Our tips for the month of August come from Vance Kells, DCHA South Central Regional Director and manager of Circle Bar Heifer Ranch LLC, a 10,000-head custom-rearing facility in western Kansas. This is the second in the series.
Virgin heifers should be the easiest animals on your farm to get pregnant. That being said, it still is a job that is complicated. The trick is to get semen into a heifer at the right time. The perfect time to inseminate a heifer is 12-14 hours after the first signs of standing heat. There aren't many people who have time to sit on a fence and watch heifers. My wish is for heifers to learn to wink at me when they are ready to breed, but until then we will have to use other tools to help find them in heat.
There are many different ways to aid in heat detection. First, there is no heat detection. Feeding melengestrol acetate, a.k.a. MGA, or using CIDRs both work extremely well. After you choose a protocol, you simply can time A.I. This allows you to follow a set schedule and eliminates the need for heat detection. The downside of such programs is that you have more money invested in getting semen into the cattle. I would advise to heat detect at least 2 days before scheduled TAI. Breed any cattle that come into heat accordingly. The studies that we have done on our ranch show that between 5-15% are ready for semen before the TAI.
The way that I prefer is to walk heifers daily that have paint sprayed on their tail heads. You can use many different kinds of chalk, inverted spray paint, or heat detection patches. Chalk is usually the cheapest, but my heifers love the taste of chalk. Spray paint works well, but is a little more costly. You can also buy Kamar's or estrous patches to apply to the tail heads. These devices work well, but the heifers have to be clean and dry when applying the adhesive.
We also have used an electronic device to detect heats. This is the best way to determine the start of estrus. When a heifer is jumped on, it tells you the time, how many mounts and how long she is in standing heat. This program involves a higher capital investment and is not for everyone, but the differences in heat expression from one heifer to another are amazing.
The a.m./p.m. rule also helps in conception. If you see a heifer's tail head rubbed off in the morning, breed her in the afternoon. I do believe this also helps settle more heifers, but it requires locking heifers up in both the morning and the evening.
All of these protocols are effective. You must pick one that works for your operation and stick with it. Consistent implementation is the most critical element of any breeding protocol. If you need help choosing a protocol, talk to your semen supplier and/or your veterinarian, and ask for help. In the back of almost every semen directory, most of these protocols are explained in depth.
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