Are pure Holsteins coming to an end?

[Cows 'n grass]

Great results, well done. What was your AI protocol? Am/pm, thawing straws etc.

Pretty much exactly whatever cogent told me to do. I only AI in the morning and I wouldn't have put a sexed straw in anything doubtful.

 

[Bald Rick]

Pretty much exactly whatever cogent told me to do. I only AI in the morning and I wouldn't have put a sexed straw in anything doubtful.

Hearing a rumour that Cogent are looking to genomically test jersey herds with a view to sourcing U.K. bulls rather than US ones

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Hearing a rumour that Cogent are looking to genomically test jersey herds with a view to sourcing U.K. bulls rather than US ones

I was going to ask when the first bull with a Menai prefix was going to be available. I don't think they'll be genomic testing any of my cows too soon.

 

[Bald Rick]

I was going to ask when the first bull with a Menai prefix was going to be available. I don't think they'll be genomic testing any of my cows too soon.

About to have 15 females tested ... watch this space (not Cogent though)

 

[Serup]

About to have 15 females tested ... watch this space (not Cogent though)

How common is testing ?
I have tested all my heifers for about 3 years now.

 

[Rossymons]

I’m a spring calver of “grazing rats”. Will probably go down the sexed route for best 60% for 6 weeks as our bull calves are worthless pretty much as there F8J8. Will Ai BB to 2nd calvers + and HER to the 1st lactation girls. I’ve worked out £75/calve is the cut off point (giving someone a dairy bull calve and £75) any higher than £75 then sexed is economical and lower the conventional is more economical. Bull choice is the biggest issue I think for the sexed for xbreds

Yes I work for Cogent so I probably would say this BUT...

We AI 1000s of cows every year with nothing but 4m sexed or Triple Blue. I would have no problem in using 4m on spring calvers at all - they're bred for fertility so conception shouldn't be an issue.

If the bull meets your criteria then crack on.

 

[Bald Rick]

How common is testing ?
I have tested all my heifers for about 3 years now.

Not that common as far as I am aware. We tend to score our pedigree animals on a Profitable Life Index (PLI) similar to your Nordic Type Merit (NTM) rather than genomically test although I would assume that the more progressive breeders will be testing.

The animals I was referring to have been selected by Peter Larson as potential breeding cows for Viking as we are 99% Danish bloodlines