Breeding on first cycle.

EamonKilkenny

Would you Ai any cows coming on there first cycle or is it a waste of money? Couple of cows cycling between twenty to thirty days at the minute.

Farrell

EamonKilkenny wrote: »

Would you Ai any cows coming on there first cycle or is it a waste of money? Couple of cows cycling between twenty to thirty days at the minute.

Cow calved feb 28th, ai'd 2 weeks.
Some say doesn't hold, but I think worth chance

Genghis Cant

I'd bull away, it'll cost ya the price of a repeat if she doesn't hold, so not the end of the world, and it could buy you 3 weeks if it works out!

EamonKilkenny

Horse it inta Jacinta it is so. Thanks, will post the result in 3 weeks!

Timmaay

Only think I'd say against it is make sure the cow didn't have a difficult calving of any sort. I had 2 cows last year who had big calves, held the clearing for a day or so, came back bulling at about the 35day mark. I served them and they apparently held, ie no bulling 3 or 6weeks later. However I did an early scan in June, and the two of them were empty, and still dirty inside. I still have them in the system now, but they only calved the other day (ie now late April calvers).

onyerbikepat

Ya, I've noticed that too. Any heat within say the first month of calving, I'd ignore. It seems to be natures way of cleaning out any cow that got some way infected. Sucklers here BTW.

blue5000

I think for each day after calving you have roughly a 1% chance of them holding, so 30 days calved has 30% chance of going back in calf.

EamonKilkenny

Fair points by all. I had them all scanned last week and washed out a couple of dirty ones. Def wouldn't waste a straw on any of those. I had one at 35 days with a great heat and bulled her. Another just short of that with a lesser heat and left her. I like the % per day theory, it makes a lot of sense.

Greengrass1

Tried it Herr at 6 week calved ones in autumn.
No better off. . They held for 6 weeks and threw embryo.

mf240

The bull wouldn't Ask them how long there calved.

Give them a cheap Straw.

Greengrass1

mf240 wrote: »

The bull wouldn't Ask them how long there calved.

Give them a cheap Straw.

A bulls semen doesn't cost 30e a pop.
If ye served 100 cows on there first heat and only 10 held it would be some waste

mf240

Greengrass1 wrote: »

A bulls semen doesn't cost 30e a pop.
If ye served 100 cows on there first heat and only 10 held it would be some waste

It will only be the few late ones that will be bulling for the first time once the breeding season kicks in and if ya can get a few calving earlier then it's worth a gamble.

I do my own AI so I suppose it's different if you have get it a lad but still it would only be repeat price the second time.

You'd know the ones that didn't clean or had a hard calving and you could skip their first heat.

harry molloy

I had 5% of the herd jump from early Apr last year to early Feb this year, Defo give them a straw.

Deepsouthwest

Greengrass1 wrote: »

A bulls semen doesn't cost 30e a pop.
If ye served 100 cows on there first heat and only 10 held it would be some waste

What straws u using? They sound expensive

Genghis Cant

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

What straws u using? They sound expensive

I suppose to be fair, a lot of the standard straws are near €30 put in the cow.
But its not a waste of €30 if she repeats, it's the repeat cost of €10/12 if you get her on the first repeat.

Farrell

Genghis Cant wrote: »

I suppose to be fair, a lot of the standard straws are near €30 put in the cow.
But its not a waste of €30 if she repeats, it's the repeat cost of €10/12 if you get her on the first repeat.

Very good idea.
Best done, than regret later

EamonKilkenny

Right, I'm back. I Ai'd 19 cows that came on heat between 30 to 40 days. 12 of them have scanned incalf to first serve and seven repeated. Out of the 7 repeats only one broke from that. Gained a lot of time so was well worth it.

Farrell

EamonKilkenny wrote: »

Right, I'm back. I Ai'd 19 cows that came on heat between 30 to 40 days. 12 of them have scanned incalf to first serve and seven repeated. Out of the 7 repeats only one broke from that. Gained a lot of time so was well worth it.

Good results

EamonKilkenny

Farrell wrote: »

Good results

Ye, I was surprised by it. Didn't expect near as good result. I suppose the fact they are on OAD probably has helped that also.