AI in sucklers

[Johngee]

The third, as well as being a very pleasant fellow, hasn't missed yet - obviously that is a very hard rate to keep up and I don't expect him to. He is also very helpful in sharing advice and isn't 'painful' in doing so. Can't score him too highly, I'm sure others around Carmarthen know him, TW.

If it's the same TW that's been round here, the man's a legend. Remember him coming here Christmas day one year to AI a cow, had to fetch him from the end of the lane on the quad because of snow. He had the gun and straw down his back. Got the cow in calf!

 

[Beames]

@Beames I'm pretty sure we'll have the same AIs if you're with Genus. Done the strike rates for the same reason as you, one is almost done before the yoke is on the cow whilst the other has a chat.

Fast one 42%, steady one 56% success on 1st service. Fast one 80%, steady one 66% success on 2nd service. I've not included cows we culled after 3rd failed service as its just bad luck for whichever AI served them. 1st service success probably depends more on if we were trying to bring calving forward for the following year.

Out of the 2 relief technicians, one had 100% 1st service failure (1 cow only), other one had 100% 2nd service success (3 cows)- small sample size to be saying one is rubbish and the other is amazing though.

Be interested to hear how your numbers work out

We only had one relief last year Call to us!!

The fast one half the time we didn’t even get the cow to the crush. He was over the gate and pushing her up the race trying to serve her.

 

[shearerlad]

View attachment 773884 View attachment 773886 View attachment 773888 View attachment 773890 Bulled one of the 2 heifers with the Netherhall Jackpot son we bought last week,nice to see he`s going to work. The other heifer i will try to A I next cycle to mereside lorenzo as i want it to a good bull,we bought the heifer off one of the top show calf breeders who sold a calf last week for £9200 so hopefully will breed summat decent!

That looks like a fair unit of a bull

 

[Danllan]

If it's the same TW that's been round here, the man's a legend. Remember him coming here Christmas day one year to AI a cow, had to fetch him from the end of the lane on the quad because of snow. He had the gun and straw down his back. Got the cow in calf!

Yes that's him, he covers Llandysul too, a real star. I'm pleased to write that Genus know it too, they sent him for a 'course' or some such in Israel last year - apparently there was even work done...

Ditto your comment on his coming in dodgy weather, although not Christmas in our case - but then the way in to ours isn't as steep as yours, fewer hairpins too... In fact, thinking on it, yours would make a decent training track for a hill climb.

 

[muleman]

That looks like a fair unit of a bull

thanks,yes,pleased with him....its a cloughead bull, they would have took him to carlisle but he was a bit short of weight for age,he would have qualified but they thought he would have been lost in his class with bigger bulls...got him for 3800 gns so think we`ve maybe not done so bad.

 

[New2itall]

View attachment 773884 View attachment 773886 View attachment 773888 View attachment 773890 Bulled one of the 2 heifers with the Netherhall Jackpot son we bought last week,nice to see he`s going to work. The other heifer i will try to A I next cycle to mereside lorenzo as i want it to a good bull,we bought the heifer off one of the top show calf breeders who sold a calf last week for £9200 so hopefully will breed summat decent!

What’s his breeding? Super bull

 

[muleman]

What’s his breeding? Super bull

Thankyou,he was bred by the late George Hutton of the Cloughead herd and he is sired by Netherhall Jackpot who is a son of Requin who was sired by Jacot so he will hopefully stand a chance of breeding some nice suckled calves.

 

[ejensen]

With no experience of AI, would you advise synchronising heifers to avoid missing seeing them bulling?

 

[topground]

With no experience of AI, would you advise synchronising heifers to avoid missing seeing them bulling?

Use kamars and check them morning and evening, AI 12 hours after observing colour change or bulling.Has worked here for many years. 8 week calvimg interval and less than 1.5 straws per pregnancy average over that time.

 

[Dextersg]

Hello all,

Just kicking around a few figures for current sheep enterprise and having a look at how some cows might fit into the farm business. Interested in some figures/views from folks that use AI on their sucklers:

1. How do AI technicians charge? By time/visit/insemination? How much?

2. What protocol is used for synchronisation and how much does this cost per cow?

3. Idea of price per straw? Say for good quality AA semen (Piece of string, I know)

4. Anyone rely completely on AI? What are conception rates like?

5. As a comparison, guide price for registered AA bull, above average on figures and easy calving but not flash?

Cheers, Woolless.

we tried AI. Fed up waiting for AI chap brought bull and let them get on with it. All cows in calf again. Made our lives A lot easier

 

[Woolless]

we tried AI. Fed up waiting for AI chap brought bull and let them get on with it. All cows in calf again. Made our lives A lot easier

Yes, I think I've made my mind up to go down the bull route and make life easier if we have some cows. Won't be this summer, anyway.

 

[M-J-G]

100 % Ai here.
Ai charge has risen steeply here the last 12 months, was paying £12.50/ service now £19.50 / service ( time to change from Genus! ) flask storage £7/ month .
Surcharge for using non genus bulls £3.50 / service.
1.5 services / per cow
Semen £10 - £250
So your looking at around £50ish / cow in calf ( other than if your using expensive semen ).
Decent bull £10000
I'll let you do the maths
Never had a bull on the farm ( other than less than a week old ).

A good bull costs 10k, now we're talking.
I sell bulls and I need people those kind of figures in mind to call.

Back down on earth, stock bulls that I've bought have varied from £1300 to 4k, and the dearer ones weren't always the best.

If it takes 10k to get a decent bull, the AI stations all have rubbish, because they will rarely go to that high a price for a bull.

 

[Gulli]

A good bull costs 10k, now we're talking.
I sell bulls and I need people those kind of figures in mind to call.

Back down on earth, stock bulls that I've bought have varied from £1300 to 4k, and the dearer ones weren't always the best.

If it takes 10k to get a decent bull, the AI stations all have rubbish, because they will rarely go to that high a price for a bull.

Anyones welcome to their pick of my bulls for 10k
Doing a few heifers to ai this year

 

[Treg]

A good bull costs 10k, now we're talking.
I sell bulls and I need people those kind of figures in mind to call.

Back down on earth, stock bulls that I've bought have varied from £1300 to 4k, and the dearer ones weren't always the best.

If it takes 10k to get a decent bull, the AI stations all have rubbish, because they will rarely go to that high a price for a bull.

Ok perhaps decent was the wrong word & I certainly don't want to offend any one so lets say a top Bull would be over £10000 with pefectly reasonable bulls which are still quite likely to throw good calves & make a profit are available under that.
For me personally to do the extra work of Aiing & then use a cheaper bull doesn't make sense.
I do agree with you that dearer ones aren't always the best.
If someone can make a profit through using £1300 bulls good luck to them , which ever way a individual farm can make a profit is the main thing.

 

[muleman]

Ok perhaps decent was the wrong word & I certainly don't want to offend any one so lets say a top Bull would be over £10000 with pefectly reasonable bulls which are still quite likely to throw good calves & make a profit are available under that.
For me personally to do the extra work of Aiing & then use a cheaper bull doesn't make sense.
I do agree with you that dearer ones aren't always the best.
If someone can make a profit through using £1300 bulls good luck to them , which ever way a individual farm can make a profit is the main thing.

I agree with you,we`ve been round the bull sales and the dozen or so bulls we picked on were 10k upwards....we`ve A I`d quite a few and bought cheaper £2k-4k bulls to sweep up.

 

[AGN76]

The best example of a £1.5k bull. Bought as a "grower"

 

[muleman]

View attachment 802324
The best example of a £1.5k bull. Bought as a "grower"

a good 50%,if not more,will be breeding, he mustve been out of a good cow and sired by a good bull.....but a 1.5k bull in 2007,8,9,10 or whenever he was sold, will be a 3,4k bull in 2019

 

[M-J-G]

a good 50%,if not more,will be breeding, he mustve been out of a good cow and sired by a good bull.....but a 1.5k bull in 2007,8,9,10 or whenever he was sold, will be a 3,4k bull in 2019

Not at some of the sales so far in 2019.

Some bulls that were worth 5k in 2018 were making 3 in 2019

 

[muleman]

Not at some of the sales so far in 2019.

Some bulls that were worth 5k in 2018 were making 3 in 2019

And some blues last week that were 7,8k last year were 11 this! But,take your point,there are always a few bargains scattered about if you follow the breeding and know what you are doing. We had a 3k bull and sold 7month old calves for 2450 and 2000...but the mother musnt be dismissed lightly ,it's half the breeding after all

 

[New2itall]

Trouble seeing my cows bulling! At moment I see 2 today with plenty of slime at tail. Not excited nor showing any signs of sweating. Been getting meal since nice calving and post calving licks. Also cosicure blouses. Have kamar patches on tails [emoji849] any advice??