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Dairy heifers not showing heat ???

  • 12-06-2013 8:28am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 157 ✭✭


    Usually start serving my heifers on May 1st. With the bad weather this spring no heifer had come bulling so on May 26th I borrowed a neighbours year old bull. Still no action so I introduced another one of his bulls. Since then the heifers and their TWO bulls grazing away peacefully but no sign of any mounting activity at all ???????????
    Starting to panic now. My heifers are in good nick but just do not seem to be coming into heat. Surely with two bulls I would see some activity. Think I will have to give them pro solvin ?? What do ye think ??


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    would they be in calf, maybe get them scanned and work from there


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,027 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    When u say good knick,what weight do u mean.there is a lot of poor heifers around this year.my ai man was telling me of a case where a customer of his started to ai heifers in late April in a shed,they were many 20 to 30 kg behind target and after 3 weeks only 3 out of 26 were served.he handled them and most had small ovaries.they have since been turned to grass and haven't heard anything since.if it was me I'd navy get them scAnned first and after that if there not up to weight get them onto nice leafy grass and navy a kg of a 16% ration.secondly is try and get some minerals in (copper,iodine.selenium ,cobalt)either through a bolus or through water.outside of that could be Bvd or Ibr????


  • Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭joejobrien


    First port of call is to get them scanned asap. You are more likely doing thing s correct, but may need vet intervention to correct the proplem, and the vet is the only one thats able to tell you that along with hormones.
    OR maybe there incalf......real possibility. Heres hoping;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 472 ✭✭quadboy


    How long do you have to wait before scanning


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    28 days minimum, but in the ops case i am wondering where they incalf before he started serving iykwim, scanning will tell all anyways, edited to say i wouldnt go injecting with estrumate/prosolvin until you are deffo sure they are not in calf


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  • Registered Users Posts: 11,394 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    28days is really pushing it I've heard, 35 is what my local lad says.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,701 ✭✭✭dar31


    28 days shouldnt be a problem.
    really should have scanned before letting in the bull.
    scan to see if they have reached puberty and cycling, weigh and condition score how so you can tell vet exactly.
    if you start using est you will wipe out any that have been served, some bulls will just jump once and then get on with the day..


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    had a man who bought a bull ring us to complain that he hadnt seen the bull jump 1 heifer, we said to scan them turned out he had them all in calf;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 839 ✭✭✭Dampintheattic


    whelan1 wrote: »
    had a man who bought a bull ring us to complain that he hadnt seen the bull jump 1 heifer, we said to scan them turned out he had them all in calf;)

    Bought young bull there while back. Put him with 15 cows. From the minute he went in the field, he was after something. They were coming bulling thick and fast. Waiting fine, but he was so fuekn enthusiastic, he didn't ever seem to be getting the job done right:rolleyes: Watched like a hawk, numerous times a day, for three weeks. Never once saw the parcel delivered. I was concerned to say the least.

    Now in third week of second three week cycle, and things looking fairly good. Poor fella seems bored, with nothing to do:cool:


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,174 ✭✭✭✭Muckit


    Bought young bull there while back....never once saw the parcel delivered.

    Now.... things looking fairly good

    Looks like he found the letterbox


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,237 ✭✭✭High bike


    Have a 4year old bull in with suckers for 6 weeks he seems to be trying his case with a different cow nearly every 2 day but never actually saw him do the deed,is this very unusual?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,967 Mod ✭✭✭✭greysides


    IBR and BVD won't be stopping them come bulling. ProSolvin is no use if they are not already cycling (assuming not pregnant).

    The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress. Joseph Joubert

    The ultimate purpose of debate is not to produce consensus. It's to promote critical thinking.

    Adam Grant



  • Registered Users Posts: 157 ✭✭zetorman


    Heifers are about 380 -400 kg well dosed and gave them bolus as well "all sure". They could not possibly be in calf. Maybe these two bulls work quietly but I have major doubts. At this I think heifers have just not started "cycling"


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    did you see any heats prior to to may 1st?


  • Registered Users Posts: 157 ✭✭zetorman


    No heats before that ??


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    think its time to get them scanned and see whats going on, time is moving on, even the handling might bring them on


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,343 ✭✭✭bob charles


    I remeber having a cross bred angus bull before, everyday he was chasing a different cow, if you had to bring them into the pen he would take a fancy to a number of cows, we had a large number of cows calving within 10 - 12 months of previous calvings


  • Registered Users Posts: 157 ✭✭zetorman


    Think we might have lift off ???????????? one of the bulls in hot pursuit of a heifer this morning.....just coming on. Hope he will have got the hang of it when I go to check them this eve. Be great if I could just let nature take its course. hate using any of those injections.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,552 ✭✭✭pakalasa


    Give them a bit of meal.
    The last teaser bull I had would lift his back legs about 2ft off the ground when he was bulling a cow. The same guy cleared a wall one day when the AI guy arrived.


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