are progressing normally. A weight tape or scale is a valuable aid. Also check rations from calf starter through breeding age to make sure your animals’ energy and protein requirements are being met. Plus you should set up a health program with your veterinarian that includes routine vaccinations and checks for parasites and insects. Finally minimize competition among heifers by grouping them according to size and age and provide adequate bunk space.
- The more calvings reported the less the risk of surprises. Personally I like to see 200 or more calvings reported before using a bull very heavily. With less calvings reported, use more bulls to spread the risk.
- Better records allow the concentration of calving labor, saving calf and heifer losses.
- Reduce your risk of bringing disease into your operation. An occurrence of venereal disease is expensive.
- When you use A.I. all the costs are up front. Your inseminator probably won’t wreck any stalls or water tanks either.
- The bull doesn’t care how old or how big the heifer is, if she comes in heat he will breed her. Feeding open, non-productive heifers reduces profits too. You can get a leg up on trait improvement by applying progeny tested genetics to pedigree indicated weaknesses.
- I’m not aware of any inseminators goring or crushing anyone.
- Minimize your risk, get more live calves and fewer heifers lost due to calving problems. Accelerate genetic progress, by breeding your best genetics to the best bulls available. Eliminate having to buy a new bull every 2 years.
- Move toward your operation goals faster.
- You can use the best of the best with A.I. When a bull produces hundreds or even thousands of calves we know exactly what to expect. Progeny tested bulls eliminate surprises.
- Logic is that most of the difficult calving occurs in first calf heifers. A.I. breeding them to a calving ease bull helps manage that risk.
- At calving time, wouldn’t it be better to stay up checking heifers for a concentrated period of time rather than every night through the whole calving season?
- If you want to breed 'em you've got to feed 'em. Getting them grown so they will be ready to breed ahead of the cows is critical to keep them in the herd if you want a manageable calving season.
- When are they ready to breed? Rule of thumb is that a minimum of 80% should be cycling. See the differences in breeds?
- Without records how do you know if you're moving ahead or backing up?
- Look for the NAAB logo on the semen you purchase. Using poor semen can be hazardous to your pocket book as well as your herd health. Remember the equation of reproduction A x B x C x D = % calf crop.
- When you use A.I. the costs are all up front. You can run another cow and a half for every bull you replace. Cows are income producing units.
- Concentrating labor helps reduce fatigue and complacency. When marketing calves uniformity pays.
- With A.I. you control who the heifer gets bred to. If you want you could breed everyone to a different sire.
- Having them in a location that people on the ranch can see while doing daily routines will help catch heats. Making sure all employees and anyone seeing them understands the signs of heat will help too.
- Heat detection aids can help at times of the day or night when human observation is not possible.
- Well-managed, well-cycling heifers can be good candidates for heat synchronization. Allowing the concentration of labor at breeding. Remember they must be cycling and your facilities need to be able to handle the group.
- Reducing calving difficulty, and increasing live calves can have a significant impact on your bottom line. When you consider all the factors A.I. is more cost effective.
- Let’s walk through this, put your own numbers in and see what can work.